Shropshire Star comment: We should be cheerful living here
John Lennon famously said life is what happens to us while we’re busy making other plans.
And perhaps happiness is just as fleeting, just as ephemeral.
Certainly, the people who attempt to track happiness by asking questions in surveys might not get a true measure of that most elusive of emotions.
Nonetheless, every 12 months the Office for National Statistics tries to find out whether or not we’re happy.
People are asked to rate their wellbeing on a scale of 0-10, indicating whether they are miserable or content.
In Telford & Wrekin, the good news is locals feel brighter and more optimistic than they did a year ago. The figures for happiness are on the rise as people have a greater sense of joy.
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That is not the case in the rest of Shropshire and Mid Wales, however, where people are feeling slightly more glum than they were a year ago.
There are lies, damned lies and statistics – and interpreting the figures is no easy task.
Were the people of Telford so fed up with life that it only took a summer of sunshine to make them feel happier than they were a year hence? And were people of Shropshire and Mid Wales so blissed and tranquil a few days of rain turned their mood ever-so-slightly grey?
Similarly, can we be sure people quizzed really told the truth in the survey or did they just give answers, telling those asking questions what they wanted to hear, so that they could get on with more important things like watching TV, making coffee and planting daffodil bulbs to cheer themselves up come spring?
It is difficult to say and perhaps the only sensible conclusion to take away is we ought to take such surveys with a pinch of salt.
Nonetheless, it is easy to observe the people of Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire and Mid Wales have many reasons to be cheerful. Those fortunate enough to live in our region ought to be generally happier than those living in other parts of the country. Standards of life are generally high, fear of crime is generally low, opportunities are generally good and the region itself is one of the most beautiful in Europe.
We have stunning countryside, fantastic architecture, sensational food, brilliant sports and culture, strong businesses and more besides.
Perhaps those people who are less happy this year should get out and enjoy our incredible surroundings.
