Copenhagen

I have heard it said that happiness is an inside job. In other words, no matter what may be going in one’s external world, happiness is an internal state of being and, therefore, is up to the individual. A happy or hopeful person is able to inject optimism and peace into the darkest corners of life. The Dali Lama, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Victor Frankel, and Malala Yousafzai come to mind.

And, yet I also think that external circumstances contribute to happiness, too. Perhaps Denmark’s Nordic social democracy, a seemingly balanced form of government that blends capitalism with economic and social security for all citizens, is that external factor that has enabled the Copenhagen people to live a mostly happy and hopeful existence . . . even if the city’s fall skies are gray and its daylight brief.