Where the happy people live read online. Natalia Sukhinina: Where do happy people live? Where do the happy people live?

Natalia Evgenievna Sukhinina

WHERE DO THE HAPPY PEOPLE LIVE?

stories and essays

Preface

ORTHODOX VISION OF THE WORLD

Russian people are Orthodox. And whoever is not Orthodox, his Russianness becomes doubtful. For many, this has already been a commonplace since the time of Dostoevsky. But what does it mean to be Orthodox? This is not given at birth. No, it is necessary to study Orthodoxy, to be brought up in Orthodoxy. But as?

Of course, going to church: whoever puts himself outside the church is inevitably outside the faith - to whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a father. This, again, has long been indisputable, although not for everyone, so it is useful to repeat and repeat the undoubted from time to time. It is imperative to read the Holy Scriptures, testing yourself with patristic wisdom, because with your understanding you can read such heresies that it would be better not to pick up those books. It is necessary to comprehend the doctrinal foundations of Orthodoxy, dogmatic truths. Finally, we must try to live according to the commandments, which is very difficult.

However, in following all this we are faced with the danger of turning what is necessary into something external, formal, which does not take possession of the fullness of our being. You can become a scribbler, a proud Pharisee - but that will be of little use. After all, the Pharisee was very pious, fulfilling even more than what was required, and yet he was placed lower than the sinner publican by the Son of God Himself.

In order to accept the truths of Orthodoxy, it is necessary, among other things, to assimilate them through one’s own life experience - then they will not become an external dogma, but guidelines on the path to salvation. Why did our first parents sin? Because they had no experience of being outside of God. Actually, their punishment was a great blessing, a teaching provided providentially for all mankind for the sake of gaining the most valuable experience, without which it is impossible to be firm in following the will of God. (Not everyone benefited from that experience, but that’s a different topic.)

However, one cannot comprehend all the complexity of life with one’s own experience. The sea of ​​life is too vast and boundless for one person. But you can also use the spiritual experience of your neighbors, both good and negative, for your benefit. Therefore, a great work is done by those who collect such experience bit by bit and make it public property. It is especially valuable if everything collected receives Orthodox, that is, true, illumination and interpretation.

I admit that I always take on the task of reading works in which the author sets just such a goal for himself. For Orthodoxy is often understood externally: it seems that it is worth remembering the name of God, being piously touched - and that’s enough. What comes out is mannerism, lisp, false piety, sugary exaltation, deliberate cloying. Orthodoxy does not tolerate this; eye rolling and dramatic poses are contraindicated for it. Those works where a word is not said in simplicity, but everything is done with a “pious” grimace, only harm the cause, alienating from themselves souls that cannot tolerate falsehood.

Natalia Sukhinina’s book will give everyone who reads it with interest a lot of useful information necessary to enrich their own experience, since it offers a strict, sober, courageous, sometimes tough and at the same time wise, genuinely kind outlook on life. The most valuable experience is collected here, revealing not speculatively, but through living examples - being with God and without God.

Suquinina teaches Orthodoxy. Not dogma, of course, and not church canons - there are special books for that. She teaches Orthodox comprehension of life using simple everyday examples. And this is simply necessary for the reader, since everyday experience is unobtrusive, but sometimes more conclusive than the most judicious edifications.

Who, for example, does not know the truth of St. Seraphim of Sarov “acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved”? You can talk about this for a long time and intelligently. In Sukhinina, this is revealed through a negative example, in an everyday situation recognizable to everyone (the story “The Last Flowers from Our Garden”): an unpeaceful spirit, despondency - they poison everything around them, making their neighbors unhappy, filled with the spirit of malice. And there is not a single mention of God’s name in vain, there is no reference to the Holy Fathers, but the patristic wisdom “Despondency is the delight of the devil” (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk) is too clear to be doubted.

Probably each of us wondered if he was happy. And I also wondered: “Where do the happiest people live?” As if there is some place on Earth where you can go and be guaranteed to find peace and serenity.

