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A big welcome to happiness Arun, and thank you for sharing a bit about yourself 🙂 It sounds like you are already embarking on a journey of self development, which is great! The fact that the article resonated with you and you too action by signing up is already a big step 🪴 A good way of making connections in our community is to be active in the forum. Feel free to start new topics if you have other things to share or questions to ask, and definitely chime in and give your advice or thoughts on any topic you see that you find interesting. We are still a fairly small community, but this is a safe and friendly space to be your authentic self! ✨

Welcome to our community 🌻 We're happy you found us and hope you find it a useful place on your journey 🌊 What are you studying there?

Hey hey. I’m Maremeni Madzhadzhi Magdaline from Limpopo, South Africa but currently studies in Gauteng province.

Yes - At least for a while. When I moved to a new town, I didn't know anyone. I shared an appartment with other people and I had colleagues at work, but we didn't to anything after work. So I would say, it is possible but life can be better with friends. I think it is better to have no friend at all than having a wrong friend, who you don't really like. But many things in life work with a community and with teamwork. And if you have friends, you are more familiar with the way, social interactions work. Also friends can help you if you want to move to a new appartment, or other things, which are hard to do alone. Friends can also help you keeping up self-reflection because they will tell you if you do something wrong.

Key facts Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice has no health benefits for girls and women. FGM can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. More than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where FGM is practiced(1). FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15. FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women. There is evidence suggesting greater involvement of health care providers in the practice. This is known as medicalization. The World Health Organization (WHO) is opposed to all types of FGM, and is opposed to health care providers performing FGM. Treatment of the health complications of FGM in 27 high prevalence countries is estimated to cost 1.4 billion USD per year and is projected to rise to 2.3 billion USD by 2047 if no action is taken . Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice is mostly carried out by traditional practitioners. In several settings, there is evidence suggesting greater involvement of health care providers in performing FGM due to the belief that the procedure is safer when medicalized. WHO strongly urges health care providers not to perform FGM. FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against girls and women. It is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children. The practice also violates a person's rights to health, security and physical integrity; the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and the right to life, in instances when the procedure results in death. Types of FGM Female genital mutilation is classified into 4 major types: Type 1: this is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans (the external and visible part of the clitoris, which is a sensitive part of the female genitals), and/or the prepuce/ clitoral hood (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoral glans). Type 2: this is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora (the inner folds of the vulva), with or without removal of the labia majora (the outer folds of skin of the vulva). Type 3: Also known as infibulation, this is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora, sometimes through stitching, with or without removal of the clitoral prepuce/clitoral hood and glans. Type 4: This includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g. pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area. No health benefits, only harm FGM has no health benefits, and it harms girls and women in many ways. It involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, and interferes with the natural functions of girls' and women's bodies. Although all forms of FGM are associated with increased risk of health complications, the risk is greater with more severe forms of FGM. Immediate complications of FGM can include: severe pain excessive bleeding (haemorrhage) genital tissue swelling fever infections e.g., tetanus urinary problems wound healing problems injury to surrounding genital tissue shock death. Long-term complications can include: urinary problems (painful urination, urinary tract infections); vaginal problems (discharge, itching, bacterial vaginosis and other infections); menstrual problems (painful menstruations, difficulty in passing menstrual blood, etc.); scar tissue and keloid; sexual problems (pain during intercourse, decreased satisfaction, etc.); increased risk of childbirth complications (difficult delivery, excessive bleeding, caesarean section, need to resuscitate the baby, etc.) and newborn deaths; need for later surgeries: for example, the sealing or narrowing of the vaginal opening (Type 3) may lead to the practice of cutting open the sealed vagina later to allow for sexual intercourse and childbirth (deinfibulation2). Sometimes genital tissue is stitched again several times, including after childbirth, hence the woman goes through repeated opening and closing procedures, further increasing both immediate and long-term risks; psychological problems (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem, etc.); Who is at risk? FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and adolescence, and occasionally on adult women. According to available data from 30 countries where FGM is practiced in the Western, Eastern, and North-Eastern regions of Africa, and some countries in the Middle East and Asia, more than 200 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to the practice with more than 3 million girls estimated to be at risk of FGM annually. FGM is therefore of global concern. Cultural and social factors for performing FGM The reasons why FGM is performed vary from one region to another as well as over time, and include a mix of sociocultural factors within families and communities. Where FGM is a social convention (social norm), the social pressure to conform to what others do and have been doing, as well as the need to be accepted socially and the fear of being rejected by the community, are strong motivations to perpetuate the practice. FGM is often considered a necessary part of raising a girl, and a way to prepare her for adulthood and marriage. FGM is often motivated by beliefs about what is considered acceptable sexual behaviour. It aims to ensure premarital virginity and marital fidelity. Where it is believed that FGM increases marriageability, it is more likely to be carried out. FGM is associated with cultural ideals of femininity and modesty, which include the notion that girls are clean and beautiful after removal of body parts that are considered unclean, unfeminine or male. Some people believe that the practice has religious support, although no religious scripts prescribe the practice. Religious leaders take varying positions with regard to FGM: some promote it, some consider it irrelevant to religion, and others contribute to its elimination. Local structures of power and authority, such as community leaders, religious leaders, circumcisers, and even some medical personnel can contribute to upholding the practice. Likewise, when informed, they can be effective advocates for abandonment of FGM.

