September 20, 2025

In 2009, a book was published by Eric Weiner called "The Geography Of Bliss." Throughout the book, Eric travels around the world, in search of the happiest place, with the happiest people. His goal is to uncover their secret. One of Eric's early findings takes him to Switzerland, where he's told "It's simple. Nature. We Swiss have a very deep connection to nature." As Eric explores the country, he notes that the Swiss people "no matter how cosmopolitan and seemingly removed from his natural surroundings, never loses his love of the land. Every billionaire in Switzerland sees themselves as a mountaineer at heart." Eric goes as far to say that the Swiss do not identify as Swiss until they leave Switzerland. Until then, they are Zurichers, or Genevans. In the U.S, we ask "what do you do?" in Switzerland, it is "where are you from?" Interestingly, the word homesickness even derived from the Swiss. "Heimweh" or "Home-pain" to describe that troublesome feeling of dislocation. Eric eventually peaks a mountain, and at 12,763ft, he notices a sense of calm within himself. Peace. Eric explores this sensation more, giving credit to naturalist E.O Wilson who named this warm, fuzzy, feeling biophilia. Biophilia is the innate and instinctive affinity humans have for other living organisms and nature. It represents the emotional connection and the sense of well-being derived from being in nature. (E.O. Wilson.) Wilson's hypothesis on biophilia explains that the peaceful feeling of being in nature is simply in our genes. Humans evolved in nature, and so their nervous systems reset the quickest, most naturally, when outside. I've held on to this little idea over the last few months while figuring myself out a bit here in Yellowstone. I find it comforting. The lack of noise, of commotion, eventually leads Eric to question the practice of boredom around Switzerland. An interesting quote I pulled from this section of the chapter read "Maybe happiness is this: not feeling like you should be elsewhere, doing something else, being someone else. Maybe the current conditions in Switzerland...make it simply easy to 'be' and therefore 'be happy.' This coincides with my own personal ideas around boredom as a necessity to a creative, and contented existence. All in all, a lot of Erics findings came back to the "stop and smell the roses" philosophy. Perhaps happiness is not a manic high, an intense passion for each and every day, but rather a state of calmness, of contentment. And this sort of presentness, slowness, is most accessible in a place like Switzerland. Eric closes the chapter with a made up word- conjoyment. Less than joy, but more than contentment. "There is a frenetic nature to our joy, a whiff of panic; we're afraid the moment when our joy is more solidly grounded. I am not speaking of a transcendental moment, of bliss, but something less, something Swiss." I liked this. "People of the mountains see the sun rise and set as a golden fireball, full of life and energy, while flatlanders know only a tired and drunk sun." - Giovanni Segantini