In fact, no matter what ideal country we live in from the point of view of politics and economics, happiness is something that we create for ourselves. Psychological comfort and satisfied social needs are very important. But we experience most pleasant emotions thanks to hormones that are produced in our body. If you lack the necessary hormones, you will feel like the saddest person on the planet, even in heaven.

Where the happiest people live: what is important for happiness

According to the World Happiness Report, which covers 150 countries, the happiest people live in Finland. The top five happiest countries in 2018 also included: Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland. These countries strike a balance between prosperity and social capital. People trust the government and feel stability in all important areas. In 2018, the opinions of immigrants from each country were added to all aspects considered.

However, all these factors are external. They depend on society, government, economy, etc. Yes, they largely shape psychological comfort. But happiness also has physiological indicators. Let's figure out what indicators prevail among happy people, and how to independently influence the “hormones of joy and pleasure.”

How does living in happy countries affect your health?

In general, life expectancy is much higher in happy countries. This is due to the ability to satisfy basic needs: eat normally, rest and not experience regular stress.

In Europe, for example, people work much less, and the salary is enough for everything they need. European supermarkets are closed on Sundays, and France has a very relaxed schedule for factory workers. The French, as a rule, work from 9 to 12, then rest for 2-3 hours, and then return to work until 18 or 19 hours. Of course, this is not the case everywhere, but in European countries they respect the right to rest, weekends and holidays.

Of course, with such a work schedule, people do not experience either physical or psychological stress, which has a positive effect on their overall well-being.

How to be happy in any country in the world

What to do if there is no opportunity or desire to move to a happy country? It is worth remembering that no matter where you live, your inner mood will always be with you. You cannot run or hide from your own thoughts and beliefs.

Psychological happiness is certainly important. It affects overall well-being, but there are physiological factors that we can change on our own. Our hormones are responsible for satisfaction and happiness, and we are able to influence their production. To do this, you need to adjust your diet, reconsider the work-rest ratio and exercise regularly.

How to create a surge of joy hormones yourself

Most often, endorphins are called hormones of happiness, forgetting about dopamine and serotonin. But they also affect the feeling of happiness. The more of these hormones, the happier a person is. To feel happier, you can artificially increase their level through nutrition. But it won't work with dopamine.

How to stimulate the release of dopamine

Dopamine is produced due to the work of the pituitary gland, so nutrition does not affect it. The hormone appears as a “reward” for a pleasant time spent. To get dopamine, you can take a walk in the fresh air or regularly set aside time for a hobby. The hormone is also produced during sex and exercise.

What to do to produce endorphins

Endorphins will be produced if you regularly eat bananas, chocolate, grapes, strawberries and oranges. But their life expectancy will be short. Therefore, the production of pleasure hormones must be supported by walks and forays into nature. It is important to know that infectious diseases, weak immunity and improper distribution of work and rest reduce the production of endorphins.

These hormones help us feel more cheerful and joyful, suppress stress, apathy and depression, and also improve mental performance.

Natalia Evgenievna Sukhinina

WHERE DO THE HAPPY PEOPLE LIVE?

stories and essays

Preface

ORTHODOX VISION OF THE WORLD

Russian people are Orthodox. And whoever is not Orthodox, his Russianness becomes doubtful. For many, this has already been a commonplace since the time of Dostoevsky. But what does it mean to be Orthodox? This is not given at birth. No, it is necessary to study Orthodoxy, to be brought up in Orthodoxy. But as?

Of course, going to church: whoever puts himself outside the church is inevitably outside the faith - to whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a father. This, again, has long been indisputable, although not for everyone, so it is useful to repeat and repeat the undoubted from time to time. It is imperative to read the Holy Scriptures, testing yourself with patristic wisdom, because with your understanding you can read such heresies that it would be better not to pick up those books. It is necessary to comprehend the doctrinal foundations of Orthodoxy, dogmatic truths. Finally, we must try to live according to the commandments, which is very difficult.

However, in following all this we are faced with the danger of turning what is necessary into something external, formal, which does not take possession of the fullness of our being. You can become a scribbler, a proud Pharisee - but that will be of little use. After all, the Pharisee was very pious, fulfilling even more than what was required, and yet he was placed lower than the sinner publican by the Son of God Himself.

