tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post3886988531865071066..comments2024-03-08T03:18:48.591-05:00Comments on Lotus Reads: The Geography of Bliss by Eric WeinerLotus Readshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-41754024979990061692010-03-09T19:09:21.425-05:002010-03-09T19:09:21.425-05:00Thank you Lotus for your post^^ I start reading th...Thank you Lotus for your post^^ I start reading the book ,but I don't like it.Maybe just because I have read the Netherlands. After reading your post, I'm going to finish it soon.By the way, why didn't you mention anything about Netherlands?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01604942732000145244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-18668316889295759092008-10-18T08:50:00.000-04:002008-10-18T08:50:00.000-04:00@A Reader~ Hello! I have missed you! How have you...@A Reader~ Hello! I have missed you! How have you been? I, too, love the idea of Iceland being filled with poets and writers. I think Iceland was the author's favorite place...I don't remember if he actually came right out and said it, but it seemed to me he was enamored and intrigued with Iceland. He also love Bhutan, especially the people.<BR/><BR/>I agree with you...no better place than inside a good book! :)Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-31716554376371894322008-10-18T08:47:00.000-04:002008-10-18T08:47:00.000-04:00@Lorri ~ Welcome and thank you! Sorry that it too...@Lorri ~ Welcome and thank you! Sorry that it took me so long to respond to your comment!<BR/><BR/>@Booklogged ~ Thank you, thank you my dear friend and reader. How have you been? I have been so neglectful as a correspondent...need to change all that. Love to the both of you. When is your next trip here? Soon, I hope!Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-91497365766577811902008-10-18T08:45:00.000-04:002008-10-18T08:45:00.000-04:00@Bybee ~ Oh definitely...we know some South Korean...@Bybee ~ Oh definitely...we know some South Korean students here and man, all they ever do is study and enroll in study-related extra curricular activities like "mental math" etc. One has to admire the study ethic...I keep telling my kids to ape them a little. However, in a place like Canada which is not that competitive, I wonder how long this study and work ethic will last?Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-10014907930150911052008-10-17T06:34:00.000-04:002008-10-17T06:34:00.000-04:00Lotus,That was a cool review of what sounds like a...Lotus,<BR/><BR/>That was a cool review of what sounds like a must-read book (The kind of books I have come to associate your blog with) I loved the idea of Iceland being a really happy country, full of poets and dreamers.<BR/><BR/>I have put it on my MBTR (Must TBR) list. <BR/><BR/>My happiest places are almost the same as yours - large, quiet libraries, bookstores, Airports. The world's happiest place to me would be inside a really good book!<BR/><BR/>:-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-4952774250132735112008-10-14T22:47:00.000-04:002008-10-14T22:47:00.000-04:00Wonderful review, Lotus. I want to read this book...Wonderful review, Lotus. I want to read this book.Bookloggedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00651016653247142255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-37710751634850093662008-10-12T19:10:00.000-04:002008-10-12T19:10:00.000-04:00What an excellent review! I have this book on my ...What an excellent review! I have this book on my stack of to-reads.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-75460826656321244992008-10-03T09:48:00.000-04:002008-10-03T09:48:00.000-04:00I'd love to read this book.South Korea doesn't str...I'd love to read this book.<BR/><BR/>South Korea doesn't strike me as a particularly happy country. too competitiveBybeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10061186489010154661noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-27124536409468029942008-09-26T17:34:00.000-04:002008-09-26T17:34:00.000-04:00@Prithi ~ That's a great way to sum it up! Person...@Prithi ~ That's a great way to sum it up! Personally, I am not given to too much introspection, but almost all the self-help books I come across tell me I should. I used to think there was something wrong with me for not wanting to introspect, GOB has helped me realize it is a cultural preference. You'll enjoy the book, try to get your hands on it if you can.Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-89899566114844400122008-09-26T17:31:00.000-04:002008-09-26T17:31:00.000-04:00@Ted ~ Exactly,it's one of those intangible things...@Ted ~ Exactly,it's one of those intangible things. Do we know happiness when we experience it? Good question. I'd like to think we do. Are we better at identifying a happy experience after we've had a few miserable ones? Is there a lesson in contrasts? So many thoughts to ponder here.Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-9701292152952943252008-09-26T17:22:00.000-04:002008-09-26T17:22:00.000-04:00@Sandhya ~ Thank you for reading through my notes...@Sandhya ~ Thank you for reading through my notes and for leaving us such an apt thought...what is the point of money and everything else we love to accumulate if we have no time to enjoy it, right?Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-79326169633444679292008-09-26T11:40:00.000-04:002008-09-26T11:40:00.000-04:00I loved your post ! I want to share it with so man...I loved your post ! I want to share it with so many I know. It is my personal belief too that "Too much analysis leads to paralysis".Prithi Shettyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05481971999238634869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-85829292974315589782008-09-25T18:43:00.000-04:002008-09-25T18:43:00.000-04:00Great post. You know, this is just the kind of st...Great post. You know, this is just the kind of stuff I love, precisely because happiness is such a tricky thing to measure, but we know it when we experience it (or do we?). I will have to read this one.Tedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05511240514127283024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-21334613319103857472008-09-24T21:10:00.000-04:002008-09-24T21:10:00.000-04:00Thanks for such a detailed summary and overview of...Thanks for such a detailed summary and overview of the book. It brings to mind a quote from Natalie Goldberg that I recently came across: “I feel very rich when I have time to write and very poor when I get a regular paycheck and no time to work at my real work.” Me thinks this can be easily adapted to reflect the state of life in these United States - "I feel very rich when I have time to live and very poor when I get a regular paycheck and no time to enjoy my life" - a trap that I see many many people fall into.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-65627925136244589882008-09-23T20:02:00.000-04:002008-09-23T20:02:00.000-04:00Thanks buddy for the response. .guess what I am tr...Thanks buddy for the response. <BR/><I>.guess what I am trying to say here is that we're so busy investing energy chasing it that maybe we're just too tired to notice it when it arrives? I am not denying that self-help books have probably helped a lot of people, but do we really need a 12-point system to procure happiness?</I><BR/><BR/>I see what you are saying, and some people do well with a 12 point system.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for explaining how the author used the database of world happiness to decide what countries to visit.<BR/><BR/>I agree with you that airports are indeed interesting places to people watch. <BR/><BR/>Take care and I am looking forward to your next post. No pressure though. :-) Just teasing!karmichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10973922761187532706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-36107797192776278482008-09-23T12:30:00.000-04:002008-09-23T12:30:00.000-04:00Hi, Melissa!I felt the same way you did..I wanted ...Hi, Melissa!<BR/><BR/>I felt the same way you did..I wanted to pack a suitcase and jump on the next plane to anywhere!<BR/><BR/>I simply think happiness is a habit. The more you practice being happy the better you get at it.Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-25887375287365876772008-09-23T12:27:00.000-04:002008-09-23T12:27:00.000-04:00Hey Sanjay!As usual I welcome your comments, tks! ...Hey Sanjay!<BR/><BR/>As usual I welcome your comments, tks!<BR/><BR/> <I>Yes the pursuit of happiness is written in to the constitution, but it could mean anything. I think it is one of those things that even if not written in the constitution is something every human being desires at some level no? <BR/> I think the self-help industry is a much more recent phenomenon and though some might disagree, if it likely helps some people. I suppose different things work for different people.</I><BR/><BR/> Sure! Every human being desires happiness, but there are some of us that pursue it more than others...guess what I am trying to say here is that we're so busy investing energy chasing it that maybe we're just too tired to notice it when it arrives? I am not denying that self-help books have probably helped a lot of people, but do we really need a 12-point system to procure happiness?<BR/><BR/> <I> Thank you for the link to the world database of happiness. Trust academia to come up with a study of something and throw a whole lot of statistical analysis. I did look at some of the data and they do have a lot of stats and formulae. But this sentence on their main page says a lot no? Continuous register of scientific research on subjective appreciation of life. I noticed the word "subjective" in particular.