IntroductionWith today’s society, happiness is a goal many strive after. Many see happiness as an attainable good, in which once it is attained, it is permanent theirs. There have been moments where I have even pondered, “What can I do to bring about happiness in my life?” Somewhere along the way, many have begun to believe consuming more is an answer to bringing about happiness in their lives. There is a notion that attaining more in terms of materialism will eventually equal happiness. People misalign happiness with “keeping up with the Joneses,” in that striving to retain one’s social status through means of an accumulation of goods such as bigger houses, a higher income, possessing expensive materials, etc. will help them feel a sense of happiness in life. Also, many will attribute success to happiness, but again, more often than not, success is measured through accumulation of goods.
However, being happy is a feeling that comes and goes like all other feelings. It is not something to be possessed and held onto; otherwise, how would one know when one is truly happy if people are always happy and have never felt such intensity from other feelings. By not understanding that happiness is a state of emotional well being comprised of a range of emotions from intense joy to contentment, then one will not be able to identify when one is thriving in happiness. This will lead to a dissatisfying, unfilled life in which is occupied by higher levels of consumption to attempts to fill an unhappy void; in doing so, this is creating only an ephemeral gratification, a figment of happiness itself. There are many books, movies, and even motivational speeches on what it means to happy and how to be happy, but since happiness is more or less, a concept of a state of being, there are no easy or right solutions to seeking happiness. However, there is a relationship between the levels of consumption on its effect on one’s happiness. Thus, the problem lies in the idea that many people place too much emphasis on consuming more and not enough on the process of experiencing happiness. The idea of happiness is a funny concept in which levels of consumption can affect happiness, one’s well- being, that even across civilizations within collectivistic and individualistic societies, the pursuit to happiness is a universal journey humans are all chasing after; however, as the Dalai Lama XIV stated, “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” Many have debated levels of consumption do have an affect on one's happiness, especially within individualistic and collectivistic societies, but by defining happiness, consumption, and how it all relates to differing societies, there will be hopefully a consensus on the age old question. |
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