During the last years of his life, whenever I asked my father how he was feeling, he would say, “not great." He would quickly add, though, that was “better than the alternative.”
Sometimes I think that’s what passes for optimism in West Virginia. A rough-and-tumble existence in the Mountain State is a constant reminder that things could always be worse.
So when the Gallup Healthways Well-Being Index released its annual report showing that West Virginia ranks at the bottom, we should not have been surprised.
Lead researcher Dan Witters used a 55-question phone survey to find out about the emotional and physical health, job satisfaction and overall well-being of Americans. West Virginia came in 50th, behind Kentucky. Hawaii was first.
“We just have people think of a ladder with ten rungs, and the top rung is your best possible life and the bottom rung is your worst possible life and we ask them where they place themselves on that ladder,” Witters explains.
And many West Virginians consistently see themselves at or near the bottom rung with little chance of moving up.
I can imagine my late father being posed that question. I think he would have responded that he was just happy that he had a decent ladder.
The survey also confirmed what we already know; we smoke too much, eat the wrong foods, don’t see the doctor or the dentist as often as we should and, as a result, have more chronic health problems. It’s tough to be optimistic about the future when you don’t feel well.
MSNBC reported the findings this way: “West Virginia residents feel the most miserable in the country. It appears that they have many reasons to feel this way.”
Ouch.
But I don’t believe we’re as gloomy as the survey indicates.
Don’t forget that West Virginia is a deeply religious state, and that discourages us from boasting about our station in life. The Bible is filled with lessons about humility. Consider what Matthew says: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
For many of us, our optimism is about the hereafter, not the here and now.
The Well-Being survey also produced this little-noticed gem: West Virginia ranks in the top 20 on how we treat each other. Generally speaking, we’re pretty friendly folks who treat each other with respect.
Or, as I like to characterize it, West Virginia might be the best place in America to break down along the highway. We’re usually pretty good neighbors. Somebody always has a set of jumper cables.
Yes, I wish we were healthier and, I guess, happier, but happiness is overrated. Much of West Virginia identifies more with the Appalachian culture where joy is often a luxury.
But I don’t think that necessarily makes us miserable. Tough? Hopefully. Humble? Usually. A little fatalistic? Probably. Helpful? Yes, always.
We may, indeed, frequently see ourselves on the bottom rung of life’s ladder, but we’ll be happy to loan that ladder to you and help with whatever you need it for.