I'm A People Watcher

One of my favorite pastimes is to sit in a café on a busy street and people watch. I don't actually learn anything from this, but I do get an idea about whether people are happy, stressed, relaxed, or sad. On my recent Baltic Cruise in August I did some serious people watching in just about every port we visited. Here are some of my observations. Danes, Finns and Swedes are generally happy people. As you watch these people bicycle around the city, possibly with a child on the back, they all have smiles on their faces. The general population (at least in the big cities)in Scandinavian countries are physically fit. Their attitude toward work differs from Americans. Their goal is earn a good living, enough to give them free time to spend with their families. Americans, on the other hand, work to buy a bigger house, a more expensive car and fancier clothes. Everyone in Scandinivia makes a living wage. American waitresses make approximately $20,000 per year whereas a Swedish waitress makes around $48,000. No wonder they're so happy. They work a 37 hour week, have 6 weeks vacation each year, get a free education all the way through college (if they qualify) and have a great medical system. That's a lot to smile about. In contrast, the Russians that we saw were entirely different. For the most part, they looked solemn and unsmiling. They are not interacting with their friends in the same way the Scandinavians were. They have a look on their face that tells me they've had a hard life. We were in St. Petersburg, one of the most affluent cities in Russia, yet we saw few people on the streets, very few cafes and restaurants or bars. Because of their difficult economy, I did not see many Russians stylishly dressed. I know the major cities have expensive retail stores, but we did not see them. Our tour guide (masters degree in some form of biology) had lived in New York for 15 years with his American wife, and felt that Putin has moved the country in the wrong direction. Education, which used to be one of the best in the world, has declined dramatically. Unemployment, although not too high in major cities, is extremely high in rural areas, and there is no help for these people from the government. They don't have a lot to be happy about, and it shows on their faces. One thing I found out about people in all the Scandinavian countries, is that anyone with a good job probably has a summer home on one of the many islands. Except for the weather, they have an excellent quality of life, and live long lives, in part due to their happiness. This is a big factor in longevity. Closer to home, I will often go to Starbucks or another coffee house by myself, possibly with a book, and sit and read and people watch. I find a happy group of men and women in San Diego, many chatting with friends. Others are busy working on their computers or texting. The latter seems to be the major pastime of Americans, young and old, these days. People watching is something that you can do anytime, anywhere. Try it if you don't already do it.