First Lady Sajida Mohamed, wife of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, said today that a people’s mother tongue, culture, heritage and arts play a very important role in establishing happiness in a country.
Speaking at a special ceremony held at Sultan Park to inaugurate the “Happiness Index” to determine the measure of happiness in the Maldives, Sajida said that from time immemorial, deriving joy from excellent poems, jokes, wise sayings, TV and radio dramas, madahas (religious songs) and other literary creations in one’s mother tongue is something that is being done on a wide scale in countries around the world.
Sajida said that it is a great pleasure that work is beginning to determine the level of happiness in the Maldivian nation. She also said that this is something that is observed and evaluated in many countries around the world. Sajida said that when making decisions on various national matters, the level of happiness of a country’s citizens needs to be considered.
“Especially governments that encourage democratic principles observe and ensure this,” Sajida said. While happiness is a word that is heard very often, the meaning of that word is the comfort and ease it brings to the heart and mind. Sajida said that if one thinks about understanding what happiness is from an academic perspective, we are talking about a concept, or when we say happiness, we are talking about a “phenomenon” that encompasses many things.
“According to scholars, happiness can be separately defined as individual happiness, family happiness, happiness derived from mutual friendships, community happiness, and national happiness,” Sajida said.
Sajida said that the level of happiness of a community or people needs to be determined through academic work. She said that this includes evaluating financial well-being, psychological stability, spiritual richness, physical health, social connections, and the comfort provided by heritage and culture.
“From a financial perspective, there needs to be the means to meet basic living needs, such as food, drink, and housing. From a psychological perspective, it needs to be a peaceful environment without oppression, where the safety of life and property is always ensured. From a spiritual richness perspective, there needs to be a sublime connection between humans and their Creator, with obedience ingrained in human morals,” Sajida said.
“From a health perspective, there need to be preventive measures for well-being, and if one falls ill, appropriate treatment should be easily available. From a social perspective, there needs to be a good relationship with everyone, respecting each other, using good and beautiful language when speaking, protecting others’ dignity and honor, maintaining the trust of one’s word – many such qualities need to be instilled.”
