Does the Bible have anything to say in response my earlier “guide” on "How to be Unhappy" ?  Here are a few passages which I think are particularly meaningful -

1. Listen uncritically to shit-stirrers

I think the first is that irresponsible talk cause needless strife, is nothing less than evil, and is self-destructive.

"For as churning the milk produces butter,
and as twisting the nose produces blood,
so stirring up anger produces strife".  (Proverbs 30 : 33)

"… If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. … [T]he tongue is a small part of the body but it makes great boasts.  Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the bod.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire …" (James 3 : 2, 5 - 6).

2. Find Contentment in Nothing; Find Fault with Everything

One of the Christian disciplines is to say a little prayer before every meal.  This act of "giving thanks" to God is a reminder that the ability to eat and the provision of food are some of the many things in life to be grateful for. 

In Acts 27, the Apostle Paul and 276 other people were caught in a storm while on the Adriatic Sea for (over) two weeks.  Everyone thought that the ship would sink and that they would die (v 20). Even in the face of potential death, the Apostle Paul took time to thank God for the remaining food and for his ability to eat. Acts 27 : 35 records that Paul "took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all.  Then he broke it and began to eat".  (The ship ultimately sank but everyone was saved).

And in 1 Thessalonians 5 : 18, Paul encourages the Christians in Thessalonica to "give thanks in all circumstances".

3. Blame Everything on Everyone Else

While the Bible advocates social justice (see a previous post here), it also says that individuals must exercise responsibility for their personal well-being, and that of their families.

"A little sleep, a little slumber
a little folding of the hands to rest -
and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man." (Proverbs 6 : 10 - 11)

"If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." (Paul’s First Letter to Timothy 5 : 8)

"We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it.  On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so tat we would not be a burden to any of you.  We did not, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.  For even when we were with you we gave you this rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat’.  We hear that some of you are idle.  They are not busy; they are busybodies.  Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread which they eat." (Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians 3 : 6 - 12)

Singaporeans are an unhappy lot, if what I read on Internet blogs and forums and on Facebook is to be believed.  What is somewhat unusual about this outpouring of unhappiness, if I may call it that, is that it appears to have taken place primarily from the time of the recent
General Elections onwards. 

I’m not saying, of course, that people were happy (or that there were not unhappy) before the General Elections, or that life before the General Elections was perfect.  However, it appears that before the General Elections, people could find happiness or contentment in more things. 

Now - nothing.

One reason could be that the General Elections opened the eyes of Singaporeans to the reality that there are many things which are wrong with the country and their individual lives, thereby resulting in a dissatisfaction with the (then) current state of affairs, and an agitation for radical change.

I’m going to offer another three reasons why I think Singaporeans are unhappy.  I will call it a guide on "How to be Unhappy", because I think Singaporeans have almost perfected this to a science.

1.  Listen uncritically to shit-stirrers

Feed your unhappiness by uncritically listening to wild and baseless comments made by others, and pass on that negative sentiment by uncritically supporting those comments.

I have a colleague who jokingly calls himself a "shit stirrer", because he is able to turn relatively innocuous facts about people, into issues which make that person look awful.  It’s all done in good humour as part of lunchtime conversation of course, so we don’t take him seriously.

Unfortunately it appears that many Singaporeans like to listen to shit stirrers on the Internet, are unable to discern between fair and unfair comment, and then uncritically contribute to the shit stirring by either posting negative comments which support the post, or "liking" it on Facebook (or otherwise) and recommending it to their friends.

Some of the more obvious examples, are articles on the Internet (which I believe have since been taken down) alleging that Tin Pei Ling had been promoted at her workplace because she became a member of parliament, and alleging that the PAP was sabotaging the handover of the Aljunied Town Council to the WP.  I recall that the article on Tin Pei Ling even began with the remark that the alleged promotion was based on "unsubstantiated rumours".  Yet netizens repeatedly "liked" the article, uncritically added their comments about how unfair this alleged promotion was, and worked themselves into an unhappy frenzy over nothing.

2.  Find Contentment in Nothing; Find Fault with Everything

Find nothing positive about anyone or anything in your life.  Just complain.

In another recent post I commented that -

Facebook status and wall updates which used to be filled with jokes, well wishes, recommendations of where to dine or take your kids to, are now used to spread invective against the new government, criticise minister’s speeches for apparent lack of "humility", and petition for unpopular elected members of parliament to step down.

I’ve noticed that Facebook friends’ posts have moved a little bit closer to normalcy since that time, but I still see a lot more complaints on the Internet.  Not that legitimate grievances should not be raised and discussed, but surely our lives are not so pathetic that Singaporeans are able to say only mostly negative things about Singapore?

3.  Blame Everything on Everyone Else

Blame everyone else for what is not going right in your life.  Because you have every reason to feel unhappy if something that went wrong was not your fault or within your control.

There are legitimate grievances, but there also appears to be a lack of self-reflection.  For example, Singaporeans have blamed the Sembawang Town Council for failing to promptly inform residents of the dead body of a domestic helper found in the water tank , as a result of which many households unknowingly used water from that tank.  But few have commented on the fact that if the residents who had heard the domestic helper screaming and who saw blood stains on the corridor had notified the police promptly, the murder might have been discovered sooner or that the murder might even have been prevented altogether.

More generally, while we may not be wrong in complaining about expensive healthcare, where are the questions about what we could have done to avoid hospitalisation to begin with ?  While we may not be wrong in complaining about poor paying jobs or financial difficulties, where are the expressions of regret for not having spent more time in school or making a bad investment decision or poor career choice?  Should we also be saying -

"If I had watched my diet more carefully and exercised more, I could have avoided this (medical bill for a) heart attack."

"If I had studied harder and worked towards getting a university education, I would not encounter this dead end to my career progression."

"If I had not impulsively bought a car using my first bonus, I would not be saddled with this debt which I’m struggling to cope with."

"If we had not rushed into marriage, I would not be struggling with financial and parenting responsibilities that we are not ready to cope with."