The Geography of Bliss: Kisah Seorang Penggerutu yang Mengelilingi Dunia Mencari Negara Paling Membahagiakan by Eric Weiner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is about Eric Weiner's anxiety that lead to his search for happiness which has brought him travelling to ten countries in a year. And these are what he found:

The Netherland: Happiness is number.
Weiner started his journey for happiness in The Netherland because it is the home of World Database of Happiness. There he found the Database contains happiness that has been translated into numbers and statistics. Although he found happiness rate of countries, he still didn’t feel right about this numbers-related- happiness.

Switzerland: Happiness is boredom.
Although Weiner think that Swiss people are plain and boring, but for them, those are their way to suppress envy which leads to happiness.

Bhutan: Happiness is policy
In Bhutan, Weiner learned about Gross National Happiness, a policy implemented by the King of Bhutan instead of the usual Gross National Product. In Weiner’s eyes, although it has its own standard time and space, Bhutan and its people seem so peaceful. There he finally learned that money is not a standard of happiness, and maybe Gross National Happiness is true enough.

Qatar: Happiness is winning a lottery
In contrary to Bhutan, Qatar is a very rich country so that they try to buy culture to fulfill their lack of history. The story of this country just begun when they won a lottery, in this case the finding of oil and later become a multimillion dollar business which has changed the desert into a very rich country. I think all of the luxury of Qatar just confirms Weiner’s finding in Bhutan that money is not a single source of happiness.

Iceland: Happiness is failure
Iceland, where darkness and snow surround everything and sun never shines for months during winter, is a country of artisan. Almost all citizens of Iceland are poet, singer, writer, and doing all kind of artisan works and the happy ones. This because the Iceland people believe in effort, and assume that failure is part of the process so when the fail on something, they just free to try again and again and again and that make them live happily.

Moldova: Happiness is somewhere else
Being an undetected-country-on-map, and moreover the least developed Eastern Europe republic, life in Moldova is not easy and even make volunteers from some NGOs feel sick. Although Weiner not enjoyed the country, still he fell in love with elderly Luba, his host during his stay in Moldova. And he’ll never forget how fresh the vegetables and the fruits are.

Thailand: Happiness is not thinking
For Weiner, Thailand is a very relaxing country, where he could find almost all kind of entertainment. Weiner learned Thai people from his friend’s Thai girlfriend who always told him not too seriously thinking everything. In Thailand, life is really easy if you take it easy.

Great Britain: Happiness is Work in Progress
Just like the Iceland, The Brits also believe in process. To be happy, people just have to enjoy his every little moment in his daily life. Anyway, I’m really touched by this premise: to be happy we don’t need to make ‘great achievements’.

India: Happiness is contradiction
As a foreign correspondents, Weiner had been stayed in India for years, so he already have an understanding on how the Indian live in contradiction. Even when they asked are they happy, they’ll say “yes” and “no”. For Weiner, it’s just like when his love and hate collide in this country.

US: Happiness is home
I think Weiner said “home” for two reasons: First, USA is his country. Second, US citizen tends to find a place which fit them better. For example, Weiner wrote in this book how he came and finally moved to Miami for a better place which he can enjoy the most.

And now that Weiner had finally finished his journey for happiness, he can only say that his happiness is only feevty-feevty. It’s not surprising though. Just like the Great Britain and Iceland said, happiness is process.

When the first I saw this book, I thought it’s one of those travel guide books and I’m sure that many people also think the same. But actually it’s more of a soul searching book, a kind of how-to and do-it-yourself. It’s Weiner’s personal journey, but as I read the book and joining him travelling around the world I also have my own journey, just like Paul Theroux quote in the beginning of the book. And I think as a whole, this Geography of Bliss is a great book.






View all my reviews