A formal theory about happiness, success and what have you

My ramblings on my life and the underlying drivers of happiness have garnered a bit of attention. They are some of the more popular posts. That’s good because happiness is, after all, the most important result of anyone’s life. That isn’t to say I have any authority on the matter…but here goes.

Success and happiness are so correlated they might as well be the same. Happiness must be an integral part of success, or else the definition of success is skewed. However, they are not necessarily the same. Success is definite. It may be differently assessed by different people but that does not change the underlying characteristics. Success is a person’s intrinsic value. Cynically speaking, it might be how much you are willing to give up to have someone else’s life. So when you say “I wish I were someone else,” you are essentially saying the target is more successful.

Success is something that is built up. It is the accumulation of accomplishment, whatever they may be. But it can be impaired, written down or given a haircut. At this early stage in our lives, accomplishments depreciate very quickly. Last year I had a couple of lines on my resume pertaining to high school. This year I have two. What success is not, however, is forward looking. Success is not derived from hope, potential or optimism. It is quite simply the retained value of all the things a person has done in the past.

Happiness, on the other hand, stems from the past, present and future. They say people can’t be happy because the past is always too rosy, the present unfulfilling and the future unresolved. Happiness is built on success. Happiness is what you make of your success and how you intend to leverage it in the future. When outlook is dimmed, a person’s underlying success should help serve as a baseline for happiness. Happiness can also get out of hand, climbing to unsustainable heights before bursting and plunging down to lows.

Unfortunately, constant happiness is not enough. It must, as all things, have a return. That may be why, despite all that running, you feel like you have not moved at all. Non-volatile happiness (i.e. one that tracks success closely) with reasonable growth is probably the golden ticket. What happiness should not be, however, is fleeting. Rational joy derives from strong understanding of underlying success and reasonable forecasting of future success. Expectations that are too high will have disappointing results.

Happiness is a figment of the mind; it can often feel like a grumpy old man with a short attention span. Success is a much easier target to aim for. It is a high quality boost to happiness, unlike the temporary gyrations that end up nowhere. I believe this model gives a reasonable outline of two key end goals of human existence. It may even end up making you happier.

Toronto: Another Confrontation on Bike

Biking home from a pleasant dinner at Le Paradis, I encountered quite the disagreeable individual, perched upon a mountain bike, wheels of gargantuan proportion as only seen from Wal-Mart or Canadian Tire. I interrupted his jaunty but effortful sidewalk crossing with my right turn, to which he exclaimed in a most cantankerous voice “the light is red!” Yes, the red light was mine but I was turning right. And there were neither cars nor pedestrians to yield to. There was only the self-affirmed rider on the wrong side of the street, occupying a pedestrian crossing.

His raspy voice and glaring eyes held me at a standstill. I questioned my lawfulness and self-worth. I apologized for tempering his lively commute and only a bit later did I realize my mistake in apology. If only humankind was less sure of itself, we would see ourselves so much further. If we first considered our own actions before judging the actions of others, we could achieve so much more. 

Olympics 2012: Modern Day Belligerence

I prefer to list by Total Medals, as it helps Canada more than any other country. Indeed it helps Canada improve its ranking by a whole 17 levels. The next country to have this benefit is Germany, but only by five ranks. For the record, the Olympic Committee orders by Gold, then Silver, then Bronze. This year, it makes no real difference as the United States won both measures. At the last Olympics, it was quite different. China was christened the champion by IIOC standards but NBC ratings showed US in the limelight for most total medals. The proper way to conduct a ranking like this is probably to weigh each medal by some factor that takes into account the additional difficulty of attaining top spot. The difference might be a lot as in the stratosphere, any movement is quite challenging.

