I realize that I did not sign the piece I wrote in today’s First, The Pursuit of Happiness. So let me take this opportunity and say a few more words about The Happiness Movement which was recently launched in Britain and which I believe is a good idea.

Another objective of the Movement, apart from the ones I have already mentioned, is to improve health, but especially mental health, which is also vital to happiness. Depression interferes with ordinary life 50% more than chronic physical illnesses such as arthritis, angina, asthma and diabetes. As any doctor here will tell you there are many who live on anti-depressants and tranquillizers. Suicide, mostly as a result of clinical depression which has not been detected, is on the rise even if statistics are inaccurate as many suicides are left unreported. Mental stress and poverty often bring on depression. When people cannot cope with certain situations they tend to get depressed and have to resort to pills.

I have seen abject poverty in many places in Africa and elsewhere. The people whom we consider poor here would seem rich to a poor family in Ethiopia or some other African or South American country. But we cannot really compare ourselves to Third World countries, although it is salutary to look at these countries and see how much more advanced we are and also how lucky we are in many ways. Joe Sammut from Caritias came on Bla Agenda last week and said that about 60% responded to a question put to them, and admitted that they would not be able to cope if they had a sudden bill of say Euros 1,000 to pay. Many are living from hand to mouth and one is not surprised that they live in a state of depression especially if they have to borrow money or postpone paying their bills and see no end of this in sight. I recently heard one pharmacist telling a woman that he could not go on giving her credit which is understandable as pharmacists, too, have to pay their bills. I know that the government dispensary does an excellent job and millions are spent distributing free pills to those who need them. But there must be those who for some reason or other cannot get pills they need from the government dispensary but have to pay for them with money they do not have. Perhaps this is an area which should be examined and the burden of these disadvantaged people lightened.

Another interesting point made by The Happiness Movement is to do with income, extremely important to us all. While it is obvious that richer people, on average are happier than poorer people however, research says that what is true of the individual is not true of society. “Over time our societies have not become happier as they have become richer. There is a simple explanation of this paradox (sometimes called the Easterlin paradox). It is that individuals are comparing their income with the incomes of others around them. As one person in a society becomes richer, so do most others. The relative income of the typical individual cannot change, and, as incomes rise, so the typical individual becomes no happier.” So almost everyone is engaged in a rat-race.

The Movement emphasizes that schools must be “as concerned with developing character as with imparting knowledge. Children must be taught to regulate their emotions and behaviour and must acquire the resilience to withstand adversity. At the same time they must learn to care for other people.” ‘Character is destiny’ it is said and it is character more than anything else which sees us through life’s adversities. Character-building is a task for both school and parents.

Happiness research, not surprisingly finds that positivity is a very important quality to teach our children, and to practice ourselves – what you should rather than what you should not do.

A healthy community is one in which there is no excessive inequality. It is emphasized that at present public policy options are evaluated using cost-benefit analysis in which the unit of measurement is money. But most of the issues discussed cannot be evaluated in that way. They will have to be evaluated in units of happiness. At the recent OECD conference What is progress?, already mentioned in First, Joseph Stiglitz said: “If you measure the wrong thing, you will do the wrong thing.” The advice to national governments and local governments is “to make regular surveys of the happiness of their people in order to monitor trends, to identify main pockets of distress and to have an information base for deepening our understanding of the causes of happiness.”

Of course, even if we know that happiness is an emotion yet if we can at least lessen the depth of unhappiness in as many people as possible then we are moving in the right direction. A schoolfriend of mine told me some time ago when I was questioning her about her life in which, like the rest of us, she has had happiness and grief – ‘beauty and terror’, she told me: ‘I try to make someone happy every day.’ That would be a good start for us all.

A concert at San Anton Palace is always such a pleasure especially when one knows beforehand that the musicans are gifted and will do justice to the elegant room in which these concerts are held. Soprano Miriam Cauchi and her husband violincellist Simon Abdilla Joslin need no introduction to those of us who are interested in classical music. Nor does Maria Frendo of course, who is herself a soprano and also teaches English Literature at the University of Malta. Maria played three pieces with Simon and also accompanied Miriam, sometimes with Simon. The concert was very well attended and it is to the credit of President and Mrs Abela and their team that the longish evening which includes a pleasant reception afterwards, is enjoyed by those invited with never a hitch. It starts with the parking which is so well-organised until the end of the evening, when the reception allows us all to discuss the concert and meet the musicians and other like-minded people.

For me the highlights were Fauré’s Elegy for Cello and piano, Donde lieta usci from Puccini’s La Bohème sung by Miriam and accompanied by Maria; Saint-Saëns The Swan for cello and piano; Leoncavallo’s Mattinata and the much-loved Vocalise Rachmaninov’s beautiful composition were both sung by Miriam who was accompanied of course. Vocalise is written for voice with piano and contains no words but is sung using just one vowel. It is only right that compositions of Maltese composers are included in these concerts and Miriam sang Nostalgia by G. Camilleri who, I was later told, was very active in music circles in his time and another Il-Kebbies tal-Fanali by Maestro Joseph Vella, who was present. During the reception, Dr Hugo Mifsud Bonnici remarked that the lyrics are based on what he considers too be one of the most beautiful poems by another former president, Dr Anton Buttigieg. Dr Mifsud Bonnici is a great lover of Maltese literature and seems to have a very profound knowedge of it.

The audience greedily wanted more and Miriam sang Ave Maria by Caccini. This was one Ave Maria I had never heard before but was pleasant and a kind of thank you note to Our Lady.

Joyce Guillaumier for the fourth year compèred the concert sharing with us her knowedge – and love – of music. Miriam Cauchi negotiated the hills and dales of the pieces she sang with ease. Her high notes are stunning. Fine singing indeed and responsive and sensitive playing by Maria Frendo and Simon Abdilla Joslin. As far as the singing goes lightning struck with Vocalise. A difficult piece sung with such ease and sensitivity by Miriam. Indeed an evening of refined music. I believe it was Prof. Guido de Marco who started these concerts. At least I recall going to the first one when he was president. Dr Fenech Adami continued this excellent tradition and the Verdala concerts were truly exquisite. I do believe they break down barriers and introduce new audiences to classical music. Excellent stuff.

Concert in aid of Cottonera Project for Teenage Girls

The Italian pianist Graziella Provedel (pictured) will give a recital on Friday 30 April 2010 at 7.30p.m. at the Exhibition Hall of Le Méridien St Julians Hotel & Spa, Balluta, St Julian’s. (Tel: 2311 0000). The concert will be in aid of the Cottonera Project for Teenage Girls by Soroptimist International Malta.

The programme consists of works by M. Clementi, D. Scarlatti, F. Cilea, I. Strawinsky, G. Gershwin, M. Marvulli and E. Granados. Tickets, at €15 each, are available from the following outlets:

• Cleland & Souchet, Portomaso, San Giljan.

• Expressions (Bookshop), 243, Tower Road, Sliema

• Vascas Jewellers, XXI September Avenue, Naxxar

• Funny’s Lounge-Bar Restaurant, Tourist Street, Qawra (opposite San Anton Hotel)

• Josies Bathroom Centre, Triq in-Naxxar, Lija