For the sixth year in a row, Finland has been rated as the happiest country in the world. According to the United Nations’ World Happiness Report, six factors go into its evaluation: GDP per capita, health, social support, freedom, generosity, and corruption levels.

The World Happiness Report was released by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network this week. This report is gathered from information from over 150 countries during the course of three years. The international survey data rates how people evaluate their lives. Six factors go into measuring the life evaluations: gross domestic product per capita indicating financial resources, health, social support, having a sense of freedom, generosity, and the country’s level of corruption. All of these factors “play strong roles in supporting life evaluations.”

The top ten happiest countries are Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and New Zealand. The United States barely missed the top spots, coming in at number 15. Canada is number 13, the United Kingdom s number 19, and Australia is number 12. That didn’t stop the hateful women on The View from slamming Americans as greedy.

The millionaires of The View praise Finland for not being as greedy as Americans.
"[Fins] are not greedy … They don't have this constant 'I got to get more' [mentality]." Joy Behar lamented. "It never ends with the greed and the money acquisition." pic.twitter.com/1jUUgcYATI

— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) March 24, 2023

Behar is an idiot. She can hold Bernie Sanders up as a wise old man but he’s a socialist and that is not America. America is based on Capitalism, which has allowed the women on The View and Bernie to become fabulously wealthy. Bernie, the socialist, owns three homes. Would he have three homes in Finland? That is very unlikely. Finland may be a happy place but it’s still a socialist country. If Joyless Behar craves a simple life, she’s welcome to give away all her money and possessions and live a scaled-down life. That’s the difference, though. Americans can live large or smaller. The choice is ours according to how they pursue their financial security. In Finland, the citizens don’t have the opportunities that Americans have and don’t enjoy the depth of choices we do. It’s not greed for most Americans. It’s work and reward.

The lowest-ranked countries are not a surprise – Iraq, Ghana, Pakistan, Niger, Lebanon, and Afghanistan.

The report found a post-pandemic growth in benevolence levels throughout 2020 and 2021. A desire to help others is likely a result of the pandemic when so many people were isolated from family and friends and their lives were restricted.

The data found in 2022 shows “positive social environments were far more prevalent than loneliness and that gains from increases in positive social connections exceed the well-being costs of additional loneliness, even during COVID-19.”

That may be a silver lining from the horrible years of the pandemic.

To share their happiness, Finland is giving away free trips to the country for a four-day masterclass in Finnish philosophy and life balance.

But there’s no national secret behind Finnish happiness, said Heli Jimenez, senior director at the governmental organization Business Finland.

Rather, it’s “a skill that can be learned,” she said.

Finland’s first “Masterclass of Happiness” will be held from June 12 to 15 at the Kuru Resort, a luxury lakeside retreat in southern Finland.

According to Visit Finland, “expert coaches” will cover four themes in four days:

*nature and lifestyle
*health and balance
*design and “everyday”
*food and wellbeing

There is a catch. Only ten people will win a free trip and masterclass. But for those ten people, the costs of the class and their travel expenses will be covered. Applications are open through April 2. Don’t worry if your heart is set on learning how to unleash your inner Finn. The masterclass will be online later this summer.

The key to happiness for Finns is work-life balance, belief in their society, and dedicating time to spending time in nature.

“Finns have a philosophy called ‘sisu’, an amalgamation of perseverance, resilience, and keeping problems in perspective,” he said. “Sisu defines our national character and is as recognizable and accepted a concept to Finns as the ‘American Dream’ might be to residents of the USA.”

He said the word has no English equivalent, but it involves pushing one’s own boundaries and approaching seemingly insurmountable challenges head-on.

“This philosophy certainly underpins our national happiness and sense of purpose,” he said. “It keeps our spirits high.”

It all makes sense but I’ll take life in America any day. I’ll continue to push back on socialism in the United States. A trip to Finland might be nice but I don’t want to live there.