I mentioned “The Bliss of Geography” yesterday. I’ve been humming along on this worldwide tour in search of happiness, and enjoying every minute of the ride. The author literally traveled around the world in search of the geographical place where people are the happiest. So far I have traveled to Rotterdam, Switzerland and Bhutan with him. Not surprisingly, in each of these places the happiest people were not the ones who were trying to be happy. Happiness came as a byproduct. The author, Eric Weiner, is not a Christ Follower, so it is interesting to see him reason through the role of faith, purpose and spirituality play in the search for happiness. He is also a gifted writer, and I’ve been struck on every page with a new thought or a unique way of phrasing a question.

While in Holland, Weiner visits the World Happiness Database, an ongoing research project into happiness. It is here that he determines his itinerary by finding out which countries rank high in the happiness factor. Holland is one of them, and the author concludes it is because of their tolerance. After a period of free-wheeling tolerance, however, the author realizes that for him tolerance would breed unhappiness and an undisciplined life. Next up? Switzerland, one of the happiest places on earth apparently. While rushing around precise Switzerland the author realizes that the Swiss are wealthy and patient, a rare combination.

Then it dawns on me. The Swiss are wealthy and patient, a rare combination. They know how to linger. Indeed, I’ve been in Switzerland for two weeks now and not a single person has looked at his or her watch — that perfectly synchronized, gold-plated Swiss watch — and said “I have to go” or “I really should be getting back to work.” In fact, it is always me, the loafing writer, who is stealing glances at my fifty-dollar Seiko.

With the help of a friend, I had set up a blog to solicit comments from the Swiss about happiness. One in particular caught my eye, and I’m reminded of it now.

“Maybe happiness is this: not feeling like you should be elsewhere, doing something else, being someone else. Maybe the current conditions in Switzerland make it simply easier to ‘be’ and therefore ‘be happy.’

Somehow I am oddly encouraged by Eric Weiner and his search for happiness. I am discovering that I am quite happy, myself, and that I am not alone in this. America, by the way, is well down the list of happiest countries. We have — according to the author — too many voices screaming at us day and night about the disasters around the block and around the country. We have too great an access to media, too great an addiction to activity even if it is meaningless, and too little time for compassion. Wow. He’s not far off. On the other hand, it is clear by chapter three that the author is searching in all the wrong places for his happiness. I will be intrigued to see where he finds his solution. I know where my rest, my happiness come from, and it isn’t a geographical location that resembles Paradise. He is on a quest, but he is settling for the echo, the whispers of Eden, rather than searching for the real deal.