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Medal Table​

The top six countries were the main participants in the Second World War; four are on the UN Security Council and the other two should probably be indicted as well. France is the only laggard by this measure (placing 8th) but it’s been in a sad state ever since Napoleon (and to say the French contributed to victory in WWII is a bit of an exaggeration). And something must be said for the United States, which defeated China resoundingly and took home 9 more gold medals than as predicted by Goldman Sachs. Stripping away home-field advantage the Chinese had (which according to GS, improves gold medal counts by a whopping 50%), it is still clear who the world leader is. It is a shame such a naturally talented, motivated, entrepreneurial and idealistic state is currently led by morons.

And there is something further to be said about the American culture of athletics that is neither obfuscated by governmental tinkering nor tunnel visioned solely on a number (of gold medals, that is). With that said, criticism of communist-style athletic gulags fails to take into account the difference in privilege amongst the countries and ignores the cult of athletics that America is guilty of as well. There is significant pressure placed on North American athletes too, which is why Hockey Canada ran an “It’s just a game” campaign. And the rewards, from Ivy League admissions to social validation, are enough to pump out aspiring, steroid pumping amphibians.

In a post-war world where pent up nationalism can only be expressed through some other form of interaction, the Olympics are a peaceful solution to a pervasive problem. In a replay of World War II, the victor nations again defeated Germany and Japan. If the Olympics is what we need to avoid irrational jingoism, then so be it. 

Fei Cheng Wu Rao: “I'd rather cry in the back of your BMW than laugh on the back of your bicycle”

Fei Cheng Wu Rao attracts fifty million viewers an episode. To be sure, the premise is problematic. One suitor stands to be scrutinized by 24 sirens, sometimes desirable and always cruel. Unlike the Bachelor, there is no prospect of commiseration. Defeated candidates, who might not be tall enough, old enough or most likely, not wealthy enough, take a walk of shame off the stage. The only consolation is that he signed up for it.

The show first piqued my interest after reading The Economist’s special report on China’s economy (http://www.economist.com/node/21555762). Bicycles are being replaced with cars, the ultimate symbol of wealth in an up-and-coming society. “I'd rather cry in the back of your BMW than laugh on the back of your bicycle,” quoted the article from the TV show. The only thing that could have added to the stereotype is if she specified the BMW was coloured white. The communist government has since stepped in to reform the lewd show. Totalitarianism has its benefits, I guess.

This Sunday, I decided to watch an episode, mainly because it was to be the first Canadian edition. Contestants from both sexes were flown in from Canada, though the contestants were certainly more Chinese than Canadian. I was hoping to see some people I could relate to. There were med-students and pseudo-financiers. There was even a teller from RBC. Yet the defining characteristic of all contestants was the resounding idiocy, the unscrupulous distastefulness of the comments, the nonchalance for what will be broadcasted so thoroughly through the airwaves and the indifference to the stereotyping of an already derided nation and its people. For that to happen in a show where the principle allegiances are Chinese and Canadian, the two I associate myself the most with, is disconcerting.

To begin, a Chinese vice-delegate encourages cross cultural pollination from her perch at the downtown T&T supermarket (funny enough, owned by Loblaw), a vessel for non-assimilation and group-think.  It was the locale of a President’s Choice sponsored night market, where stinky tofu is ubiquitous and personal space absent. Behind her aptly stood a York University filming van. Then the Canadian imports were introduced. The most colorful self-proclamation was by a 37 year old who referred to herself as a beautiful woman. The modesty didn’t work; she was turned down by essentially every suitor. And so the show began with much ego and twisted smiles as the women looked upon the entering men. Only one successful couple arose.

The first suitor was unanimously rejected for being a bit uptight and nervous. He seemed like an Asian version of Barack Obama in composure. What a shame that was. A bumbling Martial Artist came next, to whom one lady questioned why someone so active could have such saggy pectorals. Poor guy. A rather well liked suitor turned down six women to have a chance with the one he eyed down from the start. The women sang praises still (they repeated the same Chinese adjective, which probably best translates to “excellent”) yet his actions could not have been shallower. Perhaps they were impressed with the ice wine he brought. Or maybe by his ability to sing an English song!

