By: Fernando Guízar Pimentel
Even though there are
several definitions and meanings of the term “quality of life”, widely understood as the average healthcare, cost of living, and climate of a region
or country, my own take on the issue includes some other concerns. The popular conception of quality of
life as described above is heavily influenced by the political discourse, which
shows a tendency to equate infrastructure and economy with welfare. They are
certainly crucial factors , but in no way are they decisive to measure the
quality of life enjoyed by individuals and societies. An indicator such as personal
happiness should be taken into account because it showcases authentic
well-being.
To engage in a debate
to determine what is happiness would be futile; there are as many definitions of happiness as there are persons and
social groups. Nevertheless, a balanced state of mind is characterized
by systematic pleasant emotions and
sensations of well-being, which are almost the same traits that most
people would use to define happiness. The wide range of detonators of well-being
include hanging out with friends to watch a film or enjoying a tasty meal. Even
if happiness or other positive mental states are widely considered to be relative
and subjective, it is arguable that quality of life is closely tied to them.
The Western
worldview lead people to think quality of life should be seek in public
facilities. For instance, Sweden and Denmark are nations usually classified as providers of the best
quality of life to their respective inhabitants who, paradoxically, suffer from
the highest rate of depressive disorders. The Eastern perspective, by contrast, holds that happiness is
not to be found elsewhere except within ourselves
Among the many
practices that may help to achieve a greater well-being are contemplative
disciplines of oriental tradition, such as yoga and mindfulness, which
encourage us to stay calmed to listen to our inner voice, completely ignoring
the American right to pursue happiness; by raising our minds to a higher state
of consciousness, we are enabled to be reached by it.
