“What makes you happy?”
This question was posed by Markchipelago—a man living in Bangkok, Thailand—on his Facebook page, after he witnessed a soul-stirring scene unfold in front of his very eyes at Bangkok BTS On Nut train station.
On a gloomy Thursday evening, Markchipelago was on his way to attend a weekly gathering with his friends.
When he alighted at BTS On Nut station to get some groceries, a man with a disability caught his attention.
The disabled man was sitting on the floor of the footbridge with his son, begging for change.
Though the father and son were visibly destitute, they still smiled and enjoyed their time together.
Joy crept onto the father’s face as he looked at his son, who was grinning from ear to ear.
At one point, the down-and-out father hugged his son like he was the greatest treasure!
“I saw that they were very happy together. They look at each other with love, regardless of how much they have or the situation they are in,” Markchipelago recalled.
Moved by what he saw, Markchipelago stopped to snap photos of the priceless moment, which he thought “it only happens in Thai commercials.”
“It was a lovely scene that wiped every negative thought in my head that day,” he wrote.
The disabled father taught Markchipelago something about happiness. He learned that “happiness is not just a feeling, it’s a decision you make for yourself and for the people you love.”
“We should not let our current situation dictate the terms, let’s choose to love and to be happy,” Markchipelago opined. “Tag and Hug your Dad, he needs that!”
“No wonder the country is known as the Land of Smiles,” he added.
Along with the story, Markchipelago also shared his photos of the disabled man and his son enjoying each other’s company.
As one would expect, Markchipelago’s post spread far and wide, receiving over 56,000 reactions, tugging at the heartstrings of many social media users.
“This is priceless. You can feel the love and sincerity that they have for each other,” one user wrote.
One commented, “Some people almost had nothing, still they found happiness. Some people almost had everything, still they can’t find happiness.”
“Very powerful photo. It teaches us to be happy in every single moment and in very simplest way,” another chimed in.
Another wrote, “Being contented for what you have is simply amazing it gives us more love & true happiness in life.”
The disabled man and his son don’t have many material things, but they have love.
Sometimes, it’s not material possessions but the simplest things in life that make us happy. We can choose to be happy by appreciating these little, positive moments, such as a smile, laughter, or a hug.
He wrote: “I was so surprised to see them by the escalator today. I got to talk to the dad “Khun Toon” and showed them your responses and how many of you guys were encouraged by their happiness.”
He further mentioned that the father-son duo were happy “to know that they made a difference in this world full of hate.”
Markchipelago also updated followers that he had taken their personal details and would write an article to the authorities or some non-profit organization to help them.
Don’t forget, practicing gratitude makes us happier, just as American philosopher William James stated, “The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.”
