- The measurement of happiness remains a complex endeavor.
- Joy can often be found in the most unexpected places and sometimes, less truly is more
As the world celebrated International Happiness Day on March 20, 2024, Kenya took a moment to introspect on its own happiness index.
Notable figures like PLO Lumumba and Kiraitu Murungi shared their sentiments, urging Kenyans to find joy amidst adversity.
Former Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi led members of the Happiness Club of Kenya to officially launch the social club in Nairobi on Wednesday. The launch coincided with the International Happiness Day.
Kiraitu Murungi, the Chief Happiness Officer at the Happiness Club of Kenya, addressed the nation’s high cost of living, advocating for a realignment towards happiness.
“Time has come for us to re-evaluate, to refocus, reinvent and realign our lives towards happiness and a future full of love joy and laughter. We are celebrating International Happiness Day to remind ourselves of happiness and centrality of happiness in our lives and indeed the entire world,” said Murungi.
PLO Lumumba, the Director of the Kenya School of Law, echoed these thoughts, emphasizing the significance of International Happiness Day in fostering a happier society.
Despite these calls for optimism, Kenya’s happiness ranking paints a different picture.
The nation stands at 114th in the 2024 World Happiness Report, a slight drop from the previous year. This ranking is a stark reminder of the challenges faced by many Kenyans.
The measurement of happiness remains a complex endeavor.
Yet, happiness is an individual experience, influenced by culture, personal values, and life circumstances.
In the bustling streets of the city, children with tattered clothes can be heard with laughter echoes. Despite the absence of material wealth, immense joy is found in the simplest of pleasures.
From chasing stray dogs, they find wonder in the stories told by the winds.
On another street, inside a high-end restaurant, sits two individuals. Their table is adorned with the finest cuisine, and their attire speaks of affluence.
As they converse in hushed tones, their words are heavy with the burdens of expectation and societal pressures.
The laughter of the children is a reminder of a happiness they once knew but had since replaced with the pursuit of more.
This narrative serves as a poignant example that happiness is an individual experience. Joy can often be found in the most unexpected places and sometimes, less truly is more
As Kenya grapples with its position on the global happiness scale, remember happiness is not just a number, but a pursuit worth striving for.
