LONDON, June 2 — What is happiness? This philosophical question will be answered in concrete terms as part of an unusual masterclass designed to provide the keys to achieving happiness. The course will take place not just anywhere, but in Finland, named the world’s happiest country for the past six years.
Whether it’s an ideal of imagination, not of reason, as for Immanuel Kant, or impossible to achieve, as for Schopenhauer, since the dawn of time, people have pondered the meaning of happiness.
In ancient times, Aristotle thought he had found the key to happiness, recommending the practice of virtue, or making virtuous choices throughout a lifetime. In the United States, happiness is even enshrined in the Constitution.
And yet, it’s not to the US that we should look to for inspiration on how to be happy, as for six years running, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world. And the country’s tourist board has no qualms about using this for promotional purposes.
In fact, the Visit Finland organisation is running an eye-catching marketing campaign that seeks to share the country’s secrets for achieving happiness (if happiness can be achieved at all).
According to Business Insider, Finland is staging a masterclass for 14 lucky guests at the Kuru Resort in the country’s lake district this month. Everything is taken care of by Visit Finland, from the hotel room, to sauna access for an authentic Finnish experience. This all-expenses-paid course even includes transportation.
As far as the course content is concerned, each day of the masterclass will be devoted to a specific topic, such as nature, food, health, well-being, etc. Happiness classes will be held in the forest, which makes sense given that more than three-quarters of Finland is covered by forest.
Unfortunately, the lucky winners have already been chosen following a two-stage selection process, the first of which received some 150,000 applications. According to Business Insider, the participants came from 190 countries.
For travellers in search of a happiness fix, the World Happiness Report offers the full lowdown on the world’s happiest destinations. According to its analysis, low income inequality, low levels of corruption and a high-quality healthcare system keep Finland at the top of the list, ahead of Denmark, Iceland and Israel. — ETX Studio
