Food for thought.
You might have read / heard about Malaysia being the 5th happiest nation in 2023 according to Global Mind Project.
Some of my friends were discussing this and expressed their disbelief. To them, so many things are not going in the right direction. How can Malaysians be so happy?
As Christians, we have been told time and again, and we have probably tell others time and again, we can have the joy of the Lord regardless of the surrounding circumstances.
Malaysia may not have it as good as some other countries, in terms of cost of living, jobs opportunities, peace, safety, security, racial harmony, fair distrubution of resources, etc. All these MAY suggest a lower level of happiness. That seems logical and reasonable. However, all those factors do not dictate how happy Malaysians can be. Malaysians may be more resilient than others. They may be able to take all kinds of nonsense and still wake up with strenght for another day. They may be happy just because they can go home to see their son / daughter / dog.
I am not saying the study is without flaws. I do not know that. I am just saying just because it seems we have reasons not to be happy, it does not mean we cannot be happy.
We can be deprived of a lot of things. No one can deprive us of our happiness and joy. Do not let that happen.
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