A couple of generalizations came to the forefront, including that Chinese Canadians tend find themselves in fields of Finance or Medicine. That might be true but not one was a real financier (or a real doctor, for that matter).  The real financiers (or real doctors) would not go back to China on a whim. How disappointing how the Canadians might be viewed in China. How disappointing how the Chinese might be viewed in Canada.

The solace is that this show was not actually conceived in China. It was invented in Australia and now has a counterpart in the US (“Take Me Out”). The difference, however, is that the English-world versions are comedies. They are light-hearted, less judgmental and less scathing. Also, they only attract something like three million viewers. Why then does a program that shows such failures of the human condition gain such wide acceptance in China? Why does it turn so serious?

It might be from the superiority and inferiority complexes that have developed in a nation that was one so powerful, then fell into a state of disrepair and now is challenging for supremacy again. I had hoped that the Canadian edition would bring some enlightened contestants who had already escaped the trials and tribulations of the mainland and could bring some much needed grounding to this popularity contest. I will not allow this show to ruin my forever optimistic view of humanity and have no doubt that the contrived producers will do anything to raise ratings by employing the least inspirational contestants. It goes without saying that I would discourage anyone from being one of the fifty million who seek comfort in this dismal show.

God Save the Queen: A Report on the Brits

I watched the academy award winning film The Queen, tracing the life of the monarch Elizabeth II from the election of Tony Blair to the tumultuous death of Princess Diana. I watched it because Britain is at the forefront of current events. Earlier this year, the same Elizabeth celebrated her diamond Jubilee and London is currently hosting the Olympic Games.

I must begin by asserting that I am a monarchist. As I said in a previous post, as much as people like an underdog story, people simply are more envious of those who have always been successful. The film itself stands for the monarchy. A humble, idealistic but slightly naive Tony Blair is a modernist proposing the most radical shifts in the constitution in history and does not give full credit to the Queen until the death of Princess Diana, the youthful and cavalier divorcé of Prince Charles. The stoic, old-fashioned and graceful Queen underwent unfathomable pressures to reconcile her dislike for Diana with the general public’s love for what they called People’s Princess. The result was the Queen having to sacrifice her traditional values to pacify her people, for which Tony Blair finds respectable. You would think Tony Blair would side with the Princess. Instead he sides with the Queen. “I don't know why I'm surprised. At the end of the day, all Labour Prime Ministers go gaga for the Queen,” says his vocally anti-monarchist wife.

You cannot help but feel sorry for an anachronistic Queen (for whom Tony Blair was the tenth Prime Minister sworn in) who fears she does not understand her people. She was brought up to value modesty and dignity. The post-war era characterized by the rise of the United States and decolonization at the expense of Britain’s empire created such a somber atmosphere in a nation reminiscent of past glories. Even the Olympic ceremonies showed the Brits as simpletons, snarky in humour yet not easily humoured. They are known for boring Stonehenge and the metallic roar of the industrial revolution. Indeed the overcast nation is depressing. Yet as Canadians, we can relate to Britain’s quite leadership. To begin, the Brits have a smaller percentage of their total medals thus far as golds than anyone else in the top five. The Canadians have zero golds out of seven medals. As Conrad Black frequently comments, Canadians are boring, which means we have not experienced any wars (on Canadian soil), natural disasters, genocides, famines, revolutions or any of the like. And while the Brits have certainly seen more interesting days, their country has dulled to a hum.

Yet let us not forget the significance the Brits played in history and today. Firstly, Britain had the largest Empire ever known to humankind (to put it into perspective, a quarter of the worldwide population bowed to one monarch). As such, they are the originators of the Anglosphere, a group of the world’s most successful nations united by a common tongue, allowing for vast globalization to take place. The only two other “spheres” that exist are the Sinosphere and the Indosphere, which when added together, is not as significant. Secondly, Britain has been the shaper of history for the last millennium. The last two world wars were a battle between Britain and Germany for European supremacy. Britain rushed to France’s defense in 1914 to hold the line and outlasted the Germans in 1940. Between Britain and Canada, three of the five beaches of Normandy were landed on in 1944. And they fought for the right reasons: liberty, freedom and democracy. Britain can hold its head high with few ideological blemishes.  