As part of the community team, for this particular case I can say the easiest to spot scammers are black men creating profiles as white overly sexy woman. People could also use their own pictures contacting others with the intention of scamming them. We can't look into people's hearts. There's enormous damage done, because essentially I need to mistrust everyone to keep me safe and that's from what I see in the world the root-cause of all evil. What I am wondering is why there is the need to scam so blatantly if this whole project is about helping each other. I am suggesting a different business model. Be yourself, be honest, be vulnerable. Make real friends and ask for help if you need it. You might only be able to scam a person once and then you are damaged goods in terms of trust. Be a good friend yourself and your friends will help you again and again.

Welcome to happiness! We hope you will find our community useful on your journey 🌈 Why don't you tell everyone something about yourself?

Hey, a warm welcome to our community

There are a few moments in life, which change everything. Some hurt and strengthen us at the same time. Some influence our decisions and make us overthink our opinion. And some give us hope after a phase of hopelessness. Feel free to share your key moments with the community. When I was younger, our teacher in school was asking for our future plans/wishes. I wanted to earn a lot of money and live in luxury, because why not? I wanted a very successful career, just like my dad's or an even more successful one. A few years later my father barely survived a heart attack caused by stress and I reconsidered my plan. I still became an engineer, but I don't try to earn tons of money at all costs, because money is worthless if you dont have the time to spend it. And it is worthless if you have to trade it for family time. So maybe I will be more successful than my dad - not financially, but in terms of happiness.

Recently happiness.com gets flooded with scammers. I guess that's somewhat normal for a community, and maybe it means that we are growing, but I also feel really sad, disappointed, and at times mad about this development. Perhaps we are naive to think we can create a safe space anywhere for people to be themselves, create a supportive community, and relax. Maybe the lesson here is never to let our guard down, never to trust, and never to help anyone because it might be a scam. But this is not the world I want to live in. I want to actively work towards a world where people can trust each other, look out for each other, and support each other selflessly. You scammers are actively making this a whole lot harder, and it sucks! I am actively engaged in educating myself regarding racist stereotypes and demolishing white supremacy and heteronormative patriarchy. As a member of the community managers, I see the fake check images. So please explain why 99% of all "in your face sexy" white woman accounts and "older white men looking for real love after a successful life" accounts are run by black men mainly from Nigeria and Ghana? What does it tell about this world and our (internalized) racist, sexist, classist, colonialist, and what-not-ist stereotypes and how does it reinforce them? Maybe try to "trick" someone else into loving you for being this nice guy from Nigeria? Why invest time into pretending that you are a "random pornstar picture from the internet" lady when you could be YOU? It might even be faster. And I bet it's a lot easier to be yourself. I apologize to the people from Nigeria for this generalized thought upfront. I am aware that it's of cause, not all Nigerians. I don't want to be left with only one learning "If the person is from Nigeria, be careful it's likely that they want to rip you off." I don't want the name Nigeria ring an alarm bell in my mind. Do you see the damaging nature of those scammer interactions? I want to learn about Nigeria and the Nigerian people, the many different tribes and languages, about culture, food, traditions, and values instead. I want to be respectful, humble, open, amazed and appreciative, not mistrusting and expecting the worst. Try honesty - it's easier and more sustainable. It doesn't hurt your soul, spirit, your character - whatever you call it. You are beautiful and worthy the way you are! Thank you.

