Bulgarians least happy of all EU member countries

My wife loves Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people. She also likes to talk to taxi drivers when we are in Bulgaria. She says that most of them sound so much alike. Wanda thinks that one of the biggest problems in Bulgaria is the fact that people have such a deep mistrust for each other. So even when someone good comes along, people can't recognize what has come their way. In case you think she's wrong, here is a study the EU commissioned earlier this year.

In fact I've been thinking about this lately. True, the curse in this world affects all of us. Sickness, poverty and violence are so common these days. Sin has affected every faced of human life, in every culture in the world, throughout all known history. The general analysis of the human experience can be summed up by the word struggle. Our life is a struggle against various adverse realities. First of all, the struggle is against sin itself. Sin lies at the door, said God to Cain. YOU must rule over it! Did you hear that? You and I must rule over it. We can't do it in our own power, but we can certainly join our will with God's will and then His power will help us keep the destructive force of sin away from us.

Enough preaching, right?

But look at what God tells Cain before that. "Why has your countenance fallen?" Sounds to me like Cain was unhappy and it was easily visible. Which means that God in a way expected him to look better, happier. In spite of Adam and Eve's mess. In spite of the tragedy of the fall, Abel had found a way to connect with God and therefore connect to hope.

I'm asking those of you who are Christians: tragedies and tough situations aside, are you a happy person? What makes you unhappy?

Wanda thinks that may be if the taxi drivers or people in general in Bulgaria felt like they can actually change some things in this country, they would be happier. And I agree. The reason people feel depressed is because they have no hope. And even when they become Christians, they must develop a mindset of freedom. Not just to have experienced spiritual freedom. But to also develop a mindset of freedom. To a point where being oppressed is no longer natural.

It's time for people here to realize THEY HAVE the responsibility to take advantage of their freedom. To realize they have been given such freedom by law and rise up against the oppressive system in this nation - the mafia, the corrupt government, the corrupt politicians.

Do read the study though, it's pretty interesting.