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 HAPPINESS? |
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Money =
Happiness
Money equals happiness is one of the most prevalent
myths in our culture. We are raised on stories about people who worked
hard, struck it rich and lived happily ever after. Such individuals as
Horatio Alger, Andrew Carnegie, Oprah Winfrey, Ted Turner, and Jane Fonda
serve as the quintessential models of success. But do we really know
enough about these men and women to know if they are truly happy and
whether money is the primary factor in their supposed happiness?
Even our old tired jokes reflect this pervasive belief that money
equals happiness. Consider these common sayings: "Being rich isn't
everything, but it sure beats whatever is in second place!" "I've been
rich and I've been poor, and rich is better."
Of course, being
poor or financially stressed definitely does affect our happiness. But it
is not the prime determinant of our happiness and satisfaction in life,
and we would do well to remember. Otherwise, we will be driven to amass
large sums of money in a way that may well impinge on or even destroy the
happiness we hoped money would create.
Do you believe that
Money = Happiness?
If you want to know for sure whether you
believe in the money-is-happiness myth, ask yourself the following
questions:
Do you tend to believe that money leads to happiness, fulfillment,
contentment?
Do you catch yourself thinking, "If only I had (made) a little more
money (or a lot more money), everything would be great"?
Do you envy others who make more money than you do, or who have more
money or more things, assuming that they must be happier than you are
because of their greater financial ease?
When you encounter someone who you know is not very wealthy, do you
assume that the person couldn't really be happy?
Would having to take a small decrease in your
own or your partner's income make you feel very upset?
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