Happiness is Around the Next Corner, Wealth Down the Street
Booyah! Here comes the money! Wealth, riches, maybe a little fortune and fame. Read it and weep losers! The money train has arrived!
Whoa, wait a second! I just realized something, something that required a re-read of my fortune. It mentions Happiness and Wealth, but it never actually defines either noun as meaning a monetary increase. Ah crap. Now what?
Sounds like I better keep my day job...
I do find it interesting that Happiness is listed first in this fortune. . .before wealth. From an eternal perspective, maybe it rightfully should be so too.
Ultimately this is not to be a study whether money can buy happiness. There are sound, well thought out arguments for and against this the idea. I'd rather propose the notion that investing personal time and talents in people and experiences yields the greatest Happiness and Wealth.
Consider...
Which is easier to obtain, Happiness or Wealth? And which should be the most rewarding? I suppose Wealth is subjective and Happiness a matter of perspective, desire, and choice (more on that later). But to continue with the money = happiness parallel, suppose I offered you a crisp $100 bill. No strings attached. No stipulations. You can spend it, save it, give it away. You can do whatever you want with it. I would ask, would the free $100 bill (Wealth increase) make you Happy (a potential emotional increase)? Or would you choose to be Happy because you now possess the $100 bill (Wealth increase)?
Another way to view this dichotomy: is one Happy because they have Wealth? And were they lacking happiness prior to their wealth? And once they've attained some level of Wealth, are they now happy? How does one know when they've attained a Wealth that equals Happiness? If one has to work for their Wealth, are they more likely to appreciate AND enjoy their Wealth?
But what if in order to obtain Wealth, one has to sacrifice the Happiness originating from carefully established and developed social relationship that aren't dependent upon monetary wealth? What if one neglects what truly matters for what they think matters?
Earlier I mentioned that Happiness is a matter of perspective, desire, and choice. Combined, I'm a firm believer that one chooses Happiness as their desire and perspective match. And while it may not be that simple and certain circumstances complicate this ideal, it nevertheless can be developed over time. And the residual effects of this development compliments an active life and ultimately benefits those associated with the individual. Again, is it simple? No. But is it possible to choose Happiness and be Happy? Absolutely.
In the end, I'm pretty sure when the fortune mentions Happiness and Wealth neither are referencing money or financial Wealth, but instead it allows the receiver of the fortune to determine what Happiness and Wealth really are in their life. So whether or not one can or can't buy Happiness, maybe for some, an investment of Time in people and on experiences yields the greatest Happiness and Wealth.
