Happiness is Overrated

I'm sure you've heard the old nauseating cliche, life is too short so be happy, along with other variations on this theme. Unfortunately, the thoughtless people quoting this most likely can not explain what happiness is or even how to achieve it. 

Philosophers from the ancient Greeks to the moderns have all chimed in on what constitutes the happy life. It's the age old question. 

Aristotle believed you must have a plan in place, along with living a life of virtue and moderation in all things. Plato emphasized not only virtue but the acquisition of knowledge as the highest good. And the Declaration of Independence says, 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

So when I read the headline, "Why the Finns Don't Want To Be Happy", it caught my attention. It would appear they don't put much stock in the idea of happiness. Rather, they see contentment as something far better. With them it is not "are you happy", but how's your quality of life?

I'm not sure if they have quite figured it out. I know they like their alcohol and maybe this has something to do with it. Here's the link if you want to see what the Finns have to say about happiness: Why the Finns don't want to be happy