Historically speaking, the question of happiness has been the subject of serious philosophical inquiry and debate for centuries by some of the best minds in the history of humankind.
Recently, the question of ‘happiness’ has gained further traction among academics and policy-makers in various parts of the world.
Professor Richard Layard of the London School of Economics (LSE) for instance, wrote a book titled ‘Happiness: Lessons from a New Science’, where he observed, “There is a paradox in our lives (today). Most people want a higher income and strive to earn it. But as Western society gets richer, its people do not become happier.”
The government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been seeking to make happiness its central development agenda through their National Programme for Happiness & Well-Being and has appointed a Minister of State for Happiness.
In 2015, the renowned Templeton Foundation in the United States even funded a research project on “Happiness and Well-Being: Integrating Research Across the Disciplines” at a cost of USD $4.6 million, which conducts empirical and non-empirical research spanning a wide range of topics and admits both the approaches of the sciences and humanities.
Thus it is a mistake to think that it is simply a matter of adopting an additional or alternative indicator of public wellbeing.
If we understand the wisdom of the greatest minds in history on what constitutes genuine happiness and what it implies, it necessarily requires a change of perspective first and foremost.
This is because what is meant by ‘happiness’ is dependent on how a particular civilisation defines its vision of reality and truth (or worldview), which includes its conception of man, the universe, and existence as a whole.
As explained by Tan Sri Professor Dr Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas in his writings, every civilisation projects its own vision of reality and truth which is preserved through the key concepts of its language. This is an extremely subtle yet supremely important point that is overlooked by many.
Be that as it may, the greatest minds in history before modern times have more or less agreed that achieving happiness entails a virtuous living, and implies enacting a certain balance towards oneself, family, society, and the environment.
Happiness was never an elusive concept for the great sages of world civilisations in history. But this is the case today for many modern, reductionist, and materialist minds.
This is why for instance, in a new John Templeton Foundation-commissioned research paper, co-authored by Dr. Anna Alexandrova and Dr. Mark Fabian, both of the University of Cambridge, after examining over one thousand studies in the last five decades, they conclude that the exact definition of what wellbeing is remains elusive.
Among the learned Muslims throughout the ages, the understanding of happiness or wellbeing as understood by the learned scholars in the history and worldview of Islam is conveyed in the term ‘sa’adah’, which is derived from the Qur’an.
Learned discussions on achieving happiness in the sense of sa’adah can be seen in the works of luminaries such as Al-Farabi, Ibn Miskawayh, Al-Ghazali, and many others.
In the civilisation of Islam throughout the ages, whether it be in Ottoman Empire, Safavid, Mughal-Timurid, Andalusia, the architectural remnants reveal a keen perception of what happiness is: it is not only aesthetically beautiful but it resonates with the deeper yearning of our soul for a balanced, serene and orderly existence.
In light of the distinct conception of happiness that Islam and the Asian traditions espouse, and provided the right people are consulted, I personally believe Malaysia can yield better results in crafting the right conditions for happiness, even without great wealth.
At the individual level, one must constantly find ways to increase knowledge for the perfection of the spiritual and moral self in accord with the level of responsibility in life and strive to lead a life of virtue.
At the societal level, we must strive to give due recognition and acknowledgement to lofty matters in life, and to people of knowledge and wisdom, instead of surrendering to the fancies of celebrities, popular trends, and those who perpetuate corruption.
At the highest governmental level, we need to ensure that scholarship of beneficial knowledge for the sake of spiritual and moral self-perfection continues to be given due space, support, and emphasis; and more fundamentally, we need to ensure that the true goal of higher education is not compromised, which is to produce civilised and responsible human beings.
In all, we need to ensure that happiness is made an agenda not only in the sense of mental health, nor only in the sense of measuring the population’s level of contentment, but more importantly in the realisation of a society of virtue and justice.
I believe that the best pathway for Malaysia in this regard is, fortunately, not through the global consultancy firms nor through the United Nations. Rather it is by consulting people who are bestowed with discernment and wisdom on such universal questions and those who have dedicated their lives on such matters.