By Sanjaay
When I started my application for the Gap Year Program, I carefully considered what I wanted to learn in these twelve months.
I wanted to see the world, make an impact in my community, and learn more about myself. One unifying theme across these three certainties was the concept of well-being or happiness, so I decided to explore that this year.
Almost everyone wants to be happy, whatever that means to them. Most philosophies and ideologies have implicit answers about what a “happy” life entails, but indeed, for many, the answer lies within.
Over the last year, my journey in learning about happiness has taken me to beautiful nature views, austere office buildings, 15-hour flights, and new cities. I hope to share my thoughts and reflections in a three-part blog post that starts today.
In this first post, I want to share more about my 3-week-long hiking trip in Nepal. Three friends and I walked around the Annapurna Sanctuary trails, including one night at the base camp of Annapurna, a magnificent range of mountains over 8000m high.
Flying into Nepal, it was amazing how people of all ages, including myself, were magnetically drawn to the aeroplane window, eager to catch a glimpse of the majestic mountains. The sight of the glistening peaks never ceased to amaze me. It’s no wonder the locals believe these peaks are home to the gods.
I think living in harmony with nature is a source of happiness for the Nepalese. My tour guide charmingly referred to the mountains like good friends: “He’s sleeping in the clouds today,” “He says good morning!”
Before going to Nepal, I had a theory. I believed that geography influences your definition of a good life — and, in turn, influences your happiness. If designer outlets and fancy cars exclusively surround you, then the meaning of the good life is the possession of material wealth. Not having something is a source of discontent. Having something is a source of fleeting joy, but it soon wears off. Researchers call this the Hedonic Treadmill.
For the Nepali friends I spoke to on my hike, simply seeing the mountains come out beautifully is a source of immense joy. It tells them that human-made concerns are ultimately just that. We could all use some of that thinking.
Can we expand our capacity for happiness? After returning to Singapore, I explored the psychology of happiness to gain a deeper understanding of the concept. Psychologists came up with a calculable theory of happiness, known as the “set point theory”. H (Happiness) = S (Set Value) + C (Circumstances) + A (Actions). The second two are intuitive — if your life is filled with happy circumstances, and you act in a way that promotes your well-being, then happiness is a natural consequence.
The interesting thing here, though, is that some believe that happiness is influenced by the mysterious S. This “set point” theory of happiness argues that our capacity for joy is, to some extent, pre-ordained. It’s determined by genetic factors, and to some extent, the “baselines” we set in our minds for what constitutes an unhappy, everyday, or happy life. In other words, our genetic makeup and our past experiences play a significant role in determining our baseline level of happiness.
In Nepal, expanding my capacity for happiness felt very much possible. My tour guide always referred to this as a matter of perspective. “I know our legs are sore,” he said around 70km (45 miles) into our hike. “But doesn’t this beautiful view make it all worth it?”
My trip to Nepal fundamentally forced me to rethink my calculus of effort and reward. Unlike other holidays, Nepal forced me to work extra hard to enjoy the extra beautiful rewards of a calm night staying in a tea house (a lodge) in the mountains. Amidst the leg cramps on my way to our tea house and the lack of creature comforts, I was still happy because I knew that the challenges were just a natural part of this incredible experience.
My final reflection is about happiness and community. Nepal taught me that the happiness of one is fundamentally interconnected with the happiness of all. This philosophy featured prominently in the Buddhist and Hindu philosophies of happiness that I read about before my trip. These philosophies emphasise the importance of compassion, kindness, and interconnectedness in achieving genuine happiness. The compassionate and kind Nepali people are a living testament to this idea.
The Nepali people I came across in small villages on my trek were a testament to the idea that we always have more love to give. My day was always made sweeter by the friendly “Namaste! Have a good day!” of the locals — eventually, my friends and I picked up this habit and started wishing the same to everyone we saw along the way. Simply wishing someone well made us feel happier.
Nepal taught us to appreciate the non-human joys along the way. The sight of a beautiful flower or a friendly dog that walked almost 10km alongside us (leading the way for most of the walk) filled us with gratitude. We learned to take some time to stop and appreciate the beauty of the rhododendrons (Nepal’s national flower) and shower endless praise for the good boy who joined our walk. Gratitude not only enriched others but also enriched us, filling our hearts with a sense of contentment.
My three weeks in Nepal were incredible — I’ve done my best to put in words the feeling of being amongst the world’s highest mountains, but nothing compares to feeling it on your own. I would recommend that anyone who can catch a 2–3-week break should seize this opportunity — you’re sure to have a relaxing and breathtaking journey! And hopefully, just like me, you’ll find clarity in the questions you want to answer for yourself. See you in my next post!