What is not to love about a monarchy that has survived for the last thousand years and effectively shaped the modern era. It symbolizes an empire that has continued and thrived like no other. And for the Brits to celebrate this success without the pretentiousness of the French, the flamboyance of Spaniards or the gluttony of the Italians is truly admirable. As the Queen might say, it is quietly modest and dignified. The punch-line is that Diana in her anti-monarchist appeals was neither yet engendered so much respect. How could the Brits who seemed so mature act like children, weeping at the death of a stranger. How could a country with such a history wish to subvert tradition (e.g. put the Union Jack at Buckingham palace) for the death of someone no longer a part of the royal family?

Well let’s not lose hope yet. The approval rating of the Queen is still higher than that of most politicians. As Blair said, any plan to abolish the monarchy is “daft” (what a great British word!). The monarchy is in the blood of the Brits. The came off the righteous pass a bit to show they had a rebellious side to them, not unlike a teenage revolt. This does not change the fact that the Brits are the wittiest and funniest people in the world. They’ll laugh it off and sing God Save the Queen to all the few gold medalists there are.

There is something to be said about quiet leadership. We don’t have enough of that in the world. That’s why we need the Queen.

Un-Canadian on Canada Day

Canadians take out their flags (on their roots backpacks) when they leave our borders and quickly hides them upon return. You might not know it was Canada day as Euro cup fans, attached either ethnically or culturally, waved green and yellow. The Italians gave away one-fourth of the Spanish Bank bail-out and four rather graceful goals this month. The Spaniards needed it.

For my Canada Day, had the option attending a Jay’s vs. LA Angel’s game in some of the nicest seats in the skydome. I wore a new Swiss-red shirt for the occasion. I like baseball because it is interesting and not too serious. Yet there was nothing but seriousness for the fans. The Canada Day celebrators were especially un-Canadian as they boo-ed Stephen Harper, the opposing team and our own pitchers.

The fans erupted with discontent at the sight of Stephen Harper (they were much less dis-satisfied with the subject Stephen Harper was introducing, the Canadian Army). Why the stadium was so against a Prime Minister that represents the majority of Canadian voters and that has done a good job leading Canada out of the recession is beyond me (http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/06/30/conrad-black-the-end-of-canadas-love-affair-with-the-un/). Why the stadium seems so content with our armed forces yet discontent with their greatest sponsor is dichotomous to say the least. I imagined the game taking place in LA but could not imagine the fans boo-ing Obama. I must say, this is a poor showing on Canada Day.

Then there were times where the crowds would berate the opposing pitcher for checking runners at first and second. This is an important function to ensure a less of a lead-off. Indeed it could be the difference between hitting third and scoring. The rudeness displayed by a country that proclaims to be polite is astounding.

Finally, a Jay’s reliever allowed two home runs in one inning. He was effectively boo-ed off the stage. They say sports bring out the best in people. It certainly doesn’t bring out the best in the fan(atics) who effectively turn their minds off for three hours and subject themselves to crowd mentality. A little more solidarity for Canada’s only major league baseball team on our national holiday would have been appreciated.

Call Me Maybe

I am not sure why the world needs more songs to perpetuate ideas that incessantly swim in our minds. It's catchy in tune but also in content because it latches on to such a recurring obsession. The critical reception of this song is concerning to say the least. A&F doing its own cover makes me wonder why I ever liked the brand.

Why do final qualifier games occur simultaneously?

​Here's a good brain teaser: Why do final qualifier games occur simultaneously?

