What we need to know to enjoy a happy life
Ho Lok-sang examines why the 2016 Hong Kong Happiness Index tumbled compared with last year and offers some advice on how young people can enjoy happier and more rewarding lives
Frustrations and disappointments are inevitable in life, but these should not prevent us from having a happy life. The trick lies in seeing the big picture and in focusing on what we can change and on accepting what we cannot. Chu Hai College of Higher Education, in collaboration with Lingnan University, just reported the 2016 Hong Kong Happiness Index. On a scale of 0 to 100, the happiness index fell to 67.6 from last year’s 70. While the happiness of each age group fell, that of young people below the age of 30 fell dramatically, from 69.3 to 63.8. Such a decline is unprecedented. Between 2015 and 2016, nothing really happened that could have caused the decline. Each year we asked how satisfied people are with the government’s administration of public policy, Hong Kong’s media, the public healthcare system and the living environment. The rating for all of these actually improved — at least in the eyes of those aged 30 to 49 and those aged 50 and above. But our young people did not agree: They gave a lower rating on all four. Their unhappiness is not due to things getting worse but it lies within, reflecting significant discontent.
When people are unhappy, I usually put the blame on education. This is because I believe the primary task of educators is always to enhance students’ ability to live a happy life. Educators can help boost happiness by helping students equip themselves with the tools to face the challenges of life. Among these tools, the foremost is the ability to see the big picture, so everything can be seen in the right perspective, and two key life skills — the ability to sensibly reflect on life, and learning skills.
Over just the past week or so, at least three young people committed suicide in Hong Kong. The causes of suicide may vary, from work and academic pressure to unemployment and a sense of having been cheated in life to having a long-term illness. For young people, long-term illness is usually less of a problem than stress or distress. Stress will occur when people perceive a gap between reality and their expectations. When what people achieves falls short of their target, stress can develop if people do not handle things well. The wider the gap, the greater the stress. Distress will occur when people lose their selfesteem or when they are in a very difficult situation for an extended period of time. In each case, it will be possible for people to be lifted out of a situation of stress or unhappiness if they can see the big picture instead of dwelling on the causes of these problems.
Once you have learnt to see the big picture, you can do two things. The first is to deal with a sense of loss and to move on. The second is to adapt and to find a way out of an apparent impasse.
What is this big picture that we have been talking about? It is to see life in its entirety: You can lose a battle in life but you must not lose the “war”, so you can turn your life into a story of successful living. Successful living is a life of learning, so we become stronger and happier in the end. The author is dean of business at the Chu Hai College of Higher Education.
The rating for all of these (the government’s administration of public policy, Hong Kong’s media, the public healthcare system and the living environment) actually improved — at least in the eyes of those aged 30 to 49 and those aged 50 and above. But our young people did not agree: They gave a lower rating on all four.”
To triumph in life, we really need to persevere. When times are tough, we need to preserve our energy so we can fight again when things become more favorable. If losses have been incurred, then we need to minimize further losses by capitalizing on the resources still at our command.
There are two questions related to “Insight” (or “Wisdom”) and “Engagement” for which our younger generation scored particularly badly in the happiness index. One is “Not thinking too much about things beyond one’s control”; the other is “Having clear goals in life”. The score for the former dropped to 5.28 (on a scale of 0 to 10) this year from last year’s 5.35; while that for having clear goals in life dropped to 6.32 this year from last year’s 6.65.
In general, it is only when one has clear goals in life and when one is not confused between the ends and means that one can see the big picture and take a longer-term view. Not thinking too much about things beyond your control, you can then focus on things within your control and adapt to meet life’s challenges. While young people seem to have lost a sense of direction, it is gratifying to see evidence that our elderly people have been gaining in the score for purposeful and engaged living. This score has been rising every year since 2012 and now stands at 7.72.
There is little doubt that our young people have a lot of grievances and frustrations. Their unhappiness needs to be dealt with positively and wisely. We cannot afford to have an unhappy generation, who will eventually take over the administration of Hong Kong.