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I grew up during the time when Holy Week or Mahal na Araw was solemnly observed. There were no distractions that time. There were virtually no programs on TV except Holy Week related programs and movies like The Ten Commandments and Spartacus. Even radio stations fell silent during Holy Week. Establishments like restaurants, shopping centers were all closed and the streets of Metro Manila were virtually abandoned. You had no choice but to stay home and think and reflect.

The World Happiness Report for 2025 was released by the United Nations last March 20, 2025, which was also International Day of Happiness. The report does not only rank countries by their average levels of life satisfaction but also explored “the impact of caring and sharing on people’s happiness.”

A few days ago, March 20 to be exact, the World Happiness Report 2025 was launched. That day, March 20, was International Day of Happiness. The United Nations website described the report as a document that “features a ranking of countries by their average levels of life satisfaction…followed by six chapters looking at ‘caring and sharing’ from different angles.” And yes, to all the cynics out there, the World Happiness Report and the International Day of Happiness are not flimsy gimmicks concocted by some people wanting to take advantage. They were actually based on a United Nations General Assembly Resolution (66/281) adopted in 2012.