In other EURO cup news, Greece makes a last minute decision to stay in; Germany bails out Portugal by defeating Denmark.

You know Europe’s screwed when the strongest economy in Group C of the EURO cup is Croatia.

Some updates on previous posts

On drug testing: Lance Armstrong has been accused of doping. If he did, then he should be discredited. But is there not something wrong with a system that discredits so many of its best athletes?

On rioting: I have thought about the argument that protestors that have been disadvantaged because of profligate spending on the part of the older generation. I have no sympathy for the Montreal rioters; you shouldn’t either. The same applies for Greece and the Wall Street protestors. Montreal students are the easiest to deride. If they were not rioting about the increase in tuition then what are they actually rioting about? Canada is one of the most resilient countries coming out of the recession. Youth unemployment is 14.7%, which is high, but nowhere close to the rates in other developed countries. The fact is a quarter of Canadian firms find it hard to find talent. Then, the fault of unemployment is very well shared by a lack of useful skills (rioting, for example, is not a useful ability). 

A similar argument applies for the US and Greece. Half of US firms find it hard to employ people; quarter of Greek firms find it difficult (http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/05/daily-chart-18). It is easy to blame others. The Greek population blamed the government then subsequently put into power fringe parties and ignored reasonable requests for austerity.

At the end of the day, these are all Western, democratic and free nations. Its citizens are masters of their own soul. They can do whatever they want with their lives. Instead they choose to riot. That is why I find them uninspiring.

Some interesting thoughts:

·         Surely the economic situation is precarious. “Let me restate this because it is important; from the current levels we would expect on average no growth in corporate profits over the next five years and the absolute best historical experience is 4.4% annualized growth.” (http://www.valuewalk.com/2010/11/corporate-profits-current-level-tells-sp-500-returns-years/).  

·         You know Europe’s screwed when the strongest economy in Group C of the EURO cup is Croatia.

·         * SIR – Greece has a mobile-phone penetration rate of 139%, it may be about to abandon its paper currency and it has an existential problem raising tax revenue. This is the perfect opportunity to leapfrog an inefficient legacy payment system: cash. 

Greece should avoid the pain, delay and expense of printing drachma, and instead move straight to allowing mobile payments only in drachma. Paper euros will continue to circulate—as they do in Montenegro—regardless of whether a paper drachma is reintroduced. National efficiency would be given a rare advantage over Germany and the tax-raising ability of the state radically improved: every taxi driver would pay tax. 

Mark Martin
Moscow

2012 Olympics - A Tiresome Ordeal

There are 50 days until London 2012. I am happy to remind that the Chinese won in 2008 and the Canadians won in 2010. However, I must say there are some clouds overhanging these Olympics. 

The determination and strive for excellence is welcome but it is often clouded in cheating and favoritism. In Salt Lake City, Jamie Sale and David Pelletier skated the better program but a rogue French judge gave the Gold to the Russians (they were later both given Gold medals). What is more telling is that the US, Canada, Germany and Japan voted for the Canadian skaters while Russia, China, Poland and Ukraine voted for the Russians. No wonder they suspected the French judge of cheating; she was clearly the odd one out by crossing the Iron Curtain. In any case, the Salle/Pelletier story on its own is commendable. It brought Canadians closer together (they announced their later gold medal award on the school PA system); it embodied desirable values like love (they skated to “Love Story”), precision and artfulness. Too unfortunate they divorced in 2010.

Also unfortunate that nothing so inspiring as the pair has come along. Instead, a cat and mouse game involving drugs has arisen. The current system relies on finding ways to detect instances of doping and then surprising the athletes. An athlete, then, needs to bet whether or not to risk being caught. A progressive solution would simply be to have unrestricted drug use in sport. With the advent of undetectable drugs (e.g. genetic manipulation) becoming more likely, we’re likely going to arrive at this point anyway (http://www.economist.com/node/21548498). 

