Why is Panama so Happy?

I have been living in Panama for 4 years and I have to admit this is by far the happiest country I have ever lived in. The people of Panama have an amazing ability to focus on the joys of life rather than the drudgery.

This last weekend my wife and I decided we were going to join over 40,000 other Panamanians and take part in the Panama Canal Expansion tour. It was an amazing event. The people of Panama are so proud to see their nations pride expanded to almost triple its capacity. People waited in in line for hours to be part of history.

While walking around the new Panama Canal locks people were waving flags, snapping pictures and enjoying the time with their family and countrymen. The greatest part about it was that it was not about war, conquering another civilization or some other awful reason to celebrate but a time of celebration for an infrastructure project which will continue to enrichen Panama.

Panama is continuing to rise on the world stage. Panama just recently hosted the Summit of the Americas which brought all of the countries representatives from North, Central and South America. Even people like Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, President Obama and Billionaire Carlos Slim were here for the summit. The Summit brought millions into the economy and helped promote Panama on the world stage.

The happiness in this country is much different than others I have lived in. The people here still know how to enjoy spending time with family and friends. The tour of the Panama Canal Expansion was just a perfect example. If you have never visited Panama I recommend you do very soon. The country is changing rapidly. I recommend visiting before the innocence disappears.