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Add to FavoritesQuantity and Quality are often confused as being the same thing. This is especially true when speaking about the so called Quality of life. The idea that more is better is a common theme through society in general.
North Americans live in a sea of affluence which would have been undreamed by most in ancient times. The average American enjoys a lifestyle which in previous centuries was unknown to all but a wealthy few or even nobility. What once was exceptional has now become normal, even common place. The truly wealthy have achieved a level of wealth on a scale for which there is no previous standard.
It is the perception of what is normal which has changed over time and with it our expectations. What once was the exception is now the rule. Unfortunately this change in perception also has skewed the ideals of what makes us happy. In the striving to have more things the balance has shifted and the overall focus has changed.
What one does seems now to be less important than what one has. Cool gadgets, the latest and best techno-gizmo , trendy clothes the newest fashion or what ever is in, this week. The stuff has become a statement of personal identity and the object of desire.
There is an an often unspoken social pressure that encourages going upscale, up-sizing and living large. It's an open secret that you should take a you can as often as you can. We see it everywhere from advertising to super sized restaurant meals. It's a hurry up world that has bought into the idea that more really is better - bigger houses, bigger cars bigger salaries.
There are countless examples of very wealthy people who are unhappy. Those who have tremendous wealth have learned that wealth brings with it burdens that are sometimes hard to see, both practical and emotional. The old phrase money can't buy happiness is often more true than most would care to admit: So to is the phrase, "the more you have the more you want".
Some however have learned that that more is not better, it is simply more. Some would say that "money might not buy happiness but it does allow you to have a better quality of misery". The unfortunate backside of that idea causes millions to chase the dream of happiness with their credit cards; the so called "plastic panacea".
The pursuit of so called happiness has lead many to live in a kind of never land of perpetual debt. Their land of milk in honey is in fact a hand to mouth existence. Their lifestyle is much like a leaky row boat floating on a sea of uncertainty, a high wire act where one dare not look down.
The focus on materialism has brought with it a kind of emotional poverty. A feeling which we can see and feel in the actions of others. It is a feeling which resonates with greed, selfishness and pride, one dimensional, immoral and lacking in dignity. What might be described as a shift from ideals to idolatry.
Irrespective of all else, at the end of the day what is there but yourself? When one looks in the mirror who is it that looks back, someone self confident and comfortable in their own skin or someone who needs something outside themselves to feel happy?
Who we are is who we think we are. When the clock ticks out the last minute of life, that which you had will matter not, all you take with you is that which you saw in the mirror. The only question will be, do you think that's enough?
Learn more about this author, Marvin Double.
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No
It is sad but true that the quality of life for most people within the United States of America truly depends on the amount of material wealth that the person has.
The more wealth a person has, the better quality of life that person has. If you don't know by now, security and self-realization are the keys to a long, a safe, a happy and a healthy life. Yes, that is true for not only you, but for your future generation as well.
The key to such success is to learn how to become one with your environment and all of the people who will aid in your climb to the top of your profession or trade, and thus increase your rewards for a lifetime of hard work and determination for all that you hope to achieve.
That's easier said than done. As a matter of fact, few people achieve all of their life goals, and along the way there are many road blocks that must be overcome in order to achieve peace of mind.
So, unless you win a multi-million lottery, you will have to do one or more of the following in order to provide a good quality of life for yourself and your family. The process begins when you are a child and hopefully your parents will guide you in the right direction. You see, you will have to have a good education within a safe neighborhood where illegal drugs, violent street gangs, criminal influences and other vices are kept far away from you.
As a matter of fact, that's the worst kind of environment to be born into and only a very few do manage to escape from it and become responsible citizens of our Country. There are hundreds of worthwhile occupations available within our economy and the young person should have an interest in at least a dozen of them.
A high school level education is no longer adequate for living a secure life within our Country, so it is truly important that you obtain a college degree for an occupation that will provide a steady income for all of your working years. The trades also provide a good income, but it also depends on the public demand for your services. You see, during a depression you too might become homeless if people don't require what you have to offer.
Then again, some people just join the family business and carry on the work of past generations. That's good for them, but most people these days must make their own way in this truly harsh society and World in which we all live. The work and social relationships that you create as you grow older are just as important as your formal education.
Like it or not, in the main, each and every person must have a good education and an interest in the kind of honest work that will provide all of the above for a good quality of life and security when your working days are past you. As of the date of this story, millions of retired people are now in a great deal of economic stress, as a result of the greed of the very few.
The "Good Life" is slipping away from the, so called, middle class because the owners and the controllers of those huge multinational corporations are as greedy as can be. They continue to destroy the lives of the people who helped them grow as large as they are. Which Foreigner in which Foreign Country now has your job?
More importamt, how many people within our Country have or will lose their home because they are under empolyed or unemployed? What's good for General Motors is no longer good for the people of the United States of America. In fact, the management of General Motors, Exxon, Texaco and a host of other multinational corporations doesn't seem to care if all of "We People of the United States of America" live or die.
In our Democratic form of Government it is also important to vote for the people who will serve the majority of, "We People of the United States of America." As one grows old and hopefully wiser, one should also be aware of those who are responsible for the safety of all of the people within our Country and only vote for those who do serve the majority.
You see, if our politicians don't serves the majority, the Country in which we live will become a very hostile place that will most likely be owned by Foreigners who could also care less if we all live or die. Who will you vote for in 2008? More important, who will you vote out of Public Office in 2008? Good luck to all of us.
Learn more about this author, Joseph Malek.
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