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These are my definitions of being happy and rich. Test yourself.
You are happy if these three conditions are true:
1. You like going to work/school in the mornings
2. You like going home in the evenings
3. You are looking forward toward the weekends
You are rich if you do not have to go to work.
The absolute amount in your bank account does not matter – a homeless can be rich too. Some people argued that it’s rather a definition of being free…
If you are not rich, you can make some moves to become one, but if you are not happy, tough luck.
Are you happy? Are you rich? Are you rich and happy?
Update. After writing this blog, I've heard an interesting formula on the radio:
happiness=reality/expectations
For example, if you rent an apartment in a bad neighborhood but dream of living in a penthouse on the 5th Ave, your happiness index is about 1/100. But if you rent an apartment in a bad neighborhood and are OK with it, your are happy: 1/1.
I like this formula, but what if you live in a penthouse but dream of living in a rented apartment in a bad area (is it really bad)? The formula 100/1 generates a "more than happy" result. But is it so?
Hi Yakov,
Your view about happiness remembering the indian philosophy. If every one think like this and satisfied with current level, this world will be the heaven.
Tamizhan, I agree with you.
I also see an interesting paradox - if you live in a society where people
have less choices, they are more happy.
For example, if you live in a country that consists mainly of rich and poor
people (moneywise), poor people know that their chances of purchasing the
car are slim, so they do not bother, which makes them happier. Arranged
marriages also limit your freedom, but if you know that you'll have to stay
with THIS spouse till the rest of your life, the chances that you'll be
divorcing her after any little fight are slim.
In a developed countries, like the USA, things are too accessible for
everyone. Having a just car is not a big deal - you can get a car for $500.
But the big deal is that there are cars for $1000, $3000, %5000, $10000,
$15000, $16000,$17000...$100000.... If you own a car for $15000, you know
that you just need to push a little bit harder and you'll get one for
$17000. If you are into cars, your current status is unhappy, and it'll
stay this way for all your life. On each stage of your life you'll see a
low hanging fruit that it's almost reachable...
I'm not sure the formula is flawed, it all depends on your desires and how
the formula is applied. Happiness, like taxes, can allow for deductions and
creative interpretation. A penthouse on 5th is about $10k a month in rent,
if you dream of saving money or becoming a philanthropist and donating all
your earnings to charity and are currently only giving a dollar a month to
the guy on the corner then you may have a reality of 1/10000 and living in
a bad neighborhood can get you closer to 94999/500. I'm sure the internal
happiness service (the super ego) will let you rationalize / write off
enough essential food & shelter costs to get that scenario close to 94999/1
.
Hi Yakov. Liked your entry. Here is a (hopefully correct) quote - "Annual
income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen,nineteen and six, result
happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty, naught
and six, result misery."
