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Utopia

From World Happiness Report


According to the World Happiness Report 2023, Finland is the happiest country in the world. All the Nordic countries rank very high on the Happiness Index. The Finns might have found it hard to accept that they are the happiest people in the world. Because they are rather unsociable people who look melancholic. They don’t look happy.

But the Finns are the happiest people, according to the Happiness Report which was prepared after a long and systematic research. What makes Finland the Utopia of 2023?

First of all, the Finns enjoy the small pleasures of life. They don’t build luxurious houses, they don’t show off wealth, and they don’t compete with the neighbours. They don’t spend much time on the internet and social media. Instead, they spend time in the company of nature. Their summer holidays are all about living a simple, rustic life. A country of 56 lakh people, Finland has 32 lakh cottages most of which are located in forests near one of the 1.88 lakh crystal-clear lakes that the country is blessed with.

Secondly, the government cares for the people. There is no corruption in Finland. You get the best of everything possible from the government: education, employment, healthcare, security, pension… If you lose your job, your government will give you Rs3 lakh per month for two years or until you get another job. Education is free. So everyone gets equal opportunities. The wellbeing of the citizens is the primary concern of the government. And the citizens are honest too. So they do honest work efficiently and get more free time. The offices close at 3 pm in summer so that the citizens can go hiking or swimming which they can’t do in winter. But no work suffers because of the reduced office times. On the contrary, the Finns think that working long hours is a sign of inefficiency.

Thirdly, people trust one another. They cooperate and help one another. In their schools, children are not taught to compete with classmates but to cooperate. The politicians take public transport for travelling like the other citizens. The top leaders mingle with the ordinary people in the streets and parks and such places. The people do pay high taxes in Finland. But they get excellent returns. The taxes are used for the wellbeing of the people – not of the politicians and their cronies.

Finland teaches us how we can convert our own country into a utopia. Make every public institution accountable to the citizens instead of serving a few elites. And never forget that in the end every citizen has to play a vital role in the creation of Utopia. The Finns rank high on civic honesty, trust, cleanliness and modesty. They have great virtues and high standards of behaviour.

For a country like India whose rank on the Happiness Index is 126 out of 137 countries, there is a long way to go. It may be worth remembering that in spite of all our high-sounding slogans about Achche Din and Amritkal, we are behind Pakistan (108), Sri Lanka (112), Myanmar (117), and Bangladesh (118) on the Happiness Index. Creating a utopia will take a long time. Maybe, we can start with a bit of basic cleaning up in our government: too many of our legislators are hardcore criminals!

In the last election, earlier this month, Finland chose a conservative right-wing government. I guess, they want to protect their goodness from infiltrating evil. Sometimes, right-wing seems right! 


PS. This post is part of #BlogchatterA2Z 2023

Previous Post: Talisman

Coming up tomorrow: Velocity in Shillong

Comments

  1. Yep. I wouldnt want Finland to be desecrated by outside influence. Even though it's already started which is why they elected a right wing govt. I believe in cleaning our own place rather than hopping off to an already clean place. Since many who do that don't really know how to clean, they more than anything end up dirtying other places too. Fight on Finland~

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true. We Indians have gone too many places with our culture that is not quite commendable.

      Delete
  2. I know someone who is Finnish, and can say that the person is the most sorted, calm human being I have known. I too dont mind paying higher taxes, if that is for the benefit of society at large. But I do know it is not possible in Indian sub-continent.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We Indians are still living in some prehistoric times!

      Delete
  3. Didn't know so much about Finland. Honesty is an important virtue. If citizens aren't honest they shouldn't expect their leaders to be honest.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It could be the other way too - jaisa raja waisi praja!

      Delete
  4. Hari OM
    True, all that - except that I am inclined (as Careena hinted) to think that the move right is indicative of something else stirring... Similar in Sweden, which was always high on the happiness list but has been dropping back. The community imperative is essential, though - even the UK is not managing well on that score! YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, all over the world there's this rightward tilt.

      Delete
  5. Wonder if Bhutan was considered in this race. Instead of GDP they have GNP - Gross National Happiness. Have been there and found them to be a laid back, happy lot!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn't find Bhutan on the index. Wonder why that country was not included in the study.

      Delete
  6. I wonder which states here has the happiest people. One thing I like to mention about welfare or gov't taking care of. Here in United States it look down upon.

    Coffee is on and stay safe.

    ReplyDelete

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