This is a review after reading the Green Bay Press-Gazette's headliner from the August 18, 2024 Sunday newspaper: America has a happiness problem by Natalie Eilbert from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Happiness and the Human Ecology
I had some questions arise about the data collected in the studies for enacting prompt response entrusting the common definitions we declare in happiness.
Firstly, the data, what is it based from?
Socioeconomic factors were considered along with surveys that were written as a foundation for basing the research collected by health organizations (on youth, mental issues, suicide rates) along with the Healthy Minds program at UW-Madison application used to collect data to analyze the overall healthy state of its users. Alongside local efforts, a global "Happiness Report" is conducted with International data to compare with the continuous research of the well-being of its citizens.
Secondly, the time period, was it considered?
The technology, time period, and age were big factors of this article. The age group that was determined unhappy fell within the range of teenager to middle-aged groups. Seniors were considered their happiest at the present time in comparison.
I read this and immediately gravitated to the technological gap and luxury relaxing and aiding in their lifetimes. More time, less damage to health, expense reduction, consumer promoted societal standards, and better health distributions in food, inspection, and agriculture practices overall. Their happiness definitions would include these factors.
However, the younger generations who seem to have base lined through the last couple of decades since their birth may not have felt drastic change like the previous generations. The first global catastrophe drastically altered life paths of many in their generation. If we could compare this to other global impacts, they were the least in danger and yet have suffered severe withdrawal habits that have altered their sense of reality and reaction. Not all were damaged during this time but the tremendous amount of loss (death) from Covid-19, loss of income, loss of a sense of footing in what was definitive to prosperity had changed their outlook on life after. They did not have back-up plans, they did not have savings, they did not have money for death arrangements, they did not have a plan on this alternative route. Everyone suffered a little bit and if they were not accustomed to it, felt the damage of it emotionally.
Thirdly, what does happiness attribute best with before Covid-19 and after?
Before Covid-19, happiness was a future projection of the American dream. College, Career, Marriage, Home, Family, Retirement. This was an undisturbed foundation that we based our happiness from. If you did not have it in this order, you would not be able to attain respectable accomodations inclusive to leadership qualities. Those that continued without this order, were adept to recover from Covid-19 and coped well in my opinion. With so much time on our hands, in my community, drug issues rose very drastically. Revenue became unstable and unsupportive which threatened the resources created from it which sparked panic (later an eye-opener for present state and future states we did not know we were unprepared for that happened sooner for us to adjust). Another issue in the happiness factor was realizing our living standards had receded into larger groups and bigger family spaces to support each other in a traditional sense. It does give the insightful recoil of pressure to violate the law to remain masculine in some mentalities rather than resort to parental adobes as well.
After Covid-19, there is much repair. It has cost recovery, healing, and maintaining health to another degree for those affected by drug use. There's no change in the revenue but the time off had sped up technological advances that are cost ensuing to the gaming industry (and other online services, languages, platform performance and preferred services to integrate for security, features, new standards). Some thrived in the virtual office and work place around the world which began an exclusive competitive gain in the down-time that is being revealed to us slowly now that the offices have opened up and are regularly staffed. Happiness now is with those that overcame and persisted.
Lastly, is happiness defined within us properly?
Happiness has been a huge beneficial factor in my personal life. To ignite a passionate love and let happiness in personal endeavors flicker its colors while its created light burst achevements to continue and celebrate have helped in dissolving a relationship. To want happiness for each other and support each other's strive for it was key. It wasn't reciprocated but the idea of it was enough. Happiness is a contentful stage of civility to uppend life luxury to be a productive citizen of no concern to changing it. If we understand our place as what creates our happiness by our actions we will value it. If we understand the comparison of others we see them as taking advantage of their own opportunities. That lifts the comparison beyond a doubt into an inactive state to prolong the life of happiness.
When we measure emotions with questions and evaluate this data, the influences of our life affect our definitive responses and we are accetable to range to qualify our responses. If we could program happiness based on our technological profiles, profession, events, charitable contributions, services, programs of health, and profiles on social media - we would be more self-conscious in those decision-makings. Voila! Happy as we see fit.
The age group affected in this study require more attention to define their self (also part of the article in defining the types of happiness they were looking for - purposeful being the lack of needed in life declarations). It's the American identity that is beginning to form in the happiness studies in comparison to the world. We are slowly dropping our satisfaction in life and our traditional identities are maintaining as usual. What are we doing wrong? What do they want that have no words or idea for? What are we missing in our eclectic public of good manners and customer serviceship?
I think the scope from which we learn (mainly European descendency) is beginning to see the first steps of monoculturalism and want to reinforce a life support in happiness to shape a new culture of the future. But, what is it?
I just want to recommend Tsha Tewahsana for inter-tribal lineages and future blended ascendants of Indigenous perspectives to trust in individualism by working towards these goals as a professional in your career field. It is an option, evaluate your intake, and perform for yourself until you discover your higher attained purpose (usually the mid-life crises). It's something in us that begins to die, preparing our belief, strengthening them, and reinforcing old wounds by addressing our personal dominance throughout our life.
