Entry 6: "What Is Wrong with Happiness?"

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Hi all:

This is another piece by Zygmunt Bauman.

He elaborates here on some of the themes in the previous article with special attention to the question of happiness.

Are we happy, he asks, in the consumer society? How can we be, he seems to ask, if consumerism depends on exciting ever new desires?  How then can we ever be satisfied?

Again, as with previous posts to the blog, pick an interesting quotation, type it in, and write a few lines about why you picked it.  Or try to paraphrase his line of thinking.  You can of course include a quotation in this too.


Nick

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"In a society of shoppers and a life of shoppers we are happy as long as we haven't lost the hope of becoming happy; we are secure from unhappiness as long as some of that hope is still ticking" (64,15).

I chose this quotes because it fits well with my idea of our consumer society. It states that shoppers are happy as long as there is still hope of becoming happy. The idea behind a consumer society is to consume, consume, and consume some more. What reason would there be to consume if it didnt give off a sense of happiness? Buying new stuff gives of a feeling of delight for that particular moment in time. Once that moment has passed we turn back to shopping and buying to find that moment again. Consuming is a sure fire way for our society to be happy. If we lost the abillity to consume at our own free will then sadly as a society we would lose our ability to be happy. We rely on the ability to dispose of items that used to make us happy and buy new items that will make us happy. This never ending cycle is what keeps the hope of being happy alive. In a consumer society there is no happiness unless one is consuming.

"The pursuit of happiness will never end - its end would be equal to the end of happiness as such. The secure state of happiness not being attainable, it is only the chase of that stubborn elusive target that can keep runners (however moderately) happy. On that track leading to happiness, there is no finishing line." (61)

This quote reminded me of another quote that I've heard quite a few times. "Happiness is not a destination, it is a journey." With this said, I definitely believe that happiness is not the only positive emotion. We have such a range of emotions and sometimes being unhappy isn't so bad. As a human being, we experience different things through life and we can't always be happy. With consumerism, we believe that we are constantly looking for a product, a person, an idea to live by to have a "happily ever after," but there is no finishing line. We keep on living because there is only temporary happiness, but we must enjoy it while we can. This idea of spending money instead of time, effort, care, and love into the things we believe in only give us a temporary feeling. If we use our own feelings, effort, and time instead of our money, maybe we could be a little happier on how we view life.

"Uncertainty is the natural habitat of human life - though the hope of escaping uncertainty is the engine of human life pursuits." (67)

I thought this quote was intriguing because Bauman presents the idea that uncertainty is a natural phenomena, yet we as a people are constantly trying to erase it from our lives (and that is what drives us). People are trying to attain happiness from consumption, when actually that is what is sucking us dry of our true happiness. Consumerism is an endless, vicious cycle that forces us to purchase ideal goods which in turn forces us to work more to buy these goods which then eliminates our free time to do activities that are actually beneficial to our overall well-being. Bauman says that "we need to attempt the impossible" to achieve our happiness goal.

"Observers suggest that about half the goods crucial for human happiness have no market price and can't be purchased in shops." "...the losses exceed the gains and the capacity of increased income to generate happiness is overtaken by the unhappiness caused by a shrinking access to the goods which 'money cant buy'." (page 59)
I really like these two quotes. Basically, they're saying that the things that actually make us happy cant be bought and our wealth limits our access to these things. As a society we try to become as rich a possible because to us, rich=successful. However, by being rich and buying things, we become unhappy because we are limiting our own access to thing things that should make us happy. We seek happiness in items and riches, rather than in the riches of life like family, friends, and laughter, and this makes us unhappy. It's incredibly true that we cant buy happiness, yet we try day in and day out. We miss the things that truly make us happy by pursuing those things that CAN'T make us happy. We work all day and meaninglessly shop when we could be appreciating the beauty of the Earth or spending time with loved ones in order to buy items that wont make us happy but we think we need. We set aside what will actually make us happy, what we can't buy, for things we can buy that we think will make us happy.Consumerism is forcing our society to completely miss the point and remain unhappy.