In order to accept the truths of Orthodoxy, it is necessary, among other things, to assimilate them through one’s own life experience - then they will not become an external dogma, but guidelines on the path to salvation. Why did our first parents sin? Because they had no experience of being outside of God. Actually, their punishment was a great blessing, a teaching provided providentially for all mankind for the sake of gaining the most valuable experience, without which it is impossible to be firm in following the will of God. (Not everyone benefited from that experience, but that’s a different topic.)

However, one cannot comprehend all the complexity of life with one’s own experience. The sea of ​​life is too vast and boundless for one person. But you can also use the spiritual experience of your neighbors, both good and negative, for your benefit. Therefore, a great work is done by those who collect such experience bit by bit and make it public property. It is especially valuable if everything collected receives Orthodox, that is, true, illumination and interpretation.

I admit that I always take on the task of reading works in which the author sets just such a goal for himself. For Orthodoxy is often understood externally: it seems that it is worth remembering the name of God, being piously touched - and that’s enough. What comes out is mannerism, lisp, false piety, sugary exaltation, deliberate cloying. Orthodoxy does not tolerate this; eye rolling and dramatic poses are contraindicated for it. Those works where a word is not said in simplicity, but everything is done with a “pious” grimace, only harm the cause, alienating from themselves souls that cannot tolerate falsehood.

Natalia Sukhinina’s book will give everyone who reads it with interest a lot of useful information necessary to enrich their own experience, since it offers a strict, sober, courageous, sometimes tough and at the same time wise, genuinely kind outlook on life. The most valuable experience is collected here, revealing not speculatively, but through living examples - being with God and without God.

Suquinina teaches Orthodoxy. Not dogma, of course, and not church canons - there are special books for that. She teaches Orthodox comprehension of life using simple everyday examples. And this is simply necessary for the reader, since everyday experience is unobtrusive, but sometimes more conclusive than the most judicious edifications.

Who, for example, does not know the truth of St. Seraphim of Sarov “acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved”? You can talk about this for a long time and intelligently. In Sukhinina, this is revealed through a negative example, in an everyday situation recognizable to everyone (the story “The Last Flowers from Our Garden”): an unpeaceful spirit, despondency - they poison everything around them, making their neighbors unhappy, filled with the spirit of malice. And there is not a single mention of God’s name in vain, there is no reference to the Holy Fathers, but the patristic wisdom “Despondency is the delight of the devil” (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk) is too clear to be doubted.

There is no need to retell the meaning of all the stories - you just need to read them. The author teaches to peer into people, to see the inner essence of characters and actions behind the external. And it teaches love, which begins with sympathy for even the most unattractive person. Teaches you to forgive in humility when it is so difficult to forgive.

Every believer knows: God helps him in all life circumstances, in trials and troubles. You just need to seek such help with faith. And if doubts overcome? But read about true stories that happened in the lives of the most ordinary people - isn’t this a living testimony?

You read a book and involuntarily become stronger in the conviction: living with faith is good and easy (not in the everyday sense, but

Of course, every person on Earth dreams of a long and prosperous life in all respects. Sometimes you want to leave a frosty and snowy city for a cozy country where there are no wars, a frantic pace of life, or polluted air. But in which cities and countries does happiness lie? Although everyone has their own idea about it. Nevertheless, researchers and sociologists have already developed a conditional measure of happiness, on the basis of which lists of geographical places where the most people live are compiled annually. What is needed to be confident in the future? It turns out that there is not so much: social guarantees from the state, competent government policies, and a certain level of material wealth.

Of course, today a huge number of ratings are compiled about where the happiest people live. Most of them are based on standard criteria: level of financial well-being, environmental situation, GDP size, degree of corruption, potential life expectancy, freedom of life choice.

Today's list

So where do the happiest people live?

Do you think in the USA or Germany? Not at all. The Yankees took only 15th position in the ranking, and the Germans took 26th. Residents of the Middle Kingdom ended up in 84th place, while the Russians took 64th. The British are ranked 21st on the list of happiest people, while the French are ranked 29th.

