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[flagged] Today Is International Day of Happiness (wikipedia.org)
22 points by lun4r on March 20, 2020 | hide | past | favorite | 22 comments



Since everyone seems to be all negative I will share a story about the greatest day of my life. This happened around 10 months ago and it involves hash browns.

Due to mouth radiation I had to have all my teeth pulled and then two months of radiation and chemo just made my mouth a nightmare. I hit the point where trying to get down warm chicken broth was impossible. Everything I tried to eat just resulted in hours of pain to get down a swallow. So I didn't eat for around six months. I have a feeding tube for slurry to provide nutrients. It takes a bit to get used to getting full without using your mouth. There is a bit of a disconnect between your mouth and stomach.

I hit a point where my neck muscles were so unused they almost stopped working. I couldn't even swallow a tiny pill. So the doctors started talking about putting a balloon down my throat and inflating and deflating it a bunch of times to get the muscles working again. Fuck everything about that.

So I decided to just suffer and I started eating the blue box. (mac and cheese, kraft dinner for those up north). It was all I ate for months. I like noodles al dente but I had to overcook them to the point of mush so I could swallow them. Then I slowly worked my way to firm once I was able to normally swallow again.

But back to the greatest day of my life. I had only eaten mac and cheese for months and I decided to get adventurous. We had frozen hash browns in the freezer. So I cooked some in a ton of butter. My neck was still really raw so I barely browned them and covered them in ketchup to help them slide down since I can't chew anything.

It worked and was amazing. Then I had the bright idea to cover them in cheese so I ran up to Safeway and got a bag of shredded cheese. That was next level shit. I used to love the fried tater-tops covered in cheese and ketchup from Taco-Time.

But yeah. I was under 100 pounds and I put on about 15 pounds in a matter of weeks. That was 95% hash browns and Safeway cheese.

I think I need to put the internet down. Everything is so negative. Six months ago my good day would be your nightmare.


I am an incredibly negative person. I am full of hate and loathing. I do not like people, humanity, or society. However, your story moved me to recount a story of my own.

A few months ago, while I was on my way to get dinner, I was waiting at an intersection for the light to change, when I heard a fire engine approaching. I looked around the intersection to find where it was coming from, and noticed a young woman with massive headphones on her head, stepping into the intersection, in the direction of the fire engine, with her head down.

I did a cartoonish double-take, and then I lunged several feet to grab her by the shoulders, holding her in place and surprising her. A moment later, the fire engine rolled through the crosswalk and into the intersection, where she had been about to step. She was shocked, but safe. She thanked me and walked away; I continued to my dinner.

This story really only has one thing in common with yours: It was the greatest day of my life. I am glad that you are recovering and finding health and prosperity in your life; I hope that she is, too.


Somewhat unrelated note: there's an interesting side effect among depressed people in my social circle - they seem to be... happier now?

Apparently the fact that everyone is currently on lockdown removes the pressure of having to go to work, socialize etc.

Some of them found a new purpose in helping their neighbours with groceries, pets etc.


I don’t know about clinical depression. However, changes in routine can really help when you’re feeling down for a while.

I accidentally flooded my apartment and while it was inconvenient and expensive, my mood noticeably improved for the next few weeks. Presumably because I was tossed out of my comfort zone and had a bunch of odd experiences.


International Year of Shittiness more like :/


I sure could use an International Day of Tacos right now.


The 10 principles seems like the rules of a chain letter. 1,4,5,6,9 and 10 are essentially tell other people about DOH and happytalism.


Wait, what? The (CEO of) UN New World Order is the author of this program according to the linked wikipedia page?


Does the UN seriously have a program called New World Order?? Am I missing a joke here? I looked at the page and it seems pretty legit...


Wow, the song N.W.O. by the band Ministry is almost 30 years old now, and it was a known 'trigger phrase' for everyone from conspiracy theorists to Evangelicals for a while before that.

I believe Bush Sr.'s creepy use of the phrase was in 1990, which was weird because it had been around since the first World War and had developed a lot of paranoid associations. I still wonder to what extent it was intentional, and why. Maybe he just thought it was funny.


Turns out, they do and the author of this wikipedia page is indeed the founder of the program: https://unnwo.org/


Between the name being “New World Order”, the phrase “happytalism”, and the abbreviation as UNIDOH, which makes me think of Homer Simpson, I honestly can’t tell if this is an elaborate parody or not.


> Happytalism is a new economic paradigm which places happiness, well-being, and freedom at the center of human development models, systems, and all life.

Oh wow. Just... wow.


The name is a bit creepy with hints of dystopia, but surely by the description it's actually a noble goal?


I think it may not be officially sanctioned by the UN. Unfortunately, it's really hard to tell.

This is why trademarks are a thing.


Yay for another synthetic celebration pushed from the top that nobody cares about.

Spring equinox is a damn great day though.

Next - appoint 4 yearly happiness days on both equinoxes and solstices. Like many pre-abrahamic cultures did.


Haha did you mean

1. Passover/Easter

2. Saint John’s Day

3. Harvest Festival/Sukkot/Thanksgiving

4. Christmas


Sort of. But drop bastardised add-ons by Christianity and return to celebrating the nature. And stick to sun calendar.

I couldn't care less about christianity, but both solstices are a big thing for me. I hope christmas eve dinner won't die and won't move to "new year" as christianity slowly dies.


Season-based celebrations rule. I wish there was a cultural custom for Midsummer.


It is quite a big thing in northern europe. Goes as far as national holiday in Lithuania and Latvia. Nordic countries celebrate it as well, but not sure if it's marked as national holiday.


Well, that and happy Nowruz everybody!


Good one :(




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