</I><BR/><BR/> Yes, true, you are an observant fella! :) I don't think the author took the study real seriously, he just used it as a guide to pick and choose countries he wanted to visit, after all, he had to start somewhere and if your goal is to visit some of the happiest and unhappiest countries what better place to start, right? It was only after interviewing the local people and living in the country for a while that he made his own assumptions on what he thought was their state of happiness.<BR/> <BR/><BR/> <I>I am not sure I agree sorry. :-) I don't think things will just get better if one waits them out, there also has to be an effort to get out of an unhappy situation. And don't we all try to do that? As immigrants we all moved locations in the quest for a better life, as do Americans within their own nation.</I><BR/><BR/> Again, I think he was simply lamenting the lack of commitment. Some of us find it far too easy to run away rather than to stay back and try to get to the underlying cause of our unhappiness.<BR/><BR/> <I> I guess what you are saying is we create our own happiness? So happiness is wherever we choose it to be?<BR/><BR/> To an extent yes, as the world database on happiness says it is rather subjective no?</I><BR/><BR/> Agreed. :)<BR/><BR/> <I>I understand why bookstores are the happiest of places for you.<BR/> Aren't both book stores and airports also places that are transitory in nature in that people are always passing thru?</I><BR/><BR/> True, airports have transitory populations but the mood is more or less the same. Being an avid people watcher (especially people of different ethnicities) I love noting the wealth of cultures under one roof...to hear different languages being spoken all around me is music to my wannabe-anthropologist ears!<BR/><BR/>Take care buddy and talk to you soon!Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-69804274711986180952008-09-23T12:15:00.000-04:002008-09-23T12:15:00.000-04:00@pixy princess ~ Hello twin :) Travel and culture...@pixy princess ~ Hello twin :) Travel and culture are two of my favorite interests too...you'll enjoy this book!Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-4854284820915185052008-09-23T07:25:00.000-04:002008-09-23T07:25:00.000-04:00i think the travel bug just bit me while reading t...i think the travel bug just bit me while reading this review!<BR/><BR/>some people in some places have simply figured out that happiness is what you create, not simply what comes to you as you wait.hellomelissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11109229454400994627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-8240470735976984842008-09-22T19:46:00.000-04:002008-09-22T19:46:00.000-04:00Hi Lotus! Thank you so much for taking the time to...Hi Lotus! Thank you so much for taking the time to pen a response. <BR/><BR/>Yes the pursuit of happiness is written in to the constitution, but it could mean anything. I think it is one of those things that even if not written in the constitution is something every human being desires at some level no?<BR/>I think the self-help industry is a much more recent phenomenon and though some might disagree, if it likely helps some people. I suppose different things work for different people.<BR/><BR/>Thank you for the link to the world database of happiness. Trust academia to come up with a study of something and throw a whole lot of statistical analysis. I did look at some of the data and they do have a lot of stats and formulae. But this sentence on their main page says a lot no? <I> Continuous register of scientific research on subjective appreciation of life</I>. I noticed the word "subjective" in particular.<BR/><BR/><I>. I guess what the author meant by restlessness is that if something is not going well for an American he doesn't dig in his heels and try to make it work, he moves location hoping that the move will bring him the happiness (better life) he seeks. Perhaps if we just learned to wait the bad times out, instead of running away, things might get better on their own?</I><BR/><BR/>I am not sure I agree sorry. :-) I don't think things will just get better if one waits them out, there also has to be an effort to get out of an unhappy situation. And don't we all try to do that? As immigrants we all moved locations in the quest for a better life, as do Americans within their own nation.<BR/><BR/><I> I guess what you are saying is we create our own happiness? So happiness is wherever we choose it to be?</I><BR/><BR/>To an extent yes, as the world database on happiness says it is rather subjective no?<BR/><BR/>I understand why bookstores are the happiest of places for you.<BR/>Aren't both book stores and airports also places that are transitory in nature in that people are always passing thru?