Share a smile this International Happiness Day
Since 2013, the International Day of Happiness has been observed annually on 20 March. Why not spread smiles on its sixth anniversary, today?
Brought forward at the 118th plenary meeting on June 28, 2012, The International Day of Happiness Resolution 66/281 was the result of the effort of United Nations adviser Jayme Illien, who conceptualised the idea for a UN Resolution that would recognise the pursuit of happiness as a human right and a “fundamental human goal.”
Thirty-two years before the conceptualisation of the International Day of Happiness, Illien was an orphan rescued from the streets of Calcutta, India by Mother Teresa’s International Mission of Hope charities.
He was later adopted by a then 45-year-old single white American woman named Anna Belle Illien.
After agreeing to adopt Jayme, Anna Belle Illien founded Illien Adoptions International Inc., a non-profit child social welfare and international adoption agency based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
The day has celebrated many themes over its years, this year adopting the #TENBILLIONHAPPY theme.
The theme of the #TENBILLIONHAPPY day is based on the prediction that in 2050, the world’s population will have reached 10 billion people.
The day is one celebrated by many a high-profile individual, in particular Pharrell Williams who, during a speech at the United Nations stated that “Happiness is your birthright”.
In 2013, the then Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon, said “The pursuit of happiness lies at the core of human endeavours.”
Overall, nobody wants to meet a Grinch or a Sulky Sally, so on The International Day of Happiness, try spreading some cheer and joyous feelings.
If you’re not really feeling it today, get yourself happy and in the right mood because tomorrow is a public holiday, by taking a listen to Pharrell Williams’ ‘Happy’ right here:
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