Month: March 2007

[09/03/07] News Bytes From Tunisia

A round-up of some of the interesting news coming out of Tunisia these days…

The 2007 Davos World Economic Forum Report ranks Tunisia first in Africa, second in the Arab World after Dubai, and 34th in the world in terms of tourist and travel competitiveness. The report is based on three main criteria: business environment, human and natural resources and the quality of political reforms undertaken.

According to figures released February 23rd by the National Office for the Family and Population, the percentage of Tunisians over the age of 60 reached 9% last year, and it is expected to reach nearly 29% by 2050. The percentage of people over 80 will reach 40% by 2050. At no more than 1.8%, the population growth rate in Tunisia is considered the lowest in the Arab world and is comparable with that found in European countries.
These figures will have an important impact on ensuring the necessary workforce during the next decade, as well as on the social security funds and retirement systems. The three solutions suggested up to now are: reducing pensions, raising fund entry prices and extending the retirement age to 65 instead of 60.

Tunisia’s key olive oil exports jumped by 53 per cent to 167,700 tonnes last year. The value of Tunisia’s olive oil exports surged to 828.9 million dinars ($643 million) last year from 476.7 million in 2005 as a drop in output from top producer Spain underpinned prices. Tunisia’s domestic olive crop grew to 220,000 tonnes from 130,000 tonnes in 2005, and a crop of 170,000 tonnes is expected this year.

A book recently released retraces the history of Tunisian cinema over the past forty years.

What Is Happiness?

Throughout the history of mankind, one of the main objectives of the human race, if not the core one behind every other objective, has been to attain happiness.
In fact, Aristotle stated that happiness is the only thing that humans desire for its own sake. He observed that men sought riches not for the sake of being rich, but to be happy. Those who sought fame desired it not to be famous, but because they believed fame would bring them happiness.

But what is happiness?

The dictionary says happiness is:
1. joy, the emotion of being happy.
2. Good luck; good fortune; prosperity.
3. An agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind; the possession of those circumstances or that state of being which is attended enjoyment; the state of being happy; contentment; joyful satisfaction; felicity; blessedness.

But what is it that makes us happy?

Some of the states associated with happiness include success, delight, health, safety, contentment, wealth, fame and love.
But still, being wealthy, healthy, loved, safe or the whole lot together doesn’t guarantee a person to be happy.

Happiness, I think, is unquantifiable and undefinable, because we don’t know what will really make us happy; we do things to reach certain goals in an attempt to gain happiness, but it’s not always the case, and we often find ourselves reaching goals that do nothing for us.

On the other hand, some things as small as a child’s smile, a word from the heart, a passing thought, a nod of appreciation, a moment for yourself can make you feel happy.

Happiness is complicated and simple at the same time, depending on how a person looks at life, I guess.

“How simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea… All that is required to feel that here and now is happiness is a simple, frugal heart.”

— Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

It’s also impossible to define happiness because it’s different for every single person.

Happiness to me is being with my wife and son, a fruitful fulfilling day at work, knowing that my close family are doing well, coming up with a new cool idea, reading a good book, taking a dip in a beautiful cold clear-watered sea, being able to indulge in one of my favourite pass-times, treating myself or my small family to some the things we want… and the list goes on… and to me, happiness obviously lies in the small details and things of life.

What is happiness to you?

Career Advice: Look Ahead

A friend came to me the other day for some career advice regarding moving to a new job, and I found myself repeating a piece of advice I’ve given some other friends and colleagues before.
I thought I’d share this piece of advice here, maybe it’ll come in handy for someone someday.

The idea is as follows, whenever you’re considering moving to a new job, don’t think about that next job, think about the job after it: consider what the different options you have for your next job will do to enable you to get to the job after it, and then choose.

A person should try and work out a basic outline for his ideal career life, with different points along that line marking the different positions he’ll have to go through to get to his goal.

At every point on that line, when he’s thinking about moving to another point, he should look ahead and see if the point he’s moving to will help build him up for the point after it.

Of course the world doesn’t always throw the best options at us, and that’s why we have to think this way and choose what’s best for our careers, even if it means not moving to a new job, and if that is not an option, then we have to choose the job that can best be an intermediary point along the line, that will give us some of the skills and experience we’ll need in the future.

In short, whenever someone is about to take a step forward in his professional life, he has to try and look ahead as far as possible to know where he wants to get to, and then take the necessary steps to get there.