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| Jove Duero |
Does having a lot of money make people happy? Or does possession of luxury items make one happy?
Absolutely not, as far as the Filipinos are concerned.
To the Filipinos, having a lot of money and luxury items in life have nothing to do with their genuine happiness.
In this blog post, we will enumerate the things that make Filipinos happy as reflected in the survey happiest countries in 2024.
Happiest people
The latest survey of the happiest people on earth once again proves the Filipinos’ happy nature.
In the survey, the Philippines ranked 53rd among the happiest countries in the world in 2024. In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is second to Singapore as the happiest people.
Is the result of the survey reflective of the true feelings of the Filipinos? The answer is a resounding yes.
Amidst challenges in life, the Filipinos still manage to exude positivity. They are a different breed of people.
They have these values of positivity, resilience, and happiness. These values are manifested in numerous occasions and situations.
Reasons behind it
It could be in their genes or an assimilated trait from any of their three colonizers. Filipinos are simple people. Simple or small things make them happy.
Deprived of luxury and lack of money in life, the Filipinos still manage to smile. While lack of money triggers some people to behave in a negative way, the Filipinos behave on the contrary.
Born, raised and lived in the Philippines, I have observed how most of my countrymen endure various forms of challenges and misfortunes in life.
But these hardships cannot dampen the spirit of the Filipinos being the happiest people in the world.
But what really makes Filipinos happy?
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| VisayasMed Hospital |
● Good health
One of the primary concerns of the Filipinos is their health. Any physical discomfort suffered by a family member will cause
concern to the rest of the family. And having good health gives Filipinos comfort and happiness.
● Security of work
Filipinos feel happy when they have a stable job; it means that their families will not go hungry. They can also buy their other necessities in life if they have a stable job.
● Choices in life
Section 1 of the Article 3 in the Philippine constitution provides that “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty and property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.”
Happiness of the Filipinos is derived from this particular provision of the law, granting them the absolute freedom to choose what to do in life.
● Friends
Filipinos are sociable people. They are happy being with friends which provides them a sense of belongingness, comfort and happiness.
In the Philippines, seeing groups of friends chatting, giggling, laughing, and even shouting among themselves is normal.
● Faith
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| Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño Church |
No doubt, Filipinos are religious people. They cling to their faith not just during challenging times but all the time.
Filipinos' religiosity is extended beyond the church or any house of worship. When they pass by a church, when they leave home for work or school, they will make a sign of a cross.
When they wake up and before going to bed, before eating a meal, they will pray.
And even before the start and after a game whether they win or lose, they will pray thanking the Almighty for sparing them from any injury.
Many Filipino parishioners and faithful attend every church mass every day, particularly on Sundays. In the Philippines, church masses are officiated by priests three (3) times a day from Mondays to Saturdays and as many as ten (10) masses on Sundays.
● Fun
When in the company of their friends, expect chaos. Young Filipinos behave wildly (literally) when they are with their friends.
They don’t care about other people around them. They shout, laugh, or giggle while talking about everything under the sun.
Anyway, these actuations of the Filipinos are part of their being the happiest and funny people in the world.
Laugh at own mistakes
Other circumstances Filipinos manifest their happy nature. Believe it or not, Filipinos laugh at their own mistakes. They are naturally happy people on earth that they would laugh at their own mistakes. Sounds funny right? But the sad or funny trait of the Filipinos, to laugh at their own mistakes be it with people around or all alone.
When stumbling on the ground, forgetting lines during class recitations, or public discourse, instead of getting upset or angered, they would just laugh.
Many Filipinos find this particular trait of laughing at their own mistakes as weird, but that is what it is.
It’s part of their culture. It is the hallmark of every Filipino. This trait may be unique and unknown to many, but it’s reality.
Comedy shows on television or variety shows during feast celebrations, jokes by friends will easily make Filipinos laugh.
Happiness amidst challenges
From time to time, Filipinos experience various forms of challenges and hardships in life such as during and after a destructive typhoon, heavy flood, or earthquake.
The country, situated along the pacific ring of fire and typhoon belt has been visited by an average of 20 typhoons, around five of which are destructive. Often, the country is also hit by earthquakes of varying magnitude.
Despite the ruins and devastation after a destructive calamity, the Filipinos are still happy, for nothing could dampen their happy spirit.
Hard life
It is a fact that millions of Filipinos are poor. For centuries, they have been deprived of life’s comfort and convenience.
Every day, millions of them suffer and endure involuntary hunger because there is no food or lack of food on the table.
Many Filipinos do not have stable income because they are underemployed or underpaid.
Their miserable economic condition was aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic where millions of working Filipinos lost their jobs either temporarily or permanently.
But despite this deprivation of earthly things has not been a hindrance to millions of Filipinos not to be happy in life.
Proof of happy nature
Result of the recent survey of happy people in which the Filipinos ranked 53rdis a testament to their happy nature.
Bereft of comfort and luxury in life, the Filipinos still manage to be happy. But they are still human beings. They are also vulnerable to emotional pain.
Being a Filipino, I am happy with the result of the survey placing my country among happiest countries in the world. This survey showing Filipinos as happiest people only proves that Filipinos have not lost their faith and hope despite the misfortunes and hardships in life.
