"In Pursuit of Happiness"

I learned the following from CBS’s "60 Minutes" last night.

According to a survey by an US university, people in Denmark are the happiest ones in the world. Not because Denmark has many more blondes than other countries, the Danes are content with their lives and do not expect much from others. With a 50% income tax rate on the middle income earners, its government manages well to take good care of all its citizens from cradle to grave. Its education system offers free schooling to everyone up to college. This amazingly generous program allows students stay at the university as long as it takes to graduate. For a starter, no college graduates in Denmark will ever have a huge student loan upon graduation. What a relief!

According to the same survey, while the Americans, citizens of the most affluent country in the world, are not the least happy ones, they are only happier than people in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan. Being content may be boring as we have seldom heard any breaking news from Denmark. Perhaps we all should learn to be content and thankful for our good fortunate. So we all can be happier. - Ayee

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Author unknown.

If we look around, we will find many treasures in our midst.
The above quote was one of the gems I noticed many years ago while waiting for the traffic lights to turn green. It was in bold black letters on a no-frill board like the ones we saw in many coffee shops. The printing business which shared this wisdom with the public has since moved to another location. But ever since I learned this timeless saying, I often wonder why we are living in a such complex world. Maybe now with the "green" movement in full-swing is the opportune time to simplify the way we live, the way we conduct business and the way our governments govern us.

To know or not to know.

The other day, my neighbor returned a piece of my mails that he opened by mistake. It happened to be a cable bill. Now he knows which television channels I watch. It was an innocent oversight. So I was not upset or uptight about this incident.
I did open one of my neighbor's mail in the past by mistake. It was his payroll statement and I returned it to him with an apology. Since I did not read the content of the mail, I never gave it a second thought afterward. So the case is closed. But I do wonder on how some of us will react if we learn some sensitive information on others through the misdirected mails. Ayee.

Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework---

Before Your Dog Can Eat Your Homework, First You Have to Do It: Life Lessons from a Wise Old Dog to a Young Boy
by John O'Hurley (Author)
If you have not read this book, please see if you can get hold of a copy at your library. It is fun to read and the author wrote some relevant life lessons to his baby son through his dog. It's fun to read his first book too titled "It’s okay to miss the bed on the first jump." But I like his second one better. In one of the advices he suggested that "more often than not, groups are less mature than the individuals in them because the heart of their purpose is to ostracize others," i.e. us versus them. This reminds me why sometimes religions are not for everyone.- Ayee

The Secret of a long life is everything in moderation.

I just learned a retired accountant told the reporter who interviewed him for his 100th birthday celebration that the secret of a long life is everything in moderation. This elderly gentleman’s insightful remarks remind me of Confucius. Many years ago, this well-known Chinese philosopher and teacher taught his followers to be "moderate." We certainly do not know how this principle of moderation benefitted the ancient Chinese society in the past. But the idea to be moderate certainly deserves a closer look in view of the extreme excesses we currently witness in our society. - Ayee