FACES AND PLACES: Happier than Zimbabweans? (04/02/06)

FACES AND PLACES

by Myron B. Kuropas

Happier than Zimbabweans?

According to a recent study, people in Ukraine are happier than people in Zimbabwe, but not much happier.

Everyone, of course, wants to lead a happy life, but few of us have found the magic formula. Having money helps, but it's no guarantee as certain winners of the lottery over the years have discovered to their dismay.

What do we know about the nature of happiness? According to a recent National Review article by Kevin A. Hassett, "Dutch sociologist Ruut Veenhoven has made a career out of happiness. His official title is 'professor of social conditions for human happiness,' and he directs the World Database of Happiness, an exhaustive compilation of over 1,500 high-quality surveys about self-reported happiness around the world. Using sophisticated statistical techniques, Veenhoven has converted the results of the various surveys into a standard measure how much people enjoy their life as a whole, on a scale from 0 to 10 [with 10 being the best] and reported the average happiness in 90 countries from 1995 to 2005."

Among other variables, Prof. Veenhoven's happiness index compared level of happiness with per capita GDP. Not surprisingly, the score for people in the United States, where the per capita income is around $34,344, is 7.4. In Ukraine, where GDP reportedly hovers around $3,000, the happiness index is around 3.8, slightly above that of Zimbabwe.

Countries such as Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico, writes Mr. Hassett, "are far happier than we might expect, given their income. Others such as Ukraine and Zimbabwe are far unhappier than their circumstances suggest they should be."

"What do the places that are unusually unhappy have in common?" asks Mr. Hassett. "One key factor appears to be that they have very weak rule of law. And the unusually happy places? They tend to be countries with a high degree of religiosity. The five countries with the most surprising happiness, given their income, are predominantly Catholic."

So what's Ukraine's problem? Is it lawlessness? Perhaps. Some progress has been made. The decision of Ukraine's Supreme Court to nullify the Yanukovych presidential victory in 2004 heralded a new commitment to rule of law and, say what you want about President Viktor Yushchenko, he's no crook. Unfortunately, he appears to be the exception among Ukraine's ruling elite.

Is Ukraine's problem a lack of religious faith? I think not. Churches have been cropping up all over Ukraine following communism's collapse. Our people have managed to retain their faith in God despite years of Communist oppression, especially in western Ukraine.

I believe the clue to present unhappiness in Ukraine has to do with unrealistic expectations. In his book "Happiness is a Serious Business: A Human Repair Manual," radio talk-show host Dennis Prager writes: "People expect too much whether from a spouse, a friend or an employee. They set themselves up for disappointment. Better to expect less and appreciate more."

In the euphoria surrounding the Orange Revolution, many Ukrainians, there and here, believed that at long last our time had come. After centuries of foreign oppression, the Ukrainian people had finally triumphed. We were champions. Later, when the Orange bubble deflated, there was disappointment and anger.

So what now? Will Ukrainians be better off following the last election? Probably not. Voter turnout was down and despite what you've read, the new parliamentary system in Ukraine is a step backwards. Under the new political order, Ukraine's people have less power. The new system allows them to vote for president with significantly limited powers once every five years. They can no longer vote directly for members of Parliament. Instead, they get to vote for political parties once every five years. Party leaders and oligarchies then decide who will be in Parliament. People who need parliamentary immunity from prosecution will now be selected more easily.

According to an analysis by E. Morgan Williams, the new political arrangement effectively disenfranchises "thousands of small towns and villages in Ukraine ... Rural Ukraine will be lost and left behind," he concludes. You think Ukrainians are unhappy now? Wait!

So what happens next? Ukrainians, it seems, have two choices. One is to continue to complain and carp. This form of response has been honed to an art form by Ukrainians over there. Rarely does one meet a Ukrainian who appears happy and who admits that he or she is well off. If you believe what you hear, everyone in Ukraine today is suffering, mired in poverty, helplessness and hopelessness.

A second choice is a tough one. It requires a certain personal and political maturity. It involves taking responsibility; it involves organizational capability, working together at the grassroots level to improve local conditions; it involves understanding that there is no "they" who will come and magically make things better. There is only you. Don't moan and groan, develop solutions.

Ukrainians there and here have always found many reasons for gloom and doom. Some suggest that it's part of our national character. Unhappiness is contagious and debilitating. Have you ever worked with chronically unhappy people? They're like vampires; they suck the life out of everyone and everything around them. Some revel in their misery, wearing it as a badge of honor, a sign of their "martyrdom," their "victimhood."

Do Ukrainians have anything to be happy about? Absolutely! The best reason for joy is the fact that, contrary to predictions, the last parliamentary elections demonstrated that the Orange Revolution is still alive and kicking. A new Orange coalition is in the works. Another reason for exultation is 16 years of Ukrainian independence, recognized by everyone except Russia. There's the Ukrainian language, recognized by everyone but Russia. Ukraine has more religious and press freedoms than ever before. Then there's Ukraine's economy, still sputtering but improving. Today we can freely visit our families in Ukraine and help them directly. Finally, there is financial and political support from the United States. I could go on, but you get the picture.

Focusing on the positive by appreciating what we have defuses the power of negativism. It can also lead to happiness, and happiness produces good things.

Myron Kuropas's e-mail address is: kuropas@comcast.net.

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