It is estimated that during the colonization of Africa, half of the native population of the continent perished. Picture that for a second. Half of a continent. They were imprisoned, put into slavery, beaten to death, or forced to work themselves to death. All while white men declared the land unpopulated and saw it as open to ownership. Ten million people, at least, perished in King Leopold II of Belgium's Congo alone. 10,000,000 people. That's seven zero's. And that was only during colonization, that does not include the number of people who have died because of the society that was left behind when the European powers pulled out and left the newly independent African nations in shambles. Leopold was so desperate to get his hand on land to colonize that he did not care what he had to do to get that land. He did not see the native Congolese people as human or having civilization. The fact, however, is that already in place were extensive societies and monarchies stretching across the continent, being ruled by Kings and having a successful societal structure in place. When Leopold died and it was discovered the extensive amount of wealth he had attained at the expensive of millions of native lives, people debated who should get that money. Leopold's daughters wanted their share, the Belgium government wanted their share, and Leopold's mistress wanted her share. Nobody ever stopped to consider that the money should go back into the Congo. Why is this? Why was it such an unheard of idea that the Congo had real people living in it, and deserved the profits from their resources and hard work?
King Leopold believed that the only thing that could make him happy was to have a colony under his rule. He wanted power, recognition, and money. His happiness cost ten million lives, the destruction of societies, and created a system that is still highly impoverished to this day. His happiness was more important in his eyes than the happiness of anyone around him. While clearly this is an extreme case, I challenge you to ask yourself what your happiness costs.
In America, it is often believed that you need things to be happy. You need the latest iPhone. You need the biggest house. You will not be happy unless you have these things. And while this may be true in the moment, is it really true in the long term? Will the newest iPhone still make you happy when there is a newer iPhone released? How long does that happiness last when you get that phone? I began thinking of this question after I watched a small child throw a tantrum at work because her mother would not buy her a Dora the Explorer book that she wanted. In the midst of her crying, she told her mom that she needed the book. It struck me that we teach these values to our children at such young ages. How is it that a 4 year old already has this idea that they need things to be happy? I guarantee that by the next morning, that girl probably didn't even remember the book, or that she "needed" it. So why was that the only thing that would have made her happy at the time?
Despite the old saying, it is a common belief that happiness follows money. If you have money, you can live a comfortable life, you can buy things you need, you can buy things you "need", you can vacation whenever you want, you can have the best car, you can have a huge house, anything. But do these things really bring happiness? If you do a quick Google search to find the happiest country in the world, most of the sites you get are based off of who has the highest per-capita GDP. Basically, who has the most money. Their descriptions of happiness and how they measure it are all about how money lets you buy things. However, I also found another measurement. The University of Michigan does a survey called the World Values Surveys. In these survey's, they ask people around the world various questions about happiness in order to determine happiness in a measurable form. When asked "Taking all things together, would you say you are: 1. Very happy, 2. Rather happy, 3. Not very happy, or 4. Not at all happy?" they found the country that was the most happy was Nigeria. An African nation that is ranked 175th in the world in per-capita GDP. Beyond this, the next 4 in line were all developing nations as well.
While I believe you can measure happiness many ways, I don't think it is possible to beat a simple personal opinion. Who know's better than you if you are happy? Nobody. So why is it that such a poor nation is so happy and American's aren't? During my time in Kenya, I found in myself that I was happier simply because there was less pressure. People aren't in such a rush to do things or buy things or surpass others. Developing nations often have a large emphasis on community and interpersonal relationships. Children are raised by the village, not by their parents, and there isn't the same fear of others that there is in America. We had a running joke while we were there about a concept called "African Time." We'd be told to meet somewhere at 2pm, and we would ask if that was in African Time or American Time. In American Time, we'd probably arrive at 1:45, and expect the event to start exactly at 2pm. In African Time, that probably meant that the event would start by maybe 5 or 6. Things move slower, and people are more concerned with the experience than the details. It is so liberating to not be tied down by a need to constantly check email or worry about if you are wearing the right thing or have the latest iPhone. There is a different sense of what is important in a place like Kenya or Nigeria. Happiness is about the people surrounding you, not the items surrounding you.
I want to challenge you to make a list of what makes you happy. Look at that list, and count how many of them are based on money or a need to fit in. Put each item on that list in the order of how long it makes you happy for. I find with myself, some of the most seemingly inconsiquential things are the items that make me the most happy for the longest amounts of time. I challenge you to find happiness in yourself, before you find happiness externally. If an iPhone makes you happy, is the source of happiness from that phone? Or is it from the societal image placed on you because you have that phone? Are the resources necessary for you to get a new phone every year and the lives put at risk to gather those resources worth the happiness you get from that phone? Was King Leopold's happiness as owner of a colony and the wealth from that colony worth the ten million people who perished in the process? If you had to give a yes or no answer, would you say that you are happy right here, right now?
Despite the old saying, it is a common belief that happiness follows money. If you have money, you can live a comfortable life, you can buy things you need, you can buy things you "need", you can vacation whenever you want, you can have the best car, you can have a huge house, anything. But do these things really bring happiness? If you do a quick Google search to find the happiest country in the world, most of the sites you get are based off of who has the highest per-capita GDP. Basically, who has the most money. Their descriptions of happiness and how they measure it are all about how money lets you buy things. However, I also found another measurement. The University of Michigan does a survey called the World Values Surveys. In these survey's, they ask people around the world various questions about happiness in order to determine happiness in a measurable form. When asked "Taking all things together, would you say you are: 1. Very happy, 2. Rather happy, 3. Not very happy, or 4. Not at all happy?" they found the country that was the most happy was Nigeria. An African nation that is ranked 175th in the world in per-capita GDP. Beyond this, the next 4 in line were all developing nations as well.
While I believe you can measure happiness many ways, I don't think it is possible to beat a simple personal opinion. Who know's better than you if you are happy? Nobody. So why is it that such a poor nation is so happy and American's aren't? During my time in Kenya, I found in myself that I was happier simply because there was less pressure. People aren't in such a rush to do things or buy things or surpass others. Developing nations often have a large emphasis on community and interpersonal relationships. Children are raised by the village, not by their parents, and there isn't the same fear of others that there is in America. We had a running joke while we were there about a concept called "African Time." We'd be told to meet somewhere at 2pm, and we would ask if that was in African Time or American Time. In American Time, we'd probably arrive at 1:45, and expect the event to start exactly at 2pm. In African Time, that probably meant that the event would start by maybe 5 or 6. Things move slower, and people are more concerned with the experience than the details. It is so liberating to not be tied down by a need to constantly check email or worry about if you are wearing the right thing or have the latest iPhone. There is a different sense of what is important in a place like Kenya or Nigeria. Happiness is about the people surrounding you, not the items surrounding you.
I want to challenge you to make a list of what makes you happy. Look at that list, and count how many of them are based on money or a need to fit in. Put each item on that list in the order of how long it makes you happy for. I find with myself, some of the most seemingly inconsiquential things are the items that make me the most happy for the longest amounts of time. I challenge you to find happiness in yourself, before you find happiness externally. If an iPhone makes you happy, is the source of happiness from that phone? Or is it from the societal image placed on you because you have that phone? Are the resources necessary for you to get a new phone every year and the lives put at risk to gather those resources worth the happiness you get from that phone? Was King Leopold's happiness as owner of a colony and the wealth from that colony worth the ten million people who perished in the process? If you had to give a yes or no answer, would you say that you are happy right here, right now?
