Dr. Le Tham Duong debates with Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh: Is poverty happiness?

Dr. Le Tham Duong debates 'fiercely' about happiness

Why are rich people unhappy?

Right at the beginning of the debate, Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh expressed his confusion when the “label” of happiness was used more and more, from “Happy School” to “Happy Nation”. Although this is not an unfamiliar concept, the increasing frequency of its appearance made Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh wonder about the true meaning of the two words “happiness”.

Faced with that issue, Dr. Le Tham Duong affirmed: "The essence of happiness is giving." However, immediately, Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh asked a difficult question: "If you have nothing, how can you give?".

To answer this question, Dr. Le Tham Duong explains the seemingly paradoxical proposition that “the poorest people in this society are still happy”. Because what they give is love. On the other hand, rich people are not necessarily happy. “The thought that having money will bring happiness is very difficult”, Dr. Le Tham Duong emphasizes.

Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh and Dr. Le Tham Duong in the debate

To reinforce the argument that money does not bring happiness, Dr. Le Tham Duong gave an example of the criteria for assessing the happiness index of each country set by the World Happiness Report (WHR). Accordingly, ¼ of the measurement is related to material aspects, the rest is related to the spirit.

Discussing the question “What is happiness?”, Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh offers another understanding: “Now take what you have minus what you want, if the number is positive then you are happy”. However, he is also concerned that setting your expectations too low will eliminate your ability to develop yourself.

Agreeing with that point of view, Dr. Le Tham Duong said: "The most difficult thing lies in the problem of what your goal is."

“After all, motivation is the main axis to push people to work throughout their lives. To achieve that, people must have goals, or in other words, aspirations, dreams that people can achieve,” said Dr. Le Tham Duong. Goals can be very specific, each person is different, but in the end, they must bring happiness.

He divides goals into two types: instrumental goals and ultimate goals. In which, the destination of life must be the ultimate goal. Dr. Le Tham Duong gives an example: "You set the goal of having money and power, that is not wrong. However, if you carry money on your head and only serve yourself, you will never be happy."

From there, he told the younger generation: "Young people, first of all, must be human, must work and become citizens. With these three tools, you will have money, status and fame. If you use those things to contribute to humanity, your life will certainly be 'cast into a statue'."

Happiness and career of young people

Discussing happiness, Dr. Le Tham Duong divides this category into 4 groups: health happiness, family happiness, community happiness and career happiness. Speaking specifically about relationships, from family, friends to society, Dr. Le Tham Duong believes that to achieve happiness, it is necessary to accept differences.

“Married life will inevitably have conflicts between two personalities and two family traditions. However, it is necessary to recognize that conflicts are the driving force for development. The most important thing is attitude and how we deal with those differences. Therefore, the first step to happiness is awareness. Young people should not expect to be happy right away."

Referring to the happiness of young people, Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh pointed out that the number of young people suffering from depression is constantly increasing. Accordingly, the fast pace of life and pressure from work are among the causes of this disease. From there, he asked the question: "So how can young people find happiness in their careers?"

Dr. Duong analyzed the structure of career happiness, including: ambition and mission. Young people often get stuck at the first step of finding their dreams. He pointed out: “Ambition can only be achieved when you know how to work smart instead of hard. To have career happiness, you have to act and set your own goals.”

Dr. Le Tham Duong flatly rejected the view: “If you have a dream, you have to dream big.” That is also the mistake of many young people today. He believes that young people should set very specific and low goals, such as learning something new, and then achieving it at all costs. Only then will the will be nurtured. In a marathon, we should think about surpassing the person in front, not just focusing on surpassing the first person.”

Professor Truong Nguyen Thanh and Dr. Le Tham Duong in the debate

In the VUCA era (volatile - uncertain - complex - ambiguous), to achieve a long-term vision, people not only set short-term goals but also control their lives with scenarios. Therefore, Dr. Le Tham Duong's advice for young people is to prepare specific goals for each scenario of life.

Thanh Nien Newspaper's Podcast program "Dialogue with Truong Nguyen Thanh" will continue with other interesting debates in the following episodes.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/ts-le-tham-duong-tranh-luan-voi-gs-truong-nguyen-thanh-ngheo-co-hanh-phuc-185231016164518973.htm