The Little Book of Lykke: Secrets of the World's Happiest People (The Happiness Institute Series)

by Meik Wiking

Great things sometimes have small beginnings.

Whether you look at the English word companion, the Spanish word compañero, or the French copain, they all originate from the Latin com and panis, meaning “with whom one shares bread.”

The French eat together. That might be one of the reasons why the French are the ones who spend the most time eating each day.

In Danish, the word for community is fællesskab. Fællesskab can be split up into fælles, meaning “common” or “shared,” and skab, which can mean either “cabinet” or “create.” Not only is community our common cabinet (our shared supplies), it is also something we create together. I think there is some beauty in that.

So perhaps we need to consider how to turn the idea of the pursuit of happiness into the happiness of the pursuit. People on a quest for something they find meaningful—whether that is building a boat or growing the perfect tomato—tend to be happier; they know that happiness is the by-product of the process and not a pot of gold at the finish line.

“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transport. It is where the rich walk and where they use bikes. We should create cities where rich and poor meet as equals: in parks, on the sidewalks, on public transport.”

Shinrin-yoku literally translates to “forest bathing,” or taking in the atmosphere of the forest, and refers to soaking up the sights, smells, and sounds of a natural setting to promote physiological and psychological health.

We are not so very different; we just had different starting points.