Be thankful for what you have, Character Day campaign urges Hongkongers
Initiative involving more than 170 schools, community organisations and private enterprises looks to promote gratitude after city’s happiness index hit record low
More than 170 schools, community organisations and private enterprises have joined hands to promote the virtue of “gratitude”, in the city’s first Character Day campaign reminding Hongkongers not to pine for what they lack in life but to appreciate and be thankful for what they have.
The citywide initiative celebrating good character, which began on Thursday and runs to October 22, has been launched by Character Day Association Hong Kong.
It aims to raise public awareness of the importance of nurturing the essential qualities that can bring people happiness and dispel negative thinking.
Seven well-known public figures, including MTR Corporation chairman Frederick Ma Si-hang, Chinese University’s vice-chancellor Joseph Sung Jao-yiu, actress Karena Lam and actor Alex Fong, are helping spread the message as Character Day ambassadors.
The campaign comes after Hong Kong’s happiness index tumbled to a record low this March, to 75th place among 156 countries in the United Nations’ global ranking, barely ahead of Somalia and well below Libya.