<BR/><BR/>Thank you for the best wishes for the week, I hope you are having a good start to your week too.karmichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10973922761187532706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-22091384179088963162008-09-22T19:01:00.000-04:002008-09-22T19:01:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.karmichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10973922761187532706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-84241743617042609572008-09-22T12:10:00.000-04:002008-09-22T12:10:00.000-04:00What an amazing idea for a book! As a consummate t...What an amazing idea for a book! As a consummate traveler, and a pseudo sociologist/anthropologist I'm completely intrigued.The Pixy Princesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14617559420946186045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-19949202057942032622008-09-22T07:21:00.000-04:002008-09-22T07:21:00.000-04:00Hi, Radha!Yes, it is kinda sobering to realize tha...Hi, Radha!<BR/><BR/>Yes, it is kinda sobering to realize that one's geography could shape one's happiness! You know, when he spoke about poverty and happiness, I couldn't help but think of Cambodia. The people there were so poor and yet, they seemed inherently happy...Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-53235675640758481242008-09-22T07:19:00.000-04:002008-09-22T07:19:00.000-04:00Hi, Sanjay!Thank you for your comment! The "pursu...Hi, Sanjay!<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your comment! The "pursuit" of happiness seems to be the goal of all Americans, indeed it is even written into the constitution and a self-help industry has been built around helping us acquire that elusive happiness...but is it helping or hurting? Would we be happier if we stopped trying to find it and just lived life?<BR/><BR/>I don't believe there can be a measure for happiness. What Weiner did was to consult the World Database of Happiness (yes, it exists!) in the Netherlands. It has, under one roof, the sum of human knowledge about what makes us happy and what does not. It also has a list of countries listed in the order of most happy to least happy. What criterion they used has not been explained but perhaps you can read about it here?<BR/><BR/>http://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/trendnat/framepage.htm<BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/><I><BR/> While I understand the premise of this book, and undoubtedly the author has done his research, but were you at any time worried that he was painting a entire nation of people with one broad brush? For human nature and emotions are complex and is it easy to have everyone in a country at one range or number that designates happiness?</I><BR/><BR/> Oh, absolutely, but when writing a book like this it is impossible not to do that. We have to bear in mind that for every rule there are exceptions. Not everybody is unhappy in Moldova, so also, not everyone is a writer in Iceland and I am sure there are some Swiss that border on being boisterous...lol<BR/><BR/><BR/> <I>I do agree with you that strong social and family ties do help with feeling better.<BR/> I don't think Americans are unhappy because they are wealthy. Americans currently carry more personal debt than ever before, health care is not a right, and yes they work very hard. Moving does not essentially equate with restlessness perhaps? I say this as if one has to move for better prospects, better job within the country, then it cannot be thought be restlessness right?</I><BR/><BR/> You make some good points. I guess what the author meant by restlessness is that if something is not going well for an American he doesn't dig in his heels and try to make it work, he moves location hoping that the move will bring him the happiness (better life) he seeks. Perhaps if we just learned to wait the bad times out, instead of running away, things might get better on their own?<BR/><BR/><BR/> <I>To answer your question about ones happiest places. I think for me a happy place is wherever you feel happy, I don't have a predefined idea of a place that makes me happy. In other words it is somewhat in our hands no?</I><BR/><BR/> I guess what you are saying is we create our own happiness? So happiness is wherever we choose it to be?<BR/><BR/> <I>Thank you for an entertaining and educative post, I loved reading it.</I><BR/><BR/> Thank you so much for your thoughts Sanjay! Here's wishing you a wonderful start to your week!Lotus Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02081192215823615529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12738985.post-83914642608305761802008-09-22T01:06:00.000-04:002008-09-22T01:06:00.000-04:00very interesting & fascinating hypothesis! I g...very interesting & fascinating hypothesis! I guess we know there is a correlation between happiness & so many other factors like culture, religion, etc. Just never thought about it like that!Radhahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17019567538933256974noreply@blogger.com