Why Indians are unhappy lot... yes, we rank lower than Pakistanis

You mean we search for reasons to be unhappy? :) Perhaps... like today I am a bit sad. Dad went out to purchase something for me. I can go, but he wouldn't let me.I felt sad that he is 84 and is going out in heat. And there is Carol's post reminding me of Hatley. I wonder how many years we have together, and would anybody take care of me as he does. May be I am in sensitive phase, and crying. Parents matter... makes me wonder if I have done for him as much as he has done for me. I feel I have not. Enough to be unhappy.

@Michellekidwell This is my feeling.

Yes some people tend to have an unhappy nature, even some in the best of circumstances!

None as corrupt as Indian politicians...none.

@Gospin Don't I agree with that? And corruption is not necessarily directly related to monies. Indirect relation is forgiving those who killed Rajiv Gandhi. That is aimed at vote banks, and once the votes are won, the person who looked the other way reaches a position to siphon away a lot of money from various government contracts, be they defense purchases or otherwise. Are we going to give recognition to such actions as corruption or not?

@vandana7 Mostly politicians are corrupt in India irrespective of party. They do their activities for their vested interest and vote bank.

@garymarsh6 I feel UK is feeling the pinch of the fight over Brexit agreement, and increasing terror threats.

@vandana7 and I saw a news clip on Al Jazeera or BBC and saw how the different parties were mocking each other during a debate on the Brexit deal (or no deal?). The good thing was that they were not hitting each other, or beating with slippers!!

I thought your legal system was whole lot faster than ours.

Most of those things are throughout the world.

@LadyDuck Yes you are correct!

And those are issues that can be addressed, and issues that don't require large capital outlay like some military purchase. Just time, guts, and will to correct the situation.

I am kind of surprised. I find your media far more reliable than ours. And your politicians don't really sway... like ours do.

@vandana7 both the media and politicians play a pretty slick game. The media (both sides) are heavily slanted. The truth is somewhere in between or something altogether different. Politicians are more interested in "what works" than what is right.

@vandana7 Hospitals have a tendency to charge 3X or 4X times when they see a person having a good medical cover.

They say it is same there, but when you think of it, in India it is definitely 10 times longer and with no money, yes, it becomes a stressful project. Education is subsidized, and now healthcare is too. That said, it is the system that needs to be repaired in healthcare. I mean, how is a layperson expected to understand the complex terminologies of their health insurance policy? There should also be segregation of diseases with hospitalization. That would help a lot. Right now, if you are sick for this this this disease, your hospitalization charges are covered. No...it should be if you are hospitalized for over one day your room rent would be covered irrespective of disease. Charge more but cover without the person having to break head to understand what is and what is not covered. Decrease work for the patient in filling up forms, reduce personnel costs for insurance companies. Depute a qualified doctor who can be on roll of many different insurance companies to check whether the procedures are needed, otherwise, the hospital incurs those. Likewise, such doctors should be able to decide whether the patient needed to be at the hospital or should be leaving. That way no botheration of claim rejection. I could go on. But serious structural changes are needed. People should be able to gift hospital room charges, which can be inherited, and carry interest at the rate of bank interest. Yeah...that would certainly stop wasteful expenses.

That can happen only when male child is also looked at a liability. If female child is a burden in terms of dowry and non return fetching investment, then male child should also be looked at as a risky proposition, when parents lose part of their earnings and inheritance, and the male child as well as his wife loses all their wealth if there is a rape in which he was found guilty. Once such thing happens, male child will be treated on par with the girl and dowry demands will start diminishing rapidly since risk exists at both ends. Government should dare to bring in such laws.

Very much so. Though the richer are more accommodating if the other person is rich too. LOL. It is the middle class and lower middle class that is well into "below the prestige of the family" thing. Honor killings do happen. But there is also the reason for it all. You see, customs differ from one caste to another. Adjusting is not in everybody's nature, and parents do fear whether their girl will be able to adjust to another community. Or be ridiculed for her customs. Lots to do.

@Shiva49 yes weather reporting in India is much better now! But Politics is so sinister, evilish and venomous now !

@Shiva49 Yes politics and media are not what they should have been like.