A friend approached me upset the other day after an argument with someone about money and happiness. He was amazed how people could put so much emphasis on how material things can make or break peoples' outlook in life.
I can say, I am amazed as well, and that's why I'm writing on this topic today. There are obviously class differences in this world-- if you look around, not everyone is in the same socioeconomic class as you. Some people are better off. Some people aren't. It sometimes doesn't even depend on the income someone has-- life hits everyone differently. Each person, each family, each community has their share of struggles. It's all about how people band together and get past these struggles-- not how many things someone can buy to make it all better.
I'm not going to lie, I have grown up in a privileged home. Since I was small, I have gotten everything I could have possibly wanted. "No" was a word that was seldom heard. We had the newest toys, the newest cars, the best education that our parents could offer us. However, that says nothing about how my brother and I were raised. We were raised to know how blessed we were (and still are), and to help others. We have been raised to show compassion, empathy, and love to all that we encounter. We have gotten countless comments thrown our way:
"Wow, you guys are LOADED!"
"What I would do to ___ (live in your house, have your car)!"
"Your parents give you everything! You don't need to work hard!"
"You can't even say you're having a bad day, you have everything you could ever ask for."
"You can afford to think that way."
And these comments have hurt. People put a label on me, on my family, for how much money my father makes. They believe that since we are economically comfortable, we are immune to struggles. That we can't have a bad day, that bad things don't happen to us. And if bad things do happen to us, I mean, hey, we can afford retail therapy so it doesn't matter.
That couldn't be any more false. We have faced struggles-- we have family problems. We have had people die. We have lost friends, have suffered from illnesses (both physical and mental), we cry, and we have bad days.
I, for one, have suffered immensely from depression for six years of my life. I have suffered, despite the fact that I had a world-class education, a beautiful car, and an extensive collection of clothes/other material things. People sometimes rely on the assumption that because I grew up in a well-off household, I can't be unhappy. But the truth? The truth is that I would give away all of the material things I own if it meant that I would be truly happy for the rest of my life. Sure, we all have bad days, but to be truly happy for the majority of my life? That would be a dream come true.
Does having a nice car make my sadness go away? No. Does having a nice house make it all better? Absolutely not. Depression doesn't discriminate. It doesn't pick the poor, it does't pick the rich. Struggles don't discriminate. The billionaires in this world struggle. So do the homeless people on the street. Material things don't bring us happiness. Happiness is brought out through connection-- through the people who we surround ourselves with. The people who love us, the people we spend our time with- that's what happiness is made of. Love makes the world a better place, not the latest vehicle, the updated iPhone, the most recent trend. So, for the people who think money can buy happiness, I want you to consider this:
There are people with all of the things they could possibly want in this world that aren't happy. And they would give it all up if it meant they could obtain true happiness. What we have doesn't make our situation any better than yours, because those things don't matter. People matter. Love matters. Material things are just added, and have no merit to how we feel.