"the most prestigious and exclusive designer shops introduce waiting list-clearly for no other purpose than to enhance the distinction with which the waited-for tokens of identity endow their buyer" (64) What I think this quote means is that the prestigious most expensive shops create a waiting list solely for the purpose to grant its buyers a feeling of recognition and social status for purchasing their product. It basically states that if a person is on the waiting list for a product, that person is of a higher social status because he or she had been put on a list to buy a product, and that waiting for the product makes the product being purchased more valuable. I chose to write this quote because it reminded me of my friends in high school who would wait in line to purchase new Nike SB or Air Jordan shoes. They would wait in line for hours to purchase a shoe that cost $200-300 dollars, although they made a business out of it by waiting for the shoes to gain value over years, much like comic books, and eventually sell it to gain profit. I believe that there are people out there who waited in line for the shoes and actually wore them or played basketball in them eventually damaging a $200-300 dollar shoe, this type of consumerism always left me scratching my head as to why someone would pay so much money for a shoe to play basketball in that is eventually going to be tore up and worth nothing. I concluded that it was the recognition on the court that people wanted, not the improvement in their basketball game.

"By subtly shifting the dream of happiness from the vision of a full and fully gratifying life to the search for means believed to be needed for such a life to be reached, markets see to it that pursuit can never end." (pg. 61)
This quote uncovers the way in which markets keep the consumerist cycle running without an end. The ultimate dream of happiness has a constantly changing visage which keeps people always wanting the new things on the market. As the quote says: "means believed to be needed" clearly point out that non essentials cloud the idea of happiness when in reality without these items people would be perfectly fine. A main focus of this article lies in the cliche that money can't buy happiness but in today's society people choose to ignore that reality and continue to year for satisfaction that material goods will never be fit to fulfill.

" We live in an era where 'waiting' has become a dirty word. ... We can't be bothered to wait for Mr or Mrs Right to come along, so we speed date..."(60, Laura Potter).

Being happy, there's no limit to it. Happy is an emotion that can disappear as quickly as it appears. Sometimes it doesn't appear at all. Our culture IS raised to believe that happiness is the key too success, but what's wrong with expressing other emotions such as sadness?
The whole idea of waiting has become extinct. There is always a rush to get things done. To see who finishes first in the race rather than being proud of who actually finishes. We seem to think that the faster we find our happiness, the longer we will be content. However I don't think that's true. I think that working on happiness is the most rewarding part. For example, quick sales such as clothing and accessories come and go. They are used a couple times and ultimately recycled by the time your bored of it. However, working on purchasing a car is a long process. It's a great piece of machinery and will take you anywhere. (Although some people can hardly wait to buy the new model, I still think having a car is a bonus.) Consumerism isn't teaching us to be proud of the things we have, it coaxes us to continue trying to "finish first" and "win the race". But what is winning? What is happiness?

“This is what the label, the logo, and the location can do for their customers: guide them on the confusingly twisted, booby-trapped road to happiness.” (63)
This quote ties back into the dilemma that advertisers, or in this case “the label” and “the logo,” cause between consumers and their necessity to shop, and it also adds the concept of a permanently reachable state of happiness. The road to happiness established by advertisers is a “booby-trapped” one because they constantly entangle you with gimmicks. They make you believe that what they are selling to you is what currently is “in,” however, in reality, they themselves control what is and what is not “in.” That power over trends allows advertisers to manipulate people into buying their products and to routinely visit their shops to see what is “in” sometimes only a few weeks after their initial visit. The road to happiness is a “confusingly twisted” one because of the constant need to keep up with the changing trends, as the trends fluctuate so does the consumer’s happiness. Happiness is always in reach but never attainable for long moments because of the way that society has so closely associated happiness with affluence and essentially, style.