I would like to say thank you guys joined today and I’m forever grateful to be in this community

I nominate @findingmyzen_22 for sharing so much insight and great advice here in the forum! Thank you for always being so supportive and helpful to the whole community 🤗

A big welcome to happiness 🌈 Thank you for opening up, and I hope you find our community helpful in your personal development and on your spiritual journey 💫

The happiness 💚CORE team consists of people who support this project in many different ways according to their interests and abilities. This thread is a place where we want to make space for the appreciation of those people. Did someone help you in a kind and unexpected way? Please give them a little shout-out here. Let the community know about the small and big kind deeds which happen each day and acknowledge the often unseen effort which makes this project possible. (If you want to learn more about the happiness HeartCORE team, read our magazine post.)

Everyone is allowed to have bad days, and I'm sorry you don't really feel like you can 💚 It's so important to look after yourself and acknowledge a bad day for what it is. Know that it will pass and that you will feel better, and in the meantime prioritise yourself and your needs 🌻 I hope our community can be that safe space where you can express your feelings without judgement, and feel supported and heard 🌊

Welcome to happiness and thank you so much for sharing 💫 I hope our community can be helpful on your self improvement journey and that you keep sharing any ups and downs. I'm sure lots of other members can relate and give great advice 😊 I found this article about kundalini meditation, maybe you'll find it interesting!

Welcome to happiness, we're glad you found our site! Thank you for sharing, I hope you find our community helpful for your spiritual growth 🌈

I am not sure where we should turn or have a concrete solution to offer but I know one thing for sure: We can't turn away. We can't turn away from our own problems or the challenges in the world. They'll persist even if we look the other way. We need to open our eyes, minds and hearts to the pain, to the people suffering (including ourselves). Only if we see clearly can we look for concrete ways to ease the pain to solve the problems. We don't have to solve it all, we don't have to have all the answers and above all we don't have to do it alone, we can take a pause and then again pick a small manageable piece to work on. On step at a time, one deed at a time, one conversation at a time, one shared moment of silence of human connection at a time. Looking at my own path I draw on the power of community in many ways. The conversations here touch me and open my eyes to different aspects and ideas, I am also part of a Sangha - a meditation group where I can recharge and feel what is hard to feel among other people, where I experience acceptance and belonging. And this strengthens me to continue and expand my social engagements. @waihong This is only answering to a part of what you wrote as you touched on so many equally important points. Can you tell me more about the pure land? I am not sure if I understand it correctly.

@Lakeswimmer47 we're happy to have you and hope you find our community helpful 😊

A warm welcome to happiness 🌈 I hope you find our community helpful on your journey and wish you a wonderful day! I found a bunch articles in our Magazine that could be useful in terms of self acceptance and self love 🙏

Welcome to happiness, we're glad you found our community 🪴

Happiness is an elusive bird, they say..the more one tries to capture her the farther away she flies. I have often found her in the least probable places; in the rays of the rising sun, in the purring of my pet, even in great food cooked with a lot of love & in finding this wonderful app & it's lovely community. What is Your idea of happiness? :)

Welcome to happiness 🌻 We're glad you found our community 😊

Hi, and a big welcome to happiness 🌻 That is exactly what we want our community to be like, sharing experiences and knowledge to connect with and support others. Thank you! 🙏

good day to all! thank you for giving a change to be here in this community. a new thing to be thankful... how about you? What new things you have to be thankful for?