Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
NOBODY wants a million dollars. People want the happiness they think a million dollars will bring. The dollars themselves do very little. Hence, my singular New Years’ resolution is that which forms the basis of all others: to be happy. The motivator
behind all of our actions is the belief that those actions will
make us happier, either now or in the future. Exactly what happiness is and how to attain it is the issue of considerable debate; justly so.
For most, a million dollars would constitute
a dramatic improvement in subjective well-being - today's fancy way of saying happiness. Full bellies, better health, and reduced
stress can all produce a very real increase in happiness. People feel happier
when their pains, physical and mental, are lessened.
So, what did people desire before money came around? Money is an abstract concept which has the value we have collectively given it. Something very real has been conjured out of the ether. Because it is abstract, we all too easily mistake it for what we actually want. Premonetary Man didn't have this issue; he couldn't have. So what did he strive for? I’ll wager that he simply desired to be happier.
Precisely what we are seeking in life is anyone’s guess. Is it external, or internal? Is it a
thing, or is it an idea? Is it eternal, or impermanent? I don’t expect to ever
find out. But, for the year ahead, I have but one goal: be happy. Wish me luck…