A Joyful Springfield
(DTO) Spring returns! Amidst the aroma of fragrant tea, the vibrant bloom of spring flowers, and the warmth of the spring sun, let us quiet our hearts and reflect on the essence of happiness.
In wartime, when a young village man met the height and weight requirements to join the army, he achieved his wish and beamed with joy. In peacetime, a farmer leaves behind his pair of buffalo and now sits at the wheel of a tractor, his heart filled with happiness.
A young wife, after enduring the pains of childbirth, looks at her firstborn who resembles the father, and her smile is one of pure happiness. A student studies hard all year. When awarded a certificate of merit, he proudly brings it home to show his parents, and the whole family rejoices in happiness.
So, what is happiness, and where does it come from? It’s just a simple word, yet it contains countless definitions and millions of different moments, all sharing one thing in common: happiness is the result of effort and striving.
And so, happiness does not come in a fixed form. It has no shape, no weight, no size, no set duration. It cannot be held or measured. It is something we perceive through life itself.
To put it simply, happiness is what people long for as they overcome hardships and rise up, for there is no final destination.
When his daughter asked, “What is happiness?” Karl Marx answered: “Happiness is struggle.” From that, we see that everything in life has two sides: gain - loss, good - bad, old - new, progress - stagnation, etc.
These opposing sides are in constant conflict, which is fierce and unending. When the progressive overcomes the outdated, new contradictions arise again.
Thus, society is always propelled forward through this struggle between opposites. Struggle is the driving force of progress and happiness. Communists have always viewed happiness as the struggle to bring justice and well-being to the people.
President Ho Chi Minh dedicated his life to bringing happiness to the Vietnamese people and to humanity. Upon establishing the new government, he proclaimed the nation’s guiding words: “The Democratic Republic of Vietnam - Independence - Freedom - Happiness.”
Though the enemy was a hundred times stronger, for the sake of Independence, Freedom, and Happiness, President Ho Chi Minh and our Party led the entire nation in resistance, determined to defend the Independence, Freedom, and Happiness we had won.
Through thirty long, painful years of war marked by tears and blood, we safeguarded our Independence and Freedom.
After fifty years of nation-building and defense, our Independence has grown ever more secure, and our people’s Freedom has become ever greater. The country has transformed, stepping into a new era of development, prosperity, modernity, and civilization.
Today, the Party places emphasis on the word Happiness, striving to make our peaceful nation even more peaceful, our people even more joyful, our society even more progressive, and our prosperity even stronger.
As spring is eternal, the happiness of our people also grows without limit as we advance.
By NGUYEN DAC HIEN
Translated by ANH DUC