Then who is at the top of the list of countries where happy people live? The ranking was topped, as the results of sociological research show, by the states of Northern Europe. Moreover, for several years they have held the palm.

Now let's move on to the practical side of the question: where do the happiest people live?

Denmark, Aarhus

The city is located on the east coast in a cozy harbor. Industry is highly developed here, and people have fun by water skiing and yachting. Music festivals, art exhibitions, and theater performances are regularly organized in Aarhus. Guests of the Danish city enjoy spending time in local cafes and restaurants. Residents have a picturesque view of the North Sea from the windows of their houses.

Norway, Oslo

Don't have the slightest idea where the happiest people in the world live?

Sociologists say that in the Norwegian capital. Here you can admire the amazing beauties of nature that you will not see anywhere else. The capital of the ancient Vikings is surrounded by majestic forests and massive mountain ranges. In the city, guests are always offered an interesting cultural program: you can go to a concert, festival, see unique sculptures decorating local parks and squares, and also visit the famous opera house. There are a huge number of bars, clubs, and supermarkets in Oslo. The economic development of the city is provided by the oil industry.

Switzerland, Geneva

Where the happiest countries live would be incomplete without Switzerland. Of course, who will be left indifferent by the snow-capped Alpine mountains and the majestic Jura ridges? The picturesque city in the southwest of the country is at the center of this natural palette of colors. The building of the Saint-Pierre Cathedral located along it amazes with its architectural sophistication. In winter, tourists from all over the world come to Geneva to ski and snowboard on the local mountain slopes. During the summer season, many travelers enjoy relaxing on the beaches.

In the city there is an amazingly beautiful fountain - Jet Deo, which every tourist coming to this hospitable country should see.

Netherlands, Utrecht

Let's continue to consider the question of where they live. The countries of northern Europe occupy a leading position in this regard. However, in a state like the Netherlands, comfortable conditions have also been created for people to “age.” In particular, in the Dutch city of Utrecht, people feel great in every sense. Artists, musicians, and poets find inspiration here. The abundance of pubs, bars and cafes gives tourists the opportunity to taste savory dishes of national cuisine. Visitors to the city can admire people traveling on boats down the waterway. In the summer, a famous film festival is held here, where famous actors and directors come. Dynamic life and a relaxed atmosphere make Utrecht a city of happiness.

Sweden, Malmo

This amazing city is connected to the Danish capital by the Oresund Bridge, so those who want to see the sights of Copenhagen can easily walk across it.

Canada, Kingston

On the North American continent there is also a city whose residents are happy with life. We are talking about Canadian Kingston, which is located in the eastern province of Ontario. It also offers a wide cultural program, from music festivals to theater performances. All conditions for creativity are created here. Residents of the city adhere to the principles of tolerance and freedom of expression. Of course, these factors have contributed to people feeling happy in Kingston.

Finland, Helsinki

The Finnish capital has recorded a minimal level of official corruption.

There is a high level of quality of life and education here, the difference in income of the population is insignificant. Availability of quality medical services and an optimal balance between rest and work - for many people, such factors are the key to happiness. Again, culture is developed at a high level in Helsinki: the abundance of theaters, philharmonic societies, and museums is a clear confirmation of this. The architectural appearance of the Finnish city is represented by the Art Nouveau style, which amazes tourists with its splendor.

Russian cities

Of course, a huge number of people are interested in the question of where the happiest people in Russia live.

As the results of sociological surveys showed, the capital of the Chechen Republic, the city of Grozny, was on the list of leaders. Russians also feel comfortable in cities such as Kazan, Tyumen, and Surgut. But the Russian capital took only 52nd place in the ranking of the happiest cities.

The results of the sociological study demonstrated that the degree of financial well-being for Russians is significant, but at the same time not the determining criterion that makes a person happy. The main factors, as it turned out, are the level of safety, the feeling of changes for the better in the city where a person lives, and the environmental situation. For this reason alone, cities whose appearance has changed dramatically in recent years have become leaders: Sochi, Grozny, Kazan.

