What Is Wealth and Happiness - Essay Example

Happiness Happiness Introduction Happiness is one of those qualifying factors that is incredibly difficult to define, and yet each person in the world uses it to rate their lives on a daily basis; it is the great question of life, ‘are you happy?’. Great philosophers and laymen alike have wondered at the meaning of life and ultimately the meaning of this idea of happiness that seems to plague us all. Western minds often equate the term with measurement of wealth and monetary value, and Marx theorized that from the leisure time associated with wealth came a degree of alienation that led to unhappiness in relation to some poorer social groups. Scitovosky said that life is essentially a struggle for economic status and as such it is the goal of any given person to claim a steady income for at least a perception of happiness. The terms means something unique to every individual, and despite this flexible existence we all believe our struggles through life are merely to seek out some kind of natural balance that results in being happy; the elements of this state of mind are so varied that there is no way to physically quantify the measurement yet people continue to ask themselves what would or would not make them happy. Material possessions, family life, social status and free time all rank highly among people who are either looking for or say that they are truly happy; how much does money really have to do with it? Defining Happiness “Why is that despite having achieved previously undreamed miracles of progress we seem more helpless in facing life than our less than privileged ancestors? The answer seems clear: while humankind collectively has increased its material powers a thousand fold, it has not advanced very far in terms of improving the content” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1992). Stace consents that this idea is rather elusive and even points out that other theologians categorise happiness as a purely negative experience in that it doesn’t seem to really exits; whereas physical realities can count as positive and basically influential on a person’s daily life, happiness is a vague and therefore inconceivable term (1937). Trolfand has tried to explain happiness as a certain biological quality of humans who find themselves experiencing an “inevitable consequence of congenital forces” (1928); it’s an unconventional take on what originally had more spiritual connotations however in the search to define the terms scientists have more to base their conclusions on that the rest of us. Instead of struggling to pin a true meaning to the word happiness, some argue that the best course is simply to accept that happiness is the product of a fulfilling life; to this end we must all strive to follow our own personal code of ethics and, as Von der Ohe writes, learn not to expect too much from our lives (1987). Parducci has written about the balance inherent in each individual life that must exist between happiness and struggle; he thinks that most of us are wrong in our assumption that happiness can come purely without any suffering or pain (1995). To enjoy life and truly enjoy happiness, the author points out that one cannot enjoy such an existence if they do not have an understanding of why a good life is better than one that is poverty-stricken or saturated with stress. He cites the Depression as a marker for happiness and explains that although his family was perhaps even poorer than most during that time, his father told them they were no worse off because happiness is purely a balance; although they didn’t have the same toys as everyone else, the others had become accustomed to them and now were not enjoying the level of pleasure and happiness that the poorer family imagined they were. Essentially, researchers cannot even agree on the basics of happiness, and many are torn on the fact that it may be scientifically based instead of spiritual in origin. Regardless, they agree on the fact that happiness is a relative state of mind and what makes one person happy will not necessarily work for another. Being happy is a state of mind that exists only in balance with another vague term, ‘unhappiness’; to understand both terms it helps less to hold a philosophy or medical degree and more to simply be human. Wealth and Happiness More and more, it seems that the idea of happiness is tied up in individual wealth, and this is because people recognise the fact that the feeling comes from a sense of security in life and the ability to use free time that isn’t dedicated to work. Surveys taken during work hours show that employees would prefer to be “doing something else” at this time much more than any other time of the day (Csikszentmihalyi , 1997). Free time is largely associated with happiness and yet usually it comes down to terms of money to ascertain whether or not a person has free time to spare on activities or people that can help bring about a state of happiness. Hume and Johnson argue whether it can assumed that every person who claims to be happy is experiencing the same level of emotion and clearly the answer is no; although of course it is impossible to quantify the quality there are certainly differential levels that individuals will admit exist (2000). These levels are not related directly to wealth, and although when people are asked what would make them happy they will generally say it is money, there is no specific connection between the two (Bertrand, 1930). Instead, it seems that the monetary issue merely means that a person will have the freedom to do things they want to do instead of struggling at work for just enough to survive. People don’t want