In The Pursuit of Happiness: Myanmar

Upon my stay in Burma, also known as Myanmar, I was introduced to the happiest people I had ever met. Burma is one of the poorest countries in the world, a country that recently opened its doors to tourism and is still going through hardship to catch up with the rest of the world. The locals here don’t have much in material possessions, and despite all this, they still had so much to give.

The Burmese are the happiest people I’ve ever met.

I can’t even explain how I know this, they just are. I remember sitting in an old, broken down van as it was bumping up and down unpaved dirt roads. The seats were either wet or had tears in them which made it impossible to sit comfortably. The windows were dirty and stuck in one position, allowing the dust to swoosh into the van as we drove towards the local elementary school. There wasn’t even a door, just a man standing on the staircase acting as a door while hanging on to the handle bars. Outside the windows, we passed by homes and farms where local Burmese men and women stopped their daily work to wave hello with a big grin on their faces. I couldn’t help but noticed the bloody gums and unbrushed teeth on every local attempting to greet us. And yet, they still had the most beautiful, genuine smiles I’d ever seen. My body suddenly becomes more and more energetic with the positive energy around me. In absolute confusion to why I felt this burst of excitement, I waved back with a goofy smile on my face to the local Burmese.

 Why are they so happy? What’s their secret? …There is no secret. They live in a world that is simple. With lack of material goods, a developing economy, and many unresolved political/religious issues… the only constant is each other. The only value you can add to their life, is your time. Every Burmese we spoke to just wanted to spend time with us. They told us all about their families and about their national role model Aung San Suu Kyi. I had the smartest, most talented 14 year old draw a portrait of me as she laughed at my failed attempt to draw a portrait of her. We played soccer with the children at a local elementary school as they absolutely enjoyed kicking our butts. We met a women named Mi Mi who gave us a fantastic tour around the Shwedagon Pagoda, for the sole reason of wanting to befriend us.

If there is one thing we can all learn from the Burmese, it is the idea that the smallest, easiest gesture of GIVING YOUR TIME can really make a difference and bring happiness all around.

I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful these people are. To be genuinely thankful for the little they had, and to genuinely want to give the little they had to enhance someone else’s life is probably the most admirable thing any human can do. If you ever find yourself in Burma/Myanmar, you must be prepared to put everything you knew aside to take in a whole new way of life, a way of life that will make you rethink what you knew to grow with what you’ll know to be your new TRUTH.