How Do You Say "Duh" in Australian?
This article refers to a study of 25,000 Aussies that led researchers to the conclusion that "Money Doesn't Buy Happiness."
Duh... I could have saved them a lot of money. I can explain it in just a few paragraphs.
As explained here, Money is economic power and power is the ability to shape conditions, events and behaviors. Power is a degree of control over one's environment. Power is the ability to create or destroy something.
But happiness is an emotional state. An emotional state that is controlled out of the known and unknown, the public and private, the conscious and unconscious. It is a an appreciation of what you are, and what you do.
The idea that money will buy an emotional state is as silly as the idea that an emotional state will buy money.
Yet in reality, almost all advertising is geared toward the unconscious messages that "if you buy this product, you'll be happy." Even though we all know consciously that it isn't true.
Witness the car snob that thinks that his shiny new car will make him happy. The audiophile that feels compelled to have the 500 watt monoblock amplifiers. The kid that dreams and obsesses over a particular bicycle. These things may provide some temporary satisfaction or a boost in self esteem, but they will not result in real happiness per se. They depreciate and the state of "happiness" depreciates with them.
Happiness is a byproduct of productive action in the present. When we are satisfied with our efforts and our results is when we are happy. If those efforts and results happened to generate large bags of economic power, that's gravy. Things that make us happy for a long time usually are the result of a passionate investment of effort. Happiness is rarely generated by what one has. Happiness is generated by what one does.
A hard working blue collar slob that loves his wife, pays his bills and plays with his kids is more likely to be happy than a self-indulgent millionaire playboy. It doesn't seem logical, but that's because it's counter-intuitive to the id.
Duh... I could have saved them a lot of money. I can explain it in just a few paragraphs.
As explained here, Money is economic power and power is the ability to shape conditions, events and behaviors. Power is a degree of control over one's environment. Power is the ability to create or destroy something.
But happiness is an emotional state. An emotional state that is controlled out of the known and unknown, the public and private, the conscious and unconscious. It is a an appreciation of what you are, and what you do.
The idea that money will buy an emotional state is as silly as the idea that an emotional state will buy money.
Yet in reality, almost all advertising is geared toward the unconscious messages that "if you buy this product, you'll be happy." Even though we all know consciously that it isn't true.
Witness the car snob that thinks that his shiny new car will make him happy. The audiophile that feels compelled to have the 500 watt monoblock amplifiers. The kid that dreams and obsesses over a particular bicycle. These things may provide some temporary satisfaction or a boost in self esteem, but they will not result in real happiness per se. They depreciate and the state of "happiness" depreciates with them.
Happiness is a byproduct of productive action in the present. When we are satisfied with our efforts and our results is when we are happy. If those efforts and results happened to generate large bags of economic power, that's gravy. Things that make us happy for a long time usually are the result of a passionate investment of effort. Happiness is rarely generated by what one has. Happiness is generated by what one does.
A hard working blue collar slob that loves his wife, pays his bills and plays with his kids is more likely to be happy than a self-indulgent millionaire playboy. It doesn't seem logical, but that's because it's counter-intuitive to the id.
posted by ironcross11 | 10:51 PM
1 Comments:
A) No, I don't expect liberals to stop and support us. We defeat liberalism in the arena of ideas and at the ballot box. Then we defeat them in the legislature and we take control of the judiciary. Then we remove them from academe and stop them polluting the minds of our children. This will be a battle and I live for this battle. Conflict is the way we resolve value.
B) No, any idea that has popular support counts. However ideas that are based in emotional twaddle have no chance of success over the long term when faced off against ideas based in science and reason.
C) No, I know there are tons of nitwits that will be made crazy by what I publish here. That's part of the reason I do it.
D) No, you have no constitutional right to speak your opinion or anything else on my website. You are published here at my consent, you silly little man. The constitutional paragraph on web publishing is right next to the paragraph on abortion.
E) You forgot to note that it is the Clean-Cut-All-American male that has Mined, Smelted, Forged, and Protected that golden spoon. If you want a golden spoon, go make your own like I made mine. When I started my career I made 13 dollars a day plus room and meals.
Are you actually 12 years old or just educated to that level
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