Youth Futures: Finding Happiness without Money

Friday

Aug192011

Friday, August 19, 2011

Guest post by J. Z. Colby

What makes us happy? Safety, food, shelter. Without those basics, we are under constant stress. Companionship, affection, love. Those are important for happiness. Finally, meaning and purpose bring a feeling of deep satisfaction.

It's easy to think that if we don't have comfortable middle-class (or better) lives, we won't be happy. After all, we're "consumers," aren't we? How can we be good consumers without lots of money?

That's a choice many people, without thinking, will make if the economy stays bad or gets worse. If their comfortable lives slip away because of unemployment or other big money problems, they will think they have lost their source of happiness. They might become depressed, maybe even kill themselves. Either way, they won't be much fun to be around.

It's soul-searching time. Will you fall into that trap? Does your happiness require spending lots of money? Does your self-worth have a price tag? Are you just a "consumer"?

Until the middle of the last century, very few people had much money. Almost everyone was, by our standards, very poor. And yet, children still played, they grew up and went out on dates, fell in love, and started families. The circle of life goes on.

If you can, find somewhere to sit down on the ground. You know, real dirt or grass. A crackling campfire would be nice, but is optional. Notice the natural things around you: rocks, plants, insects, maybe a bird or dog, clouds, sky. You are now connected to your ancestors going back at least 30,000 years. They lived in caves, hunted animals, and painted pictures on the walls. They saw and thought about the same things you are seeing. A few of those plants might be edible, others poisonous. Some insects sting. Is that dog your protector or your enemy?

Now stand up and look at something recently man-made, like the plastic siding on your house, or your metal and plastic car. Can you feel the connection with your ancestors fade away as your mind shifts to taking pride in your modern comforts?

Sit down on the ground again. Feel that connection once more with the boys and girls, men and women, who painted pictures on cave walls. They had nothing compared to us. No stores, no cars, no electricity. They took joy in the same things that bring happiness today: a tasty meal, warm clothes and bedding, the smile of a friend or lover.

The trick to being happy without money is to choose your "point of view" carefully. If you become poor, and insist on looking "down" on your new situation from where you were, you will only see what you don't have. That'll make you unhappy, guaranteed.

Back on the ground, at least in your mind. Feel the hard floor of the cave, smell the food cooking at the fire, see the eyes of your people gleaming in the dim light. What do you have? Almost nothing. What are you guaranteed? Just death.

Now look "up" from where you are and start seeing what you have. It's a lot more than your cave ancestors had. Will life be hard? Probably. It always has been, except for some of us from 1945 to 2007.

Start with the basics. You need a "cave," some "furs" to keep you warm, and your "weapons" for the "hunt." Those are probably a room and a stove, some used clothing and blankets, and the tools of whatever work you can do. Chances are you have at least that much already.

Now stop. Sit and breathe. Remember that you now have everything most of your ancestors had. Find that core happiness inside you. You are alive on a beautiful planet. If you don't grab that inner happiness now, and instead you start chasing more "stuff," that happiness will always be just out of reach in the future. It's your choice.

J. Z. Colby is the author of the Nebador series, young-adult science fiction stories filled with wit-sharpening and skill-honing challenges, mental, emotional, and spiritual, for 21st century youth: www.nebador.com

Born in the Mojave Desert, J. Z. Colby now lives and writes deep in a forest of the Pacific Northwest. He has studied many subjects, formally and informally, including psychology, philosophy, education, and performing arts, but remains a generalist. His primary profession as a mental health counselor, specializing with families and young adults, gives him many stories of personal growth, and the motivation to develop his team of young critiquers and readers. All his life, he has been drawn toward a broad understanding of human nature, especially those physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual situations in which our capacity to function seems to reach its limits. He finds fascinating those few individuals who can transcend the limits of our common human nature and the dictates of our cultures. In his spare time, he flies helicopters and airplanes.

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Reader Comments (3)

Great sentiments! I enjoyed the way you painted a picture for us. Something to re-read again and again!

From a fellow YA SciFi author!

August 20, 2011 |

Mark Whiteway

J. Z.., I'm not a writer of YA SciFi. As a writer of prehistoric fiction, though, I enjoyed reading your post. Our "modern" consumer goods will never interest me as much as the natural world does.

August 22, 2011 |

Ron Fritsch

December 14, 2011 |

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