Sunday, January 28, 2001		Article

Prosperity continues but are we really happier?
By I.M. Soni

PEOPLE the world over equate wealth with happiness. And in their pursuit of more "happiness," they have sought more and more money. If material wealth were the source of true happiness, then those experiencing a higher standard of living should be deliriously happy!

But are they? What people have not learned is that material possessions, alone, do not produce happiness. Happiness is a state of mind. A person can be happy whether he is rich or poor — if he pursues the right values and goals in life.

People today have their goals and value all mixed up. Millions have made the acquisition of material wealth their goal in life — assuming that this will result in true happiness. But has it really?

In spite of the general increase in the standard of living throughout the world, there is more unhappiness than ever before. Even though the developed nations have a higher standard of living, people still want more ! Husbands and wives — in their never-ending desire for more material goods — have gone head over heels in debt! This means endless arguments and marital strife! And that too in front of the