"If the quality of tap water goes on deteriorating all over the place, more and more money will be spent on buying bottled water to be carried in our rucksacks or travel bags on all trips, long or short (we will be asked to swill the contents of the bottle on the spot whenever we approach this side of the airport security check, and need to buy another bottle on the other side of the checkpoint)." This tactic of consumption does not make me happy, it actually makes me mad. How many times have I had to throw away food, water, products, etc. to try to get through airports and amusement parks? TOO many to count. This wasteful practice has been tugging on my conscious but when it comes down to it, there's nothing we (as normal people) can do about it. Happiness definitely does not come from throwing away a perfectly good water bottle when it's obvious there are some countries where people die from a lack of clean water. And why do people do this? Because companies force citizens to consume more of their products. It's ridiculous how far people go to sell multitudes of their products. It's hard to keep the quote "And so the key to happiness and the antidote to misery is to keep hope of becoming happy alive." instilled in ones brain. There's so much going on in this world that sometimes people forget to make time for happiness. It's a sad reality that I can only hope will change over time.

“Observers suggest that about half the goods crucial for human happiness have no market price and can’t be purchased in shops. Whatever your cash and credit standing, you won’t find in a shopping mall love and friendship, the pleasures of domesticity, the satisfaction that comes from caring for loved ones” (55).
I find this quote interesting because many people believe that true happiness lies solely on the acquirement of purchased goods. Many, like myself, go out shopping, sometimes multiple times in one week, in the hopes of buying products that will give us a temporary high. Even if we do not buy anything, the experience of seeing new, beautiful clothing or even technology can be enough to make us feel fulfilled for the day. I can honestly say that some of my happiest experiences have been the moments after purchasing or being surprised with a product I had previously desired, and as I reflect, I find this to be somewhat unfortunate. At the end of the day, like this quote implies, our true happiness can only come from the love of our family and friends and life-changing experiences. Like the saying goes, “the best things in life are free”.

"Observers suggest that about half the goods crucial for human happiness have no market price and can't be purchased in shops. Whatever your cash and credit standing, you won't find in a shopping mall love and friendship, the pleasures of domesticity, the satisfaction that comes from caring for loved ones or helping a neighbor in distress, the self-esteem to be drawn from work well done, gratifying the "workmanship instinct' common to us all, the appreciation, sympathy and respect of workmates and other people with whom once associates; you won't find their freedom from the threats of disregard, contempt, snubs, and humiliation. " I picked this quote because it shows the things that truly make us happy aren't available in stores on online. We get real happiness from helping people and spending time with loved ones. Being able to make others feel good makes us feel good. All the advertisements placed everywhere in our lives blind us from this. We have forgotten where real happiness comes from. Sure, maybe buying a nice watch or shirt might make us feel better but it will only be by a tiny amount. It is not as significant as being with friends or family.

"Observers suggest that about half the goods crucial for human happiness have no market price and can't be purchased in shops. Whatever your cash and credit standing, you won't find in a shopping mall love and friendship, the pleasures of domesticity, the satisfaction that comes from caring for loved ones or helping a neighbor in distress...Frequently does, that the losses exceed the gains and the capacity of increased income to generate happiness is overtaken by the unhappiness caused by a shrinking access to the goods which 'money can't buy' " (5, 59). These two quotes truly stood out to me because they are extremely true in society especially now more than ever. If we really think about it, most of the things that genuinely make us happy in life can't be bought. That old cliche saying that 'the best things in life are free' is exceptionally accurate. To be sincerely happy at the end of the day, we need love, nurture, care, and laughter! The new boots at the mall will soon fall out of style but our friends and family are the people that we can always count on to cheer us up when we're upset. They are the people that bring true joy to our lives. Or even just the gratification that comes with helping others or giving back to those in need can give us a genuine feeling of happiness. Sadly, many of us are stuck on trying to achieve happiness through ways that cannot be bought. The true key for happiness seems to continue being overlooked even though it is the simplest way to be happy.

“In a society of shoppers and a life of shopping we are happy as long as we haven’t lost the hope of becoming happy; we are secure from unhappiness as long as some of that hope is still ticking. And so the key to happiness and the antidote to misery is to keep the hope of becoming happy alive.” I picked this quote because it reminds me of the movie, The Pursuit of Happiness starring Will Smith. In life, there will always be ups and downs, maybe more downs than ups because sometimes we only seem to remember the bad things but forget the good ones. I believe what keeps us alive and striving for the better every day is hope. Most people succeed because they are optimistic on what the future would bring. Of course, no one knows what’s going to happen but as long as we have fate, there will always be a glimpse of light at the end of that dark tunnel. When I think about how this quote relates to this article, I see that there isn’t anything wrong with wanting happiness. In our society, many of us find hope and happiness in consumerism. It is understandable that everyone deals with life differently and in our world, most people turn to shopping. Shopping gives me that rush and joy when I find that perfect black dress or cute heels. I’m sure many others know that feeling too and that’s why our nation is a consumers’ country. So what is wrong with consumerism if it continues to feed us the hope that we need to continue to be happy?

"Observers suggest that about half the goods crucial for human happiness have no market price and can't be purchased in shops. Whatever your cash and credit standing, you won't find in a shopping mall love and friendship, the pleasures of domesticity, the satisfaction that comes from caring for loved ones or helping a neighbor in distress, the self-esteem to be drawn from work well done, gratifying the 'workmanship instinct' common to us all, the appreciation, sympathy and respect of workmates and others with whom one associates;" (59)
The quotes very much so represents the complete opposite of what society makes happiness to be. In a consumeristic society, you constantly buy things in order to stay happy. Happiness is technically something that cannot be bought. The old saying "happiness can't be bought" has been diminished by our current society as flashy advertisements and commercials say that having something will make us feel better about ourselves when in reality the best things that can make us feel better about ourselves are the things that are free like gratitude and love. Everything that is supposedly make us happy will soon fade away as time goes on and you will once again feel the way you did before buying that item. Many continue on that cycle of buying new things in order to keep us happy, but will never truly realize the happiness that can be achieved without spending a single cent.

haha. how funny that 5 comments were with the same quotes! just had to comment that.

"The close correlation between economic growth and enhanced happiness is widely believed to be one of the least questionable truths, perhaps even the most self-evident" (58,2).
I really ponder upon what this quote is actually saying about money and happiness. Statistically, the richer you are, the happier you are, but the question always remains lying there for the whole world to argue about; does having a lot of money really make you happy? I don't know where I would stand in this argument, but i feel that having money will actually make you happier. Especially with the world developing a materialistic consumer culture, having money allows you to do the things you want to. As many people would say, do what you love even if you make absolutely no money that all, I question whether the person would really be happy with supporting the family on a super low income. Through experience from my family, money plays a huge factor in our world. My family is happily married and all but money becomes a problem sometimes; the money problem is not as bad as I say it is, but I needed an experience to further my stance on the question. I picked this quote out just because I encounter this statement through all of the decisions I make. Either happiness or money comes into play when I make my decision. For example, if I contemplate on whether to go to class or not, I think about the tuition my mom pays and I unconsciously question my happiness. Its just a cool quote where I read it and knew that I had to pick it for this assignment.

"Societies like ours moved by millions of men and women pursuing happiness, are getting richer, but it is far from clear whether they are getting happier. " (57) This is a common misconception that the richer you are, the happier you will become. We all strive to be happy, and in America, the ideal lifestyle is having more and more money. We want people around us to believe that as well because this drive boosts our consumer economy. People buy more with more money, hoping to be happier. Instead, this happiness is all just temporary. Studies show happiness has actually declined over the years, as America becomes richer as a nation. Crime rates also increase. There are more robberies and business corruption. We stray away from what really makes humans happy and instead become lost in consumer goods. As cheesy as it sounds, money can't buy happiness. Humans need love to truly be happy.

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About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by Nick Tingle published on December 7, 2012 11:33 AM.

Entry 5: Response to "Consumerism versus Consumption" was the previous entry in this blog.

Entry 7: Response to "Propaganda" is the next entry in this blog.

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