Last week in AIS we were talking about Into The Wild and Chris's journey and what he hoped to accomplish through his travels. I couldn't help but think, would this truly make him happy? Would living alone among the wild have fed every need he had? Then I got to thinking about what really makes people happy. Does fulfilling every desire you have make you happy? What influences it? I was listening to NPR the other day and on Morning Edition they had a piece on the hunt for happiness in China and what makes the Chinese some of the most unhappy people in the world (according to the book China is Unhappy by Song Qiang) and what they are trying to do to become happier.
What was alarming to me from this article was the fact that the unhappiness in China stems from things I take for granted on a daily basis, like having adequate doctors and a government I can (somewhat) trust to look out for the best interest of the country. It's hard to believe that so much of what I just assume will be there for me like healthcare, can radically improve the happiness of a town in China.
So when we have all that we need, what can truly make us happy? Giving it up like Chris did, or something else?
It is true that we take a lot of stuff for granted. Just the other day I was complaining to my mom that she never lets me take money with me when I go shopping with friends. Her response was listing all of the things that she had just recently paid a lot of money for me to do. My violin and viola lessons, my school books, the new clothes I got the week before, cable, going out to eat. The more she listed, the more I realised how much I really do have. Just that talk with my mom was enough to make me, if not happy, at least grateful for what I have. For me, giving up what I have would not make me happy, but better appreciating what i do have does make me happy.
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