Happy nations

Today, sociologists have given an answer to the question: “Where do the happiest peoples of the world live?” If we talk about the territory of Central Asia, then the Kazakhs are in first place. Researchers have said that the most smiling people in Asia are Filipinos. Next in descending order are the peoples living in Laos, Turkey, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, and Israel. The highest level of dissatisfaction with life was recorded among Uzbeks.

Residents of the South American continent consider themselves happy. The Brazilians took first place in the ranking.

As for the European part, the list of the happiest peoples is headed by the residents of Macedonia. The second position is occupied by the Romanians.

Unlucky

Well, the most “unhappy” countries, according to experts, are Benin, Rwanda, Burundia, Syria, and Togo. Residents of these states are tired of unrest and poverty.

Natalia Evgenievna Sukhinina

WHERE DO THE HAPPY PEOPLE LIVE?

stories and essays

Preface

ORTHODOX VISION OF THE WORLD

Russian people are Orthodox. And whoever is not Orthodox, his Russianness becomes doubtful. For many, this has already been a commonplace since the time of Dostoevsky. But what does it mean to be Orthodox? This is not given at birth. No, you need to study Orthodoxy, to be brought up in Orthodoxy. But as?

Of course, go to church: whoever places himself outside the temple is inevitably outside the faith - whoever doesn’t care about the Church, God is not his father. This, again, has long become indisputable, although not for everyone, so it is useful to repeat and repeat the undoubted from time to time. It is imperative to read the Holy Scriptures, testing yourself with patristic wisdom, for with your understanding you can read such heresies that it would be better to have those books in your hands do not take. It is necessary to comprehend the doctrinal foundations of Orthodoxy, dogmatic truths. Finally, we must try to live according to the commandments, which is very difficult.

However, in following all this, we are in danger of turning what is necessary into something external, formal, which does not take possession of the fullness of our being. You can become an accountant, a proud Pharisee - but that will be of little use. After all, the Pharisee was very pious, fulfilling even more than what was required, and yet he was placed lower by the Son of God Himself than the sinner publican.

In order to accept the truths of Orthodoxy, it is necessary, among other things, to assimilate them through one’s own life experience - then they will not become an external dogma, but a guideline on the path to salvation. Why did our first parents sin? Because they had no experience of being outside of God. In fact, their punishment was a great blessing, a teaching providentially given for all mankind for the sake of gaining the most valuable experience, without which it is impossible to be firm in following the will of God. (Not everyone benefited from this experience, but that’s a different topic.)

However, one cannot comprehend all the complexity of life with one’s own experience. The sea of ​​life is too vast and immeasurable for one person. But you can also use the spiritual experience of your neighbors, both good and negative, for your benefit. Therefore, a great work is done by those who collect such experience bit by bit and make it public property. It is especially valuable if everything collected receives Orthodox, that is, true, illumination and interpretation.

I confess that I am always very wary of reading works in which the author sets himself precisely such a goal. For Orthodoxy is often understood externally: it seems that just remembering the name of God, being piously touched - and that’s enough. What comes out is mannerism, lisp, false piety, sugary exaltation, deliberate cloying. Orthodoxy does not tolerate this; eye rolling and dramatic poses are contraindicated for it. Those works where the words are simply unsaid, and everything is done with a “pious” grimace, only harm the cause, alienating from themselves souls that cannot tolerate falsehood.

Natalia Sukhinina’s book will give anyone who reads it a lot of useful things necessary to enrich their own experience, since it offers a strict, sober, courageous, sometimes tough and at the same time wise, genuinely kind outlook on life. The most valuable experience is collected here, revealing not speculatively, but through real-life examples - being with God and without God.

Suquinine teaches Orthodoxy. Not dogma, of course, and not church canons - there are special books for that. She teaches the Orthodox understanding of life using simple everyday examples. And this is simply necessary for the reader, since everyday experience is unobtrusive, but sometimes more conclusive than the most judicious edifications.

