Despite what the naysayers would have you believe, practically everything on the planet is improving. So why do people who live in the developed world, seem to be less happy?
This is a question that is explored at great length by author; Gregg Easterbrook, in his book; The Progress Paradox. I'll share my understanding of how this literature can provide insight toward supporting a better me.
When we talk to people there seems to be a pervasive belief that the world is becoming a worse place with the passage of each day. This is in fact far from the truth. Statistics show that almost every aspect of life in the western world is improving for almost everyone. There is even a global trend that indicates improvement is being had in poor and under developed nations. I feel this is a point that needs to be explored as it is an indicator that humanity is moving in a positive direction, despite what the doomsday advocates would have us believe.
I sometimes wonder if we fear admitting that improvement is being actualized because we think everyone will sit back thinking the work is done. I'm worried that reports of impending doom are utilized to keep people alert to the fact that the populations and ecosystems are still in need. If you think about it, all the negativity actually has the opposite effect; it creates an atmosphere of what's referred to as collapse anxiety.
Collapse anxiety is plain and simply the fear that people exhibit when confronted with the dread of loosing all that they have acquired. We have tremendous liberal social freedoms, for a better part we can obtain anything that is essential to quality of life, and when times get tough, societal fears of anarchy reaches the minds of our citizens.
Yes we are in the midst of financial turmoil and the evening news is plastered with apocalyptic undertones, but if we can take refuge in the idea that the world is getting better we will push on even harder to keep a positive trend in play. The problem lies in when we feel defeated and are led to believe that things are progressively getting worse, we retreat into self preservation, caused from fear that we have to protect what we have.
The times we live in are challenging us to look at our consumption levels, as clearly, over consumption and stock piling of material indulgence will just give you more to worry about loosing. Perhaps, re-evaluating our misled sense of what we "need" can help us to come to terms with what we are acquiring based on "want". There is clearly a distinction between what is essential to a reasonably comfortable lifestyle; and that which is pure overindulgence.
Take comfort in the fact that the world is progressively getting better and this storm too shall pass. Don't allow these times to come and go without a lesson learned. Over consumption and constant acquiring of things provides immediate feelings of happiness that are fleeting and short lived. Once the pleasure of the attainment passes, we turn our attention to yet, the next item. Material pursuits for happiness are being acknowledged as the principle contributing factor to this financial crisis. Over abundance of material wealth has demonstrated time and time again to have no influence on human happiness. The only people who are shown to have improved levels of happiness in the attainment of more material wealth; are the poor. All data supports this fact.
I encourage you to take the time to sit back and look at all the things in your life to be thankful for and re-evaluate that list of things you need. Acknowledging that for which you are grateful has shown to improve ones happiness far beyond what purchasing a new gadget will reward.
This is a question that is explored at great length by author; Gregg Easterbrook, in his book; The Progress Paradox. I'll share my understanding of how this literature can provide insight toward supporting a better me.
When we talk to people there seems to be a pervasive belief that the world is becoming a worse place with the passage of each day. This is in fact far from the truth. Statistics show that almost every aspect of life in the western world is improving for almost everyone. There is even a global trend that indicates improvement is being had in poor and under developed nations. I feel this is a point that needs to be explored as it is an indicator that humanity is moving in a positive direction, despite what the doomsday advocates would have us believe.
I sometimes wonder if we fear admitting that improvement is being actualized because we think everyone will sit back thinking the work is done. I'm worried that reports of impending doom are utilized to keep people alert to the fact that the populations and ecosystems are still in need. If you think about it, all the negativity actually has the opposite effect; it creates an atmosphere of what's referred to as collapse anxiety.
Collapse anxiety is plain and simply the fear that people exhibit when confronted with the dread of loosing all that they have acquired. We have tremendous liberal social freedoms, for a better part we can obtain anything that is essential to quality of life, and when times get tough, societal fears of anarchy reaches the minds of our citizens.
Yes we are in the midst of financial turmoil and the evening news is plastered with apocalyptic undertones, but if we can take refuge in the idea that the world is getting better we will push on even harder to keep a positive trend in play. The problem lies in when we feel defeated and are led to believe that things are progressively getting worse, we retreat into self preservation, caused from fear that we have to protect what we have.
The times we live in are challenging us to look at our consumption levels, as clearly, over consumption and stock piling of material indulgence will just give you more to worry about loosing. Perhaps, re-evaluating our misled sense of what we "need" can help us to come to terms with what we are acquiring based on "want". There is clearly a distinction between what is essential to a reasonably comfortable lifestyle; and that which is pure overindulgence.
Take comfort in the fact that the world is progressively getting better and this storm too shall pass. Don't allow these times to come and go without a lesson learned. Over consumption and constant acquiring of things provides immediate feelings of happiness that are fleeting and short lived. Once the pleasure of the attainment passes, we turn our attention to yet, the next item. Material pursuits for happiness are being acknowledged as the principle contributing factor to this financial crisis. Over abundance of material wealth has demonstrated time and time again to have no influence on human happiness. The only people who are shown to have improved levels of happiness in the attainment of more material wealth; are the poor. All data supports this fact.
I encourage you to take the time to sit back and look at all the things in your life to be thankful for and re-evaluate that list of things you need. Acknowledging that for which you are grateful has shown to improve ones happiness far beyond what purchasing a new gadget will reward.
