The troubles of life

Some people believe that personal happiness is directly related to economic success. Others believe there are other factors. Discuss the two sides and give your opinion.

The pursuit of happiness has long been the dream of generations of human beings. They have always been puzzled by the essence of happiness. What is happiness? Is it closely related to one’s economic success? Will one’s financial success lead to happiness directly? Personally, I don’t agree that one’s economic success is the only prerequisite of one’s happiness in life.

Happiness may fall into different categories. An old saying goes like this: “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”. Happiness may mean being a successful and respected leader of a company, or a stable and comfortable job in a large international company, or a big flat downtown, a fantastic set of furniture, etc. However, happiness can also be a harmonious and peaceful family, or a hospitable and considerate friend, or just a smile, a gesture, a hint. In fact, happiness may be composed of anything you could ever think of. At least, we may have two types of happiness: spiritual happiness and materialistic happiness.

One’s materialistic happiness is dependant on one’s economic success, though not completely. Without a strong and steady economic background, one could never imagine an easy and simple life, let alone an affluent and luxurious one. If you aren’t able to afford a house, a car, or even a book, anybody would be horrified at the mere mention of this kind of life. Definitely, some people will feel happy right away if their basic demands for life are satisfied. However, we have to admit that these people still need to be successful materialistically to some degree.

On the other hand, one’s success in economy may not necessarily lead to one’s spiritual happiness. As we all know, money doesn’t get you everything and some even say that money is the root of all evils. One’s financial success may be built on the sacrifice of time, health and love, which are the three most essential elements of spiritual happiness. All of us are not new to this picture: a successful business man tasting loneliness alone with a broken heart.

In my point of view, one’s economic success is only one of the key factors of happiness, but never the only one. To be happy, one needs to be both spiritually and materially satisfied though each of us may have a totally different picture of happiness.