Happiness/More or Less?

I have been thinking about happiness.

I have noticed that several people recently seem to have advanced the thesis that people living in abject poverty are happier than people with a secure job but living under the oppression of materialism.

I doubt this. I would agree that there are other things on the mind of the homeless than the random acquisition of possessions like plasma screen televisions. But is this strong enough evidence to suggest that some one living without fixed address, reliable income or access to basic services has a better grip on his life than materialistic “childless couples”?

One of the things the middle-class like to do is to put forward the argument that “we are all the same” when it comes to the pursuit of happiness. It makes us feel better about not being rich, and better about not doing more for the poor.

It is a mistake to feel this way – because happiness, while relative, is not the only factor we should consider when assessing the strength of our communities or the individuals therein.

Homelessness and poverty may not be key determinants of happiness, but they are key determinants of health and wellbeing. To suggest that it is acceptable for people to be homeless if they are perceived to be “happy” is like saying that a woman who doesn’t leave an abusive partner deserves to be beaten.

Learned helplessness (the condition of feeling one is unable to alter their position in life) differs from healthy acceptance (for example, coming to terms with a disability or a mental health issue), and should not be construed as such.

Similarly, there is a strong emphasis on the notion that “money doesn’t buy you happiness”, and therefore one should worry about the psychic health of the wealthy. I’m not saying that isn’t a concern. But if we concentrate on happiness as a key indicator, again we deny the fact that, while the wealthy may not be happy per se, they certainly will have no trouble finding adequate healthcare, housing, or support services. Nor will they face the same issues of institutionalised discrimination that are meted out to the destitute, because while money might not buy happiness, it can certainly purchase power, privilege and respect.

There is too much emphasis in our society on keeping people in their place by feeding the perception that they are perfectly happy where they are. We want people to “pull themselves up by their boot-straps”, but we don’t want them “taking our jobs”.

We want refugees to be offered a home but we don’t want them living in our street.

We want to save the environment, as long as we can still build a home on the water’s edge using rainforest timber.

Happiness is a poor indicator of our society’s health, because anyone has the capacity to be happy, even in the most desperate of circumstances. While I applaud the notion that simplifying our lives might bring us more joy, I will not accept the thesis that the majority of those in desperate poverty are happy to be so.