to merely exist, they are looking for fulfilling lives that don’t simply revolve around the need to pay bills and go to work. Money in itself will do nothing to bring about happiness; it is the different lifestyle that wealth represents that really has to do with perceived happiness. Although Ada Ferrer-I-Carbonell and Bernard Van Praag believe they can truly quantify happiness using income and related statistics, the true formula has yet to present itself and it seems the only logic we can extract from so many individual cases of happiness is that people are striving for more wealth and in turn more free time. Annas described how the Stoics were fixated on following nature as a guide in life (1995), and how by doing so mankind could achieve a new level of happiness; this theory is flawed in relation to modern ambitions because while nature would have us living hand to mouth with no respite, people are generally looking for more free time, not less. The assumption that money can make a person’s dreams come true is rampant in our society; people scoop up lottery tickets on a regular basis and are forever looking for that miraculous job that pays high and only requires you to work short hours. Invariably, people are looking to work less so that they might enjoy some free time (MacIver, 1955) but the question is, what are they planning to do with that free time, and why do people with the real wealth continue to work if the tendency is towards free time as opposed to work? Humans are creatures of biology and habit, and it is wired into our genetics to work for a living whether we are bringing in money or actual food by doing so. There are two arguments to expose why people will continue to work when they already have enough to live off of and more: one is that the work they do is fulfilling and in itself able to make them happy, the other is that people just aren’t able to feel secure in life no matter how much money they have. Theories on Happiness Skilled consumption is the idea that people can take control over their spending habits in such a way as to keep them happier; instead of unchecked spending, skilled consumption suggests that buying the things that most appeal to you will be better in the long run (Miller, 1998). People in our society tend to spend uncontrollably when and if they have the money to spare; material possessions that are not particularly fulfilling then fill up a person’s life and when the spending is done there is little long-term positive emotion to suggest the spree was worthwhile. Similarly, Scitovosky has written about human desires and economic satisfaction and feels that while spending money on trivial things can bring happiness to those people who rarely have the opportunity to do so, in an extended period uncontrolled spending is of no use to gained happiness levels (1985). Research does suggest that although money is at the heart of many desires in life, the actual possessions being gained (as stated previously) are of no particular quality. Spending on things like clothes, furniture, makeup and vehicles can make a great different to people who otherwise never have extra money to do so but when people do have the spare cash on a regular basis, these things lose their lustre and fail to bring the buyer any feeling of satisfaction as they once had. Karl Marx suggested that there is a degree of alienation in the leisure world that is to blame for the different between a dream of happiness in wealth and the real thing (Pappenheim, 1959). When wealth is achieved, people begin to expand their free time and build it up with the things they imagine they would really enjoy. The most common of these pursuits is travel, and whether a person goes travelling on a cruise, a package holiday or a week on the beach, oddly it seems that this pursuit leaves the person rather isolated unless the family is involved. Often, it is the goal of a traveller to find peace and quiet away from life as they know it; this means that in their pursuit of leisure a person will willingly cut ties (if only temporarily) to the people they know and who they socialise with on a regular basis. The effect of this can be good when socialisation itself has been a negative force in that person’s life, however often it seems that “happiness is so rare an achievement in the modern world and the means to acquire it seem so simple” (Russell, 1927) that no one is quite sure what to do when they achieve the things they’ve been waiting for. We’ve all heard stories of lottery winners who want the world to know they’re still unhappy after winning millions. Conversely, statistical evidence suggests that it those people who earnings in the lower bracket of society can be among the most satisfied and happy in the country. In England’s recent past, often it was pointed out that we were a nation of financial contrasts in that the separation between haves and have-nots is deep (Agar, 1938); as we have worked to change that social climate in our country the change can be seen not only in the measure of national happiness but in ideologies surrounding that ideal notion. National agenda has a lot to do with terms of happiness as well as other usual factors; in Tibet which was an entirely Buddhist country the levels of satisfaction were much more highly rated than after Chinese occupation and the reformation to a communist state (Levine, 2000). The Tibetans, who actually believe that happiness itself is the only real basis for action (Leaman, 2001) are determined to reclaim their state and it is this ultimate goal they feel will return them all to a state of happiness; political goals can be quite different ideologically speaking however the idea that reformation of an established group can bring ultimate satisfaction is not rare. The American Revolutionary War which served to separate the American state from Great Britain was a bloody battle but at the end a nation rejoiced in its independence from the British monarch and parliamentary system (Friedrich et al, 1956). Afterwards the country became obsessed with the idea that governmental control might put an end to individual liberty, and they focused their efforts on keeping a free society – this was their idea of happiness and they pursued it to the full extent (Scott, 1957). Different countries and cultures have different aims in seeking happiness because any group of people is bound together for a unique purpose. The actual purpose of the group itself is of little consequence within the unit itself, since members will already believe that what they are trying to achieve (or what they have already achieved) is with good cause and for the benefit of the world. Even Czarist Russia had its supporters who believed that fighting for the establishment would lead them to happiness (Engelstein, 1992). Aristotle was one of the great philosophers of the Greek era and he like many theologians today believed that happiness was not successfully gained with mere money or attaining power or material goods; instead he thought that living a life of simplicity was key to attainment of happiness, a mere state of mind (Kenny, 1992). Sumner agrees but actually qualifies the most important factor of happiness as welfare and giving (1999), especially when in the Western world our terms of happiness seem to have shifted from a fundamental balance in life to a focus on money and possessions. Certainly it can’t be denied that money has taken over as the main goal for people in the UK and throughout the Western world; however the more wealthy our country becomes has no relation to actual levels of happiness for its citizens. Rosen agrees with the idea that simplicity is the key to happiness, stating that utilitarianism has the best rates of pleasure and satisfaction in those people with no real recourse to wealth or unattainable goals (2003). Perhaps this is the real misunderstood factor in happiness: understanding when to be happy with what you have and what you are capable of instead of dreaming about leading a different life completely. Conclusions Happiness remains a vague term but despite this every person has some idea what it means to them. Western culture seems to focus on the role of wealth and grand aspirations in achieving happiness, and as such people with these ideas have struggled to feel true happiness when compared with their poorer counterparts who are more prepared to be happy with what they already have. Lottery wins and shopping sprees aside, happiness is a state of mind that is based on being able to meet your basic needs, socialise with people you have something in common with and reaching your goals as a part of a group. Most important is this last factor in the theoretical equation of happiness; people who work together for a goal are among the most happy in the world, regardless of the goals of the group. It is a sense of belonging and purpose that guides people towards the ideal of happiness, and regardless of specific monetary values involved in these endeavours simple pointed socialisation has the most impact on whether or not a person or an entire group will consider themselves ‘happy’. If this is achieved then work and money stop being real factors in the equation and you can see that the only thing a person really needs is to be able to support himself and make a difference in the world. Reference List Agar, H. (ed.) (1938). Pursuit of Happiness: The Story of American Democracy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin company, p. 1. Annas, J. (1995). The Morality of Happiness. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 159. Benson-Von Der Ohe, E. (1987). First and Second Marriages. NY: Praeger Publishers, p. 88. Engelstein, L. (1992). The Keys to Happiness: Sex and the Search for Modernity in Fin-De-Siaecle Russia. NY: Cornell University Press, p. 334. Ferrer-I-Carbonell, A. and Van Pragg, B. (2004). Happiness Quantified: A Satisfaction Calculus Approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 263. Hume, D., Potkay, A. and Johnson, S. (2000). The Passion for Happiness: Samuel Johnson and David Hume. NY: Cornell University Press, p. 61. Kenny, A. (1992). Aristotle on the Perfect Life. Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 86. Russell, D. (1927). The Right to Be Happy. NY: Harper & Brothers, p. 3. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. NY: Basic Books, p. 49. Levine, M. (2000). The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga: Paths to a Mature Happiness. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, p. 5. M.Csikszentmihalyi (1992) “Flow: The Psychology of Happiness.” Rider, p.16. Parducci, A. (1995). Happiness, Pleasure, and Judgment: The Contextual Theory and Its Applications. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, p. 55. MacIver, R. M. (19550. The Pursuit of Happiness: A Philosophy for Modern Living. NY: Simon & Schuster, p. 48. Powell, J. (1992). 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In Pursuit of Happiness: American Conceptions of Property from the Seventeenth to the Twentieth Century. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, p. 137. Stace, W. T. (1937). The Concept of Morals. NY: Macmillan, p. 126. Sumner, L.W. (1999). Welfare, Happiness and Ethics. Oxford: Clarendon Press, p. 1. Trolfand, L. (1928). The Fundamentals of Human Motivation. NY: D. Van Nostrand, p. 108. Read More