Popular perceptions make us feel that money can buy us happiness. The toys we loved as kids, our first apartment, our first car and our first vacation were all procured through currency. It improves our standard of living. Without money, we cannot meet our basic needs of food, clothing and shelter. Hence, from an early age, our minds learnt to associate pleasure with currency. But does that mean it makes us happy?
World economic data reveals that the average person in the world today is 4.4 times richer than in 1950. Growth and prosperity today allow us to purchase beyond mere need. With the global mean household income improving, homes today are larger, gadgets abound and luxuries have become common. Despite this, the number of people saying they are happy has reduced. Depression, divorce, teen suicide—all are on the rise in unprecedented numbers. Why?
The Happiness Paradox
The things that money can buy are pleasures that thrill us only for a little while. Understand it from your own experience of life. For example, during school days, a day trip would satisfy you, but on entering college, you needed a vacation in Goa. And a few years into your career, the idea of a Goa holiday seemed bland. Now, for the same joy, you craved a pleasure trip to Europe. We may own a BMW instead of a Maruti, a Rolex watch instead of an HMT, but this cycle of desiring the next big thing in the hope of happiness never satiates. Increasing our standard of living never directly translates to a better quality of life.
In fact, by increasing our external standards, we take on more responsibilities, creating more worries. Burdens of house, job, taxes and bills consume us. We reach a fulfilment ceiling beyond which wealth and its upkeep actually work against us. The double-storeyed house and expensive car do not provide the joy that carefree walks in the park gave us. This explains the happiness paradox the world faces today. Externally, we put on the facade of thriving, while internally, we feel drained. Thus, while money is important to meet our survival needs, beyond a certain limit, the pleasures that money buys only crest.
The True Value
Beyond provisions of basic present and future needs, the right value of money lies in its usage to purchase beautiful life experiences. For example, spending on a trip to Ladakh in the Himalayas is more valuable than purchasing a new car. Such experiences often require overcoming challenges and accomplishing tasks. They shift our focus from ‘having’ to ‘doing’. They come with stories that can be talked about and shared with others. They leave lasting impressions, memories, and learnings. Hence, beyond basic needs, the real contribution of money lies in gaining experiential happiness that is far greater than possessive happiness.
Immediate Thrill vs Long-Term Fulfillment
The Vedas speak of two kinds of happiness: Shreya and Preya. Shreya is bitter initially but becomes sweet later. Such worthwhile pleasures often require effort and self-discipline and therefore turn out beneficial in the long run. In contrast, Preya is sweet at first but turns into poison later. Such a pleasant path is actually deceiving.
For example, to be a couch potato needs no effort (Preya), but to achieve good health, we must go through the drudgery of daily exercise and a healthy diet (Shreya). Other examples of such happiness include apologising to save a relationship rather than succumbing to our ego; sacrificing time, effort and money to volunteer for a noble cause; relinquishing sleep to wake up early for spiritual practice, saving money by giving up immediate pleasures for a comfortable retirement, etc.
The easy path ignites craving, while the difficult one brings contentment. One brings comfort, while the other challenges and rewards with satisfaction. One is momentary, while the other is evolutionary. Shreya results from pursuing meaningful goals, which provide us with a sense of fulfilment and well-being aligned with our true self. The strife for excellence by forgoing present pleasure for greater future gain unleashes the infinite potential of our soul and engenders self-improvement.
The pursuit of a higher purpose inspires us to live virtuously. It results in personal growth that stays with us forever helping us face life with more confidence and hope. On the contrary, if we seek happiness by avoiding pain, we make wrong choices and subsequently suffer the consequences.
Life puts a variety of joys on our platter, and we must choose from them. Lasting happiness requires choosing the more difficult path—we must reject Preya and select Shreya. Uncover a deeper kind of happiness that cannot be purchased, rather, is cultivated within ourselves.
Swami Mukundananda is an acclaimed teacher of spirituality, yoga and meditation, and author, most recently of The Art & Science of Happiness, published by Penguin Random House
The easy path ignites craving, while the difficult one brings contentment. One brings comfort, while the other challenges and rewards with satisfaction. One is momentary, while the other is evolutionary.