by Con Fusion

Created on: May 25, 2008

Many of the instinctive problems that our ancient ancestors had to deal with have become virtually non-existent. The supermarket eliminated the task of searching for food, modern medicine saved the lives of millions of people, and humans proliferated so abundantly that they had to find solutions to limit their own population. With most instinctive problems answered, humanity now had the time to pursue what brought it the most pleasure the emotion of happiness. There have been many theories on how to achieve happiness, some spoken and others created through culture, yet at the core of all happiness is simplicity. With a solution as simple as simplicity itself, happiness has been surprisingly elusive for many, yet for good reason. Simplicity has been undermined by industrial societies that encourage endless economic growth, money acquisition, and continuous work, which produce many troubles but hardly any happiness in return.

Many of the advanced industrial societies and their governments of our world have driven out the idea of simplicity and brainwashed their citizens into believing economic growth will bring about happiness. These economies are founded upon consumerism ideology that pressure continual purchasing of goods. Much of the time this consumption belief emphasizes that the more material items one has, the more content one will be. These thinking tendencies blur the boundary between luxury and necessity, making people think they need something when they really don't. In his writings on simplicity, Thich Nhat Hanh notes that someone who owns a dozen houses cannot enjoy any of them properly because there is not enough time, and their preoccupation with material luxury has not brought them any closer to achieving happiness. A few summers ago, I lived with a Costa Rican family and learned a new perspective of necessity and luxury. The hot shower, something I had always taken for granted, was a luxury in the small farming village. For the entire month, the nine by twelve foot room I lived in, approximately the same size as the one I currently reside in alone, was shared with two other people. A laundry line and clothespins replaced the machine dryer and single sixty-watt light bulbs for each room were all that were needed. This rudimentary lifestyle allowed me some of the best moments I have ever experienced because I found that I had left my troubles far, far away in the United States.

Money acquisition and financial security that have become sought after

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