Who, for example, does not know the truth of St. Seraphim of Sarov “acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved”? You can talk about this for a long time and intelligently. In Sukhinina, this is revealed through a negative example, in an everyday situation recognizable to everyone (the story “The Last Flowers from Our Garden”): an unpeaceful spirit, despondency - they poison everything around them, making their neighbors unhappy, filled with the spirit of malice. And there is not a single mention of God’s name in vain, there is no reference to the Holy Fathers, but the patristic wisdom “despondency is the delight of the devil” (St. Tikhon of Zadonsk) is too clear to doubt it.

There is no need to retell the meaning of all the stories - you just need to read them. The author teaches us to peer into people, to see the inner essence of their characters and actions behind the external. And it teaches love, which begins with sympathy for even the most unattractive person. Teaches you to forgive in humility when it is so difficult to forgive.

Every believer knows: God helps him in all life circumstances, in trials, troubles. One only needs to seek such help with faith. And if doubts overcome? But read about the true stories that happened in the lives of the most ordinary people - isn’t this a living testimony?

You read the book and involuntarily become stronger in the conviction: with faith it is good and easy to live (not in the everyday sense, but in the spiritual sense), without God it is painful and hopeless. Russian people have long known: without God there is no doorstep. And all these Stories are yet another confirmation of this.

And one side reasoning involuntarily comes to mind, which probably was not included in the author’s calculation: how criminally those who are still fighting against the faith, who speak of Orthodoxy with hatred, think and behave. What are they dooming a person, an entire nation, to, trying to drive into everyone’s consciousness their depressingly vulgar stereotypes of human self-sufficiency, pluralism, and consumer ideals? Those who are hysterical, should start talking about the need to teach children the basics of Orthodoxy, doom the people to degeneration and death. The statistics are frightening: we are number one in youth suicides. And do not deceive yourself: in lack of faith, in godlessness, this will become increasingly worse. What do those who fight with faith achieve? Don't they know what they're doing? Some people, in their own complacency and stupid self-confidence, really don’t know, but others...

A person is led through life, protected from falling (and we often resist this - and still fall), the providential will of God. However, one should not assume that this simple thought is primitively simple. It often requires a genuine feat of faith, because Orthodox demands on a person are sometimes severely paradoxical and unacceptable at the level of everyday consciousness. In this sense, the story “The Sad Flutist at the Cheerful Bakery” becomes a kind of test for testing our faith. Our entire being resists the choice that the participants in the story humbly made, submitting to the will of the elder. But the spiritual wisdom of the elder is only a consequence not of his own arbitrariness, but of spiritual comprehension of Providence. To resist Providence is to always doom yourself to future misfortune. It’s easy to say, but go ahead and try it when it touches you. After all, we judge everything from our limited time space, and everything seems to us as if we know better than anyone else where our good is. Providence determines everything according to the laws of eternity, and from eternity, no matter how wise you are, you always know better. Without accepting this with our own limited minds, we get burned, being in a lack of faith. And if we accept it, even despite our inner protest, we get what we may have long ago lost hope for (the story “Dress to Grow”).

It is not our task, we repeat again, to list all the good lessons that can be learned from reading Natalia Sukhinina’s stories. Whoever reads it will see and understand everything for himself. The wife finally needs to say about the undoubted artistic merits of the proposed book. This is very important: a bad form can make any good intention meaningless. Sukhinina skillfully masters the form, constructs the narrative laconically, succinctly selects the most accurate and expressive details, clearly builds the composition of the story, and correctly chooses the right intonation.

The skill of verbal drawing can be judged at least by this passage (the story “The Evil Old Woman with a Blue Reticule”):

“She was small, nimble, with a small wrinkled face, deep-set eyes that burned the world around her like embers. She quickly, with the gait of a hurrying, very businesslike person, entered the church gates, importantly crossed herself on the dome and trotted towards the front door. At the door she made three more low bows and entered the sub-temple vaults. And - the work with elbows began. Her elbows were sharp, she herself was nimble, and that’s why she moved quickly through the crowd. Forward to Solea, in the center