Richness and Glory: How to be Happy - Essay Example

?Richness and Glory Most people will instantaneously agree with the opinion of Deng Xiaoping that getting rich is glorious. However, a closer observation will reveal the fact that though getting rich helps solve a number of problems that poor people confront with, it will also give birth to new issues, thus making no difference in total. The first and foremost benefit is seen in the field of health as it is evident from the data on life expectancy. The life expectancy of an average American rose from 65 years to 83 years in about thirty years’ time since 1968. In addition, infant mortality rate has fallen from 2% to 1% in the same period. In addition, many mass-killing preventive diseases have disappeared or are substantially reduced through good healthcare facilities attributed to economic growth. At this juncture, it becomes necessary to compare this data with that of a poor nation. As per records, the average life expectancy in Afghanistan in the year 1998 is 46.8 years, and that of Malawi is 36.6 (Rosenberg, n.d.). From these factors, the advantages of having wealth are clear. Yet another point is that economic growth results in more employment opportunities as the ones with wealth invest their money in business resulting in more job opportunities. To illustrate, in Britain, the number of working people rose from 2.53 million to near about 29 million in thirteen year’s time from 1993. It is an undeniable fact that this rise in employment opportunities will further alleviate poverty in the country and will add further momentum to the economic growth. It is an accepted fact that the ones in developed nations are leading a life that people from the poor world cannot even dream of; computers, televisions, innumerous other electronic gadgets adding great levels of comforts to every sphere of their lives including health, work, food, entertainment and travel. As Seitz (2002, p. 9) comments, it seems ironic that while people in developed world started preserving the umbilical cord to ensure a safe and secure life to their offspring, mothers in the underdeveloped world see the premature death of their child very often and are learning not to cry on such losses. Shlaes (2002) goes further arguing that inequality of the US society has benefitted not only the nation but also its dependants in many ways. Now, have we got enough material to reach the conclusion that Deng Xiaoping is fully right in relying on wealth to reach glory? A look into the other side of the issue will prove that wealth will not provide a permanent solution; rather, it helps shift the burden from one shoulder to the other. In other words, problems of more or less equal severity take birth when there is economic growth. The issues created by wealth are often ignored by or clouded by the vibrant colors of celebration that accompany wealth. As Bookchin (n.d.) reports, peptic ulcer, which was rare a century ago, is killing nearly ten thousand Americans every year and a further 400,000 are affected by this disease every year; in addition, rising levels of cholesterol, coronary artery disease, obesity and stress related problems are all haunting the population of the US, the most powerful economy in the world (Bookchin). Though they managed to put an end to many life-threatening diseases through vaccination facilitated by economic growth, the new diseases started their reign and the only viable solution at the moment for them is to give up what they amassed and become poor! Records show a surprising data that despite dramatic improvements in the ‘economic sphere, leading to better lifestyles, health and security, the happiness of people in the developed world has taken a nose dive’(Tomkins, 2003). In fact, the trend visible in studies is somewhat peculiar. From the studies it becomes evident that increase in wealth makes the low income people much happier but the rise in income after a certain level does not add to happiness but often results in its decline. At this juncture, it seems that Maslow’s assertion that the most important human inspiration is the need to achieve self-fulfillment is correct. According to him, the most basic needs are the basics of life including food, water and material comforts, followed by safety and security at the next level. The next step of the ladder has the need for love and belongingness and the final stage is self-actualization. However, people like Deng Xiaoping have reached the wrong conclusion that amassing more wealth can lead to more happiness though all studies and history have proved the other way. In addition, even after becoming the most powerful economy in the world, US has folks on its New York street with income less than 1.5$. According to studies, pointed out by Riley (2006), economic growth leads to a widening of the already existing gulf between the rich and the poor; for example, the difference between the rich and the poor is higher in America than in Japan. This fact shows the need for a reasonable distribution of wealth and reveals how erroneous Deng Xiaoping was in his assumption. The environmental issues associated with the race to amass more money cannot be neglected as the issues are not confined to the country where the reason lies. The rising global temperature, increasing pollution, melting polar ice and the consequent imbalance visible in the world climate are all linked to the increasing levels of industrialization, the fastest way of achieving economic growth. Though the developed world is the main culprit behind issues like depletion of ozone layer and global warming, people throughout the world have become victims of such activities which are solely aimed at achieving glory. In addition, the people in the industrialized countries are also exposed to sound pollution and traffic congestion. Moreover, financial growth based on industrial development is not long-lasting. In fact, most natural resources are irreplaceable in nature and the faster the economic growth, the sooner their disappearance will be. In addition, Layard (2003, pp. 17-20) points out that factors like depression, crime and suicide are all at higher levels in countries like UK and US. Thus, it becomes very evident that despite their economic growth and richness, these countries have failed miserably to achieve glory or happiness. In total, it becomes evident that to make people feel satisfied, happy and glorious, what the governments have to do is to encourage people to control their greed for more money and to spend their more time with friends and families. In addition, governments should introduce steps to reduce financial inequalities. This can be achieved through higher taxes on the wealthy and financial help for the poor. In addition, businesses should be closely monitored and their aggressive plans exploiting employees should be restricted. Furthermore, the use of non-replaceable resources should be heavily taxed and that fund should be utilized for addressing environmental problems. In total, it becomes evident that the notion that wealth is glorious is unfounded. In fact, getting rich will help overcome certain problems faced by the poor but a large number of new problems are associated with this development. Thus, the attempt to get happiness and satisfaction through richness is irrational. Reference Bookchin, M (n. d), ‘Urban Life And Health’, Our Synthetic Environment, Viewed 24 Feb 2011 Layard, R (2003), ‘Happiness: Has Social Science a Clue?’Lionel Robbins Memorial Lectures, Center for Economic Performance, pp. 17-20. Rosenberg, M n. d, ‘World Life Expectancy Chart’, About. Com. Geography, Viewed 24 Feb 2011 < http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa042000b.htm> Riley, G 2006, ‘A2 Macroeconomics/ International Economy’, tutor2u, Viewed 24 Feb 2011 Seitz, JL 2002, Global Issues: An introduction, 2nd Edn, Wiley- Blackwell, UK. Shlaes, A Dec 8, 2002, Is Inequality good for us? Yes, Financial Times London. Tomkins, R 2003, Richard Tomkins: How to be Happy, Ft.com Read More