Thanksgiving is approaching, where people often reflect on what they are thankful for. Considering Canadians are some of the happiest people out there, I am reflecting on why I am happy.
A report by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards found that 92.3 per cent of Canadians are satisfied or very satisfied with their lives. It doesn't say what's wrong with the other 7.7 per cent of the country, but it's clear to me that those unhappy people are either an aberration or Ebenezer Scrooge descendants. It's unclear how many of his relatives immigrated to Canada or how many were recently deported for entering the country under false pretences.
Canadians are second to only Danish people on the happy meter, and I've yet to find out what the Danes have to be so happy about. I was going to call over there, but my superiors didn't want to pay the long-distance charges.
Regina is one of the happiest cities in Canada, outpacing Saskatoon, with 94.3 per cent life satisfaction, almost two per cent happier than Toontown. Of course, that's not as happy as Quebec City, but who can keep French Canadians from feeling great?
Now to what makes me a part of the majority of Canadians who are so happy.
I hate to blatantly butter up my employer, or my co-workers, but I am happy about the Mercury. It's a fun job in a great atmosphere, and that's not what every newsroom experience is like. It's just great to have a job that you look forward to going to each day.
The halcyon mood sweeping the country isn't always front and centre in the national conversation, but it's nice to see that behind the partisan nature of many Canadians, including myself at many times, we are generally pleased with our lot in life.
Politically, I'm not a conservative, but in a global sense, Canada is doing a pretty stand-up job, and some credit must go to the minority Conservative government we've had the last few years. I may not ever say this again, but Conservative Party, you've done a decent job keeping our head above water in the last four years. That's about as glowing a report card as I'll ever give them, but it's sincere.
As much as I love to rag on the Conservatives, they could be a lot worse, and in general, the issues we debate here in Canada are trivial compared to other nations.
I was at a wedding at the end of the summer, standing in as the groom's best man, and upon much reflection, I am incredibly happy to not be married. Marriage is fine, and I expect many of you out there are thrilled to be married, but no matter how happy I was for my friend, I was certainly just as happy to not be in his shoes.
There are always lots of things we can find that will not make us happy, but it is much better to dwell on the things that put a smile on our face and make us feel good.
What do you have to be happy about? And if you are part of the 7.7 per cent, why the long face?
