The British government is currently planning a survey of the happiness of the British people in the light of the economic crisis, spending cuts and general austerity measures. Viewers of the BBC’s Breakfast TV programme were this week asked to participate in a similar unofficial survey, pre-empting the government’s research. 11,000 participants sent SMS messages to the programme indicating their estimated happiness score on a scale of 1 – 10. The results showed that the average scored was 5.9, slightly higher than a similar survey of Dutch citizens earlier in the year. How should we estimate ‘happiness’ and how important is it anyway?
In the early days of marriage, living in the sprawling suburbs of London, we learned to like board games. At heart, we were really outdoors people and homesick for the country lanes and seaside, but we tried to adapt. At the outset of our life together our thoughts often turned to the future. We wondered how life would turn out, what ups and downs we would face, how work and home, family and friends would pan out and whether or not we would achieve that elusive quality of happiness.
Accordingly, one of our favourite board games to play on a winter’s evening was entitled ‘Careers’. In common with the best board games it involved making certain choices and collecting points to achieve the goal one had chosen. The choices in ‘Careers’ were between Fame, Money and Happiness. The goal was to collect points, in precisely the ratio previously decided upon and to be the first to fulfil the pre-arranged ‘contract’.
Moving around the board, one encountered various life experiences, accidents and opportunities, such as ‘spotting a yellow-bellied sapsucker’ which might prove useful if you were intent on building a career as a zoologist. In addition, you might gain various degrees, become a success on the stage or acquire large sums of money through career advances or inheritance. Alternatively, you might pick up a card which offered you the girl of your dreams, you might win a romantic holiday to the Bahamas or escape a serious accident, which could dramatically boost your score of happiness points. For me, and indeed, for us as a couple, there was never any serious question over which of the three kinds were most desirable. Happiness points always came out top.
It is no secret in life, or in board games, that what you decide upon and set your heart upon, is not necessarily what you will end up with. We were no exception to the rule. However, as we look back, we can identify in our lives, if not in our board game successes, a good share of happiness and contentment, together with a relatively lower score in the other two commodities! So perhaps we succeeded relatively well in our goal. It is a mute point how far the possession of ‘comfortable’ sums of money may contribute to happiness but, leaving that aside, we can be moderately satisfied with the results. Family and friendships have brought us joy, together with a modest share of sorrows. Work has given us some satisfaction – not many outstanding successes but, there again, a few. As for fame, we never made it. Any successes we have had have remained private affairs and neither of us have had a flair for marketing them. Who knows in the end how life might have turned out with a different balance in our goals? Life is probably as uncertain as any board game.
Our environment has been important to us. Strongly motivated by a sense of place, we have been sometimes charmed, sometimes bored or frustrated by the places we have settled in. But over the years we have enjoyed many delights and pleasures in a whole array of holiday locations and, in some cases, in our more long-term dwelling places. Generally speaking, to the best of our ability, we have headed for happiness points and have, it seems, achieved quite a few. Where we have headed for fame or success the road has often been rocky and stressful and, in many cases, disappointing. The race for money has not, frankly, often interested us and the results we have achieved there have probably reflected this! We have enough on the whole, but not an abundance, at least by the standards of those we mix with.
After many years, we have changed little. We no longer have the board game but, faced with it once more, would make the same choices all over again. As with board games, so with life! We don’t seem to have learned much over the years. Should we be sorry?
In the early days of marriage, living in the sprawling suburbs of London, we learned to like board games. At heart, we were really outdoors people and homesick for the country lanes and seaside, but we tried to adapt. At the outset of our life together our thoughts often turned to the future. We wondered how life would turn out, what ups and downs we would face, how work and home, family and friends would pan out and whether or not we would achieve that elusive quality of happiness.
Accordingly, one of our favourite board games to play on a winter’s evening was entitled ‘Careers’. In common with the best board games it involved making certain choices and collecting points to achieve the goal one had chosen. The choices in ‘Careers’ were between Fame, Money and Happiness. The goal was to collect points, in precisely the ratio previously decided upon and to be the first to fulfil the pre-arranged ‘contract’.
Moving around the board, one encountered various life experiences, accidents and opportunities, such as ‘spotting a yellow-bellied sapsucker’ which might prove useful if you were intent on building a career as a zoologist. In addition, you might gain various degrees, become a success on the stage or acquire large sums of money through career advances or inheritance. Alternatively, you might pick up a card which offered you the girl of your dreams, you might win a romantic holiday to the Bahamas or escape a serious accident, which could dramatically boost your score of happiness points. For me, and indeed, for us as a couple, there was never any serious question over which of the three kinds were most desirable. Happiness points always came out top.
It is no secret in life, or in board games, that what you decide upon and set your heart upon, is not necessarily what you will end up with. We were no exception to the rule. However, as we look back, we can identify in our lives, if not in our board game successes, a good share of happiness and contentment, together with a relatively lower score in the other two commodities! So perhaps we succeeded relatively well in our goal. It is a mute point how far the possession of ‘comfortable’ sums of money may contribute to happiness but, leaving that aside, we can be moderately satisfied with the results. Family and friendships have brought us joy, together with a modest share of sorrows. Work has given us some satisfaction – not many outstanding successes but, there again, a few. As for fame, we never made it. Any successes we have had have remained private affairs and neither of us have had a flair for marketing them. Who knows in the end how life might have turned out with a different balance in our goals? Life is probably as uncertain as any board game.
Our environment has been important to us. Strongly motivated by a sense of place, we have been sometimes charmed, sometimes bored or frustrated by the places we have settled in. But over the years we have enjoyed many delights and pleasures in a whole array of holiday locations and, in some cases, in our more long-term dwelling places. Generally speaking, to the best of our ability, we have headed for happiness points and have, it seems, achieved quite a few. Where we have headed for fame or success the road has often been rocky and stressful and, in many cases, disappointing. The race for money has not, frankly, often interested us and the results we have achieved there have probably reflected this! We have enough on the whole, but not an abundance, at least by the standards of those we mix with.
After many years, we have changed little. We no longer have the board game but, faced with it once more, would make the same choices all over again. As with board games, so with life! We don’t seem to have learned much over the years. Should we be sorry?
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