I think it's important to have some perspective here. The fact that all of us here are typing on this board means that we all have a computer. Here's another fact. If you have any money at all in your wallet and any kind of bank account regardless of how much is in there, you are among the wealthiest 8% of the Earth's population. Now, really stop and think about that for a second. Then think about the Rwandan man who had his foot sawed off with a dull knife in a Rwandan court because he was caught stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family. Compare our pursuit and questioning of happiness and wealth with a large portion of the planet that lives in apathy and utterly without hope.
We here in America and other wealthy countries often measure our happiness relative to a very narrow vision of what we see around us, rather than the actual reality in the larger sense. We look at the rare .001% of the U.S. population, i.e. the moguls, CEO's, celebrities, etc., and we compare our lot to THAT??? All of us here, by virtue of the simple fact that we have the leisure time to post our rants and chatter here, are at the upper end of human existence, and by all rights should be on balance among the happiest people on Earth. It sometimes may be hard to see that when trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage, etc, and surely it leads to stress, but relative to people in the world who actually live in such apathy that death would be a welcome respite, it's really not so bad.
Would I like a bigger house, a new car, and to not worry about the monthly household budget? Sure. But damned if I'm not grateful, thankful and happy for everything I have right now.
BTW, this post not directed at anyone in particular, just some observations.
We here in America and other wealthy countries often measure our happiness relative to a very narrow vision of what we see around us, rather than the actual reality in the larger sense. We look at the rare .001% of the U.S. population, i.e. the moguls, CEO's, celebrities, etc., and we compare our lot to THAT??? All of us here, by virtue of the simple fact that we have the leisure time to post our rants and chatter here, are at the upper end of human existence, and by all rights should be on balance among the happiest people on Earth. It sometimes may be hard to see that when trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage, etc, and surely it leads to stress, but relative to people in the world who actually live in such apathy that death would be a welcome respite, it's really not so bad.
Would I like a bigger house, a new car, and to not worry about the monthly household budget? Sure. But damned if I'm not grateful, thankful and happy for everything I have right now.
BTW, this post not directed at anyone in particular, just some observations.
