Capitalism and (Un)Happiness

1 John 2:15-17 - Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world-- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions-- is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing along with its desires...

           The ultimate goal of capitalism is profit, 100% profit.  Basically, you give up nothing and get something in return, or, you give up something of lesser value in exchange for something more valuable.  Capitalism is designed around profit and then more profit.  As if “profit” is some abstract, immeasurable, infinite thing everyone can get.  That’s where there is a problem though; profit of any kind is always very finite, whether that is some kind of material, object, or currency.  You don’t “create” profit; it’s there for the taking.  Capitalism is based around the fallacious idea that anybody can be rich if they work hard enough.  In order to become rich, one must take money/resources from someone else first by means of selling a product, a service, taxation, etc…  The rich cannot exist without the poor and vice versa.  It’s all about the balance of resources (or imbalance, if you will).  That isn’t the issue at hand here, though, because I am no economy guru.  In fact, the concepts I (think I) understand in the business context are very basic at best.  Most importantly, I question, how does this fundamental model of capitalism reflect in western society’s lifestyle?  Is it good?  Is it bad?  How has it affected our psyche?  

The business model of capitalism is “more, more, more... never-ending more,” and the psychological model matches that exactly.  This capitalistic train of thought has infected our minds, producing a very negative affect on our psyche.  More clothes, more technology, more money, plainly stated… more STUFF.   I see so many people who always want more “things” and, quite frankly, that’s where the main focus of their life resides.  Can one ever be TRULY happy if he/she always wants more?  I would answer no, absolutely not.  Happiness via materials/resources is only a very superficial and shallow form of happiness.  I say that because in order for a person to be truly happy, there needs to be some level of complacency.  All caps and bold letters may help get one message across that should be taken from this not-so-well-organized rant:  IF YOU ALWAYS WANT MORE, YOU’LL CONTINUE TO WANT MORE UNTIL YOUR LAST BREATH.  Is that how you picture happiness to be?  Wanting more never yields true happiness.

 As materialism and the capitalistic mindset thrive, depression rates are also at an all-time high.  Nearly 10% of the American adult population has been diagnosed with clinical depression.  Now, I see a lot of luxury vehicles and an abundance of people that have a considerable amount of “things.” The fact that 1 out of every 10 adults has been diagnosed with depression (not to mention an X amount of adults who haven’t pursued professional help) shows me that “more, more, more” isn’t the real pursuit of happiness.   Also, one of the main causes of depression is stress and nearly 75% of adults who report experiencing extreme stress say it is due to financial woes and worries.  Do you see the correlation here?  I’d argue that to genuinely achieve happiness, one must redirect his/her VALUES away from VALUABLES.

 

Simply put, appreciate the small things or, as I’ve blogged previously, the little miracles.  Love, family, friends, food, water, this wonderful day, the very breath you take, and the simple necessities the Lord has given us to survive.  Be grateful for the many things you often take for granted.  Then, my friends, you’ll find true happiness and an honorably profitable state of mind. 

Until next time…

Check me out on twitter:  @PrallyD

Intricately Designed

A popular question I'm sure many of you have contemplated for yourself is "chance or design?"  Are we here by random chance or was our planet/universe designed by a creator?  Both sides of this argument, at their core, boil down to theory.  There isn't any "evidence" that exists which points to an answer about our creation.  It simply comes down to one's preference of science or faith.

For me, that choice seems fairly easy.  As I look at the world around me, I see a world full of things that have been designed.  An engine, watch, cell phone, computer, television, houses, works of art... the list could go on forever.  Each of these named things have been carefully designed and given a purpose by a designer; man.  I use that same form of logic when I look around at the world and how it works.  Our planet is like a carefully designed machine: different parts of all sizes working together with specific purposes in order to keep the whole part running.  To me, that doesn't seem to be something that is likely to happen merely by chance, but only by our Creator's hand.   Let's look at a few examples of how our world operates together to enhance our chance of survival (I am no scientist, these are VERY basic examples):

Honeybees:  the honey bee is very under-appreciated by us.  Honeybees pollinate 80 percent of our flowering crops (1/3 of everything we eat).  Without these bees, our diet would be very limited at best.  Not only are crops such as soybeans, broccoli, celery, nuts, and many fruits dependent on bees, but they also pollinate the majority of alfalfa, which is crucial to our cattle's diet.  The honeybee is one of the most important factors in our food supply.  What would we do without them?  Probably eat grains and drink water.

Marine Algae:  many of us have been brought to believe that rainforests are the main producer of the oxygen we desperately need to survive, but that isn't the case (although they are important, producing roughly 1/3 of the oxygen).  Marine algae, yes that nasty looking green stuff, produces 70 percent of the oxygen we breathe daily.  The plants produce the gas as a byproduct photosynthesis.  We literally would not survive without single celled, photosynthetic algae.  Crazy thought, huh?

Termites and Cockroaches:  as I read those bold letters, my first thought is, "ew."  Not so much when you realize what these little critters do for us though.  Termites recycle tons of cellulose-containing materials (such as dead trees and plants), returning them to the soil as nutrient-rich mulch.  For those of you who have been doing your landscaping this spring, you understand the importance of good mulch.  Cockroaches are even more important to humans than termites.  These roaches, like termites, also break down dead plant and animal material.  Without the existence of the cockroach through time (about 250 million years), scientists suggest that our rainforests would be smothered in decaying material.

It seems to me that our world is analogous to an intricately designed machine;  gears turning, notch in notch, helping the next one turn respectively.  Earth's ecosystem is full of checks and balances that work together to keep it operating efficiently.  Is this all by chance?  Sure, it could be, but that's not what I choose to believe and choice is exactly what answers this question for each of us.

 (A precursor to my next blog:  People with a Purpose)  Behind everything designed, there's a purpose.  Even things we don't fully understand (yet) have purpose.  I'll leave you with one hypothetical situation:

Imagine something so tiny that we can only view it through a microscope.  We don't understand its purpose, but we notice the even smaller parts of it kind of bouncing back and forth in interaction with one another.  Do you think it could have purpose?  If you answered "no," do you also think we have no purpose?  To put it into perspective, that's exactly what we are.  In the scale of the universe, we are merely a microscopic spec of dust... if that.



Until next time...

Check me out on twitter:  @PrallyD

10 Lessons I've Learned in (Slightly Over) a Quarter-Century

I was reflecting a bit the other night and I just wanted to share the things that came to my mind.  Here we go, some lessons that I have learned so far during my short stay on this planet...

1. Santa Claus isn’t real: I don’t care what anybody says, the physics ARE NOT possible. No man of that weight, with that large of a beard, could possibly travel at a speed sufficient enough to cover the entire world in one night. Plus, Second Amendment advocates would probably shoot a large man wearing a funny outfit if he entered their home without invite. Okay… now that’s out of the way, I can move onto actual lessons haha.

2. Differences are GOOD: A negative connotation often comes with the idea that people may be different than oneself. Dress differently, worship differently (or not at all), speak differently, have contrasting interests, etc… Many people are simply scared of differences because they are so comfortable with their own beliefs and ways. To me, life is all about progress. I don’t see a conceivable way for myself to progress as an individual nor any way we could progress as a species without having contrasting views and beliefs. Embrace the differences, open your mind to new concepts if only to hear them out, and be unique!

3. Our lives can be completely changed in just an instant: The phone call that you’ve lost somebody you love dearly, the message notifying you that you’ve received your dream job or been accepted into the college you’ve ALWAYS wanted to attend, the very moment you realize you’ve accomplished a dream of yours, seeing the “positive” on a pregnancy test, etc… There are many examples, positive and negative, but when it all comes down to it, there are many things that can change our lives quickly and forever.

4. Giving to others yields happiness: Studies everywhere indicate this principle. When giving to others, we find happiness, worthiness, and purpose within our own lives. Three things every human being has a right to feel and if anybody tells you that you deserve differently, you shouldn’t involve them in your life. I believe that depression and anxiety are so abundant in our society because we live in an individualistic world. Many people worry about themselves before others. Those material things that I always see people showing off aren’t the cause of real happiness, but only momentary happiness. Real happiness doesn’t fade. So, give and keep giving.

5. Time is relentless: It never stops. And, if it does, you better fix your damn clock. The longer we wait, the more opportunity we miss out on. Procrastination never leads us to anything good. It only leads to more stress in the future. If you’ve got a dream, go chase it. If your health is lacking due to no discipline in your diet or exercise, start making that change now before it’s too late. If you love somebody, tell them. If your grades are low because you always wait until the last second, STOP waiting. I could go on forever, but I’m sure you all get the general idea.

6. Christianity is a lifestyle: I believe that many people identify as a Christian… and that’s it. Maybe they’ll go to church from time to time or something to that effect, but they’ll leave it at that. In my eyes, it’s about much more than only identifying and attending church. To be a Christian, in my opinion, is a lifestyle and a very challenging one because, first, we must admit that we are only human and we do make mistakes. The lifestyle extends much further outside of the doors of the church and we must involve our faith in decisions we make in every facet of life. Many nonreligious people often tell me that being a Christian is “for the confused,” or “an easy way out.” Well, quite honestly, there’s a large bit of responsibility and vulnerability that comes with living a Christian lifestyle and this faith has challenged me more than anything else I’ve faced in my lifetime.

7. History only repeats because we refuse to learn from our mistakes:  That’s pretty self-explanatory.  I’m not going to dig too deep into any specifics because I’m sure we can all see these things in our personal lives, locally, and globally.  It seems like we, as individuals and a whole, make the same mistakes over and over again.

8. Failure is the key ingredient to success:  Don’t live in fear of failure, it’s an indicator you’re on the track to success.  You need to learn from those failures (as suggested in lesson 7) and apply whatever it is that you learned.  There are few people, if any, that don’t experience failure on the road to success.  Failure should be a lesson and a motivator, not a discouragement.  

9. Compromise:  One of the most important factors to sustain a healthy relationship of any type is compromise.   Give a little, get a little.  Do things with your loved one that you may not enjoy but he or she does.  Then, although you may not like the specific activity, just be appreciative that you can experience it with him or her.  Love is about more than only yourself, it’s about a partnership.

10. I’ve still got a lot to learn:  And so do we all.  If I know one thing, it’s that I really don’t know a thing at all.  Life is abundant with lessons for us to learn every single day.   I look forward to the new lessons of tomorrow and to reflect on the ones yesterday.


Until next time....




Check me out on Twitter:  @PrallyD