My Understanding of Happiness

Xuefeng

February 4, 2024

Let’s first look at the following four phenomena.

When I was a child, there was no electricity, running water, radio, television, or mobile phone in my home. There were no ready-made clothes for sale in the stores. Clothes were made by hand from fabric bought from the store. In winter, the water we drank was spring water carried from two kilometers away in wooden buckets. The most vivid memories from my childhood are of spending all day playing or catching fish by the canal or river in the summer, herding sheep on the river beach, playing hide and seek or poker with a few friends, pulling pigweed in the cornfield, or carrying a dozen eggs in a basket to the store to exchange for kerosene and salt. I can’t remember wearing any new clothes, but every time I recall, the scenes I can remember are all filled with happiness.

I lived in Zimbabwe, Africa for more than ten years and spent nearly two years in many remote rural areas. In the countryside, people seem to do nothing all day, gathering together to chat or listen to music and dance. I have been to many poor thatched houses. Inside the house, apart from a pot and a few bowls, a blanket spread on the ground, and a few hanging clothes, there are no other furnishings and utensils. But they seem to be born optimists, laughing and dancing all the time, seemingly without any worries or anxieties.

I stayed in a primitive tribe in Vanuatu, Oceania for two months. I lived in a “guesthouse” provided by the tribal chief. This “guesthouse” was drafty on all sides, the ground was sandy, and the roof was thatched. There was a rat’s nest in the thatched roof, and from time to time, baby rats would fall onto the bed. A pair of pants and a shirt hanging on the grass wall were bitten by rats after a few days. The water we drank was rainwater collected from a bucket under the eaves. There was no electricity, so I bought a solar panel from the city to charge my phone and provide lighting. At night, I often heard people shouting, probably singing and dancing. During the day, I saw people sitting or lying under a thatched roof with no walls on all sides, on an old carpet. A kettle was placed on a stove made of stones, and steam was coming out of the kettle. They were drinking tea, I don’t know what kind of tea, anyway, it was the leaves of a plant. Drinking tea, three or five people chatting and laughing together, I occasionally received some food sent by people nearby, either papaya, bananas and mangoes, or occasionally they would kill a cow, and I would also buy some to eat, apart from salt, there were no other condiments. There are clear rivers here, bathing is done in the river, and clothes are washed in the river as well.

I’ve been living in rural Canada for seven years. The area is vast and sparsely populated, and every household lives in a villa. Apart from going to the supermarket in town and the annual garlic festival, people rarely gather together. Each family lives alone, which is probably why people like to go to church on Sundays, because only by going to church can people have the opportunity to interact and communicate. For seven years, no police or government department staff have ever come to my house. Occasionally, I would go to Vancouver for a few days, lock the door (there are no anti-theft doors and windows), and leave, leaving things like lawnmowers and small carts outside at will. The gate is never closed. After a few days, I came back and everything is as usual, with no signs of thieves. I hardly see any Chinese people all year round, and I have little contact with my neighbors. On Sundays, when I want to sleep, absolutely no one will come to visit and disturb me. Although the winter is a bit long, the interior is still warm. In winter, there is nothing to do. For several months, apart from surfing the internet and using the phone, all that’s left is eating and sleeping.

So, what do these four phenomena illustrate? They illustrate the essence of happiness.

Then, what is the essence of happiness?

My understanding is: simplicity, frugality, having clothes to wear, a house to live in, food to eat, being in the mood to sing, having the physical strength to dance, not having bills to pay every month, living near a river or stream or lake, having a field, planting some vegetables, raising a dozen sheep, raising a dozen chickens, raising a few cows, not being bullied, not being oppressed, having a few people who can chat and laugh together.

May I ask, what is your understanding of the essence of happiness?