Road to happiness: Money or gratitude, kindness, generosity?
This reflection is from Thom Andrews, director of Kalamazoo’s Season of Forgiveness.
We are pretty good at avoiding the truth.
As individuals we rationalize–what we eat, what we do, what we avoid doing. As a society we group think–from tolerating, even promoting, unhealthy lifestyles to launching military invasions. And this is not a new phenomenon. (”C’mon Adam, eat the apple. What harm could it do?”…or something like that.)
In his book, The High Price of Materialism, Tim Kasser reviews a large body of research spanning various cultures that basically affirms what we’ve known for centuries: money can’t buy happiness. More specifically, once people are above poverty levels of income, gains in wealth have little or no incremental payoff in terms of happiness or well-being. Also, there are studies suggesting the pursuit of wealth and possessions might actually undermine our well-being. While the research may be new, the information is not. We’ve known for years and years that money cannot buy happiness.
Yet, how much of our life is measured by wealth? From Gross National Product to individual salaries, from the size of your house to the ring on your finger, from the people in your circle to the college major you pursue - so much of our life is assessed based upon a scale of wealth. All the while, we know deep in our hearts that money can’t buy happiness.
You can change that for yourself this very day. Practicing gratitude, kindness, and generosity will lead to a happier life. So, do one, very deliberate act of kindness today (it may take an entire minute). Also, pause right now and spend 60 seconds being grateful for someone in your life. These two minutes will make your day.
Submitted by: Roselle Kovitz