When you’re happy and you know it clap your hands is the beginning of an old tune considered a children’s song by some and a drinking song by others . I’m thinking it might be a bit difficult to clap your hands effectively while flipping someone the bird with one of them . Then again, not everyone feels the need to flip the bird .
Once a year the United Nations issues something known as the World Happiness report and rates some 150+ nations in a descending list taking into consideration some fourteen topics ranging from economic and social issues to social engagement , law and order , health , etc. Seems that the Scandinavian countries are doing something right as the United Nations gallup poll rates them as tops in world happiness with consistency. Now apart from viewing large portions of Scandinavia from the deck of a distant ship I have no personal impressions to relate about that . I do have personal impressions of my own home country of the United States that is rated a relatively high number 12 this year as well as my present location of Colombia that came in much lower at number 76 .
I can’t help but note that for sure the struggles of daily life here in Colombia are by far and away greater than the average American’s struggle which sways the somewhat sad Colombian rating of 76 . I mean how do you explain the painful experience of paying $400 more for tires for the F150 than you did two years prior to someone with no concept of ever having such a vehicle , or even ever acquiring $ 400 ? With that in mind my last visit to Colombia was two years prior and while some things may have changed a bit one thing has remained a rock solid and let me tell you what that is …..
In the short time since my arrival back here in Colombia I have heard without any exaggeration more laughter, more jokes and polite conversation than in the entire past two years back home . I left a place rated 12 in happiness where most of my neighbors would rather cross the street than suffer having to make contact and yet here the wife and I cannot walk a street without someone crossing that street to greet and offer a pleasant social moment . While I type this I’m being observed by some very colorful parrots and even they seem quite content in great contrast to the large hawk in my backyard back home the day before we left . He’d killed a squirrel and though with more than ample food clutched in his talons ….. He still sounded angry and pissed much the same as his local human counterparts