The cat and mouse solution misses the root of the problem: that while there are athletes that care very much about excellence, there are just as many that (like most other things in the world) are results oriented. Simply consider the effort host cities go to in dressing themselves up for a 15 day affair. No country understands the costs of dressing up as much as Greece (2004).  Then there’s China, which by all accounts has unfathomable issues (unfathomable by us, that is) yetbuilt a whole Olympic village. I visited the area and cracks are beginning to form at the dome. I cannot think of a worse tourist attraction to go to (that is what it is now). In 2012, London will have to pull this off with the worst primary balance in all of Europe (http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/12/europes_economies). Good thing is they did just that in 1948 when they last held the games and the country was suffering a recession as they returned to a prewar economy (http://www.economist.com/node/21556281). The difference, though, is they didn’t have China’s spectacle to follow.

I find this whole ordeal tiring. Institutions that dress themselves up should only expect their players to do the same.

Biking in Toronto

Biking in Toronto has its disadvantages. Thursday morning, three cars crashed into each other on King & University only a few hundred metres ahead of me. The damage surprised me. If I were involved in such an accident, the result would be life altering. Contact at 40 km/hr has an 85% probability of death (at 20km/hr, the likelihood is near zero http://www.economist.com/node/21528302). Toronto could do more to encourage biking. My daily commute from U of T to Brookfield Place takes 15 minutes, faster than a subway ride. A yearly pass to the subway costs over $1200. This is enough to cover the cost of a stolen bike every half a year. Add the fact that the TTC runs at a loss (and runs at a loss at all times other than rush hour), the cost of providing a the subway service is extremely high. In a progressive world, the government would simply give everyone bicycles. Health, environmental and economic residuals add to my preference for biking over other recreational activities. So I will have to deal with the safety concerns.

Today, I went on a bike ride though the Don Valley trail. I used to use this trail extensively to go from my home in Richmond Hill down to Toronto. From Woodsworth Residence, you have to go up on Broadview Ave. a little before being able to join in. From there, it's a good uninterrupted stretch of paved paths. It ends at he Distillery District, the location I began the Toronto-Kingston ride last year.

Balzac's in the Distillery district. The coffee is average but the homage to Hamlet is witty.

Chinese food

My last day in the GTA so I had to appease my north york financiers. This involved a trip down to the local "Sezhuan" restaurant." For full effect, there were plastic table cloths,  interrogation-style light bulbs and waitresses in track pants. The chinese restaurant model is a subject of great interest to me. In particular, how such mediocrity is awarded with such terrific turnover as the restaurant industry struggles to remain profitable (http://www.torontolife.com/daily/daily-dish/deathwatch/). Chinese food is unrefined at best. It will take many years before the middle class will even begin to demand properly cooked food (a litre of olive oil costs probably four times more in China than it does in Canada). And the middle class matter. The rich in China eat lobsters, truffles, caviar, bear paws and anything hard to find, doing little to spark culinary innovation. What is necessary is an appreciation for common ingredients like chicken and beef without the sweet-and-sour. Like most traditional food from the third world, it is laden with fat, sugar and sodium. The dishes pictured below show the standard disregard for ingredients as the same spicy sauce is sprayed wholesale on tofu, chicken, eggplant and beef (stomach). All together it was $60 after tip and tax, which really is quite expensive when nothing substantial or expensive is used in the making. But the margin pinching from lack of alcohol sales only boosts up food prices, another drawback of chinese diners. Also, the "tapas-on-steroids" model in pretty much all chinese restaurants needs to change. Sharing plates leads to over-ordering and bloating. In the most common scenario of a two-top, you are forced to choose between variety and 'finishability'. It is not a question of culture. No doubt most western families have communal plates that are shared at home. But this practice isn't exported into restaurants as it is in China.

So many issues yet such high turnover? This is what chinese people like. But that will change, as most things do in that part of the world. Sooner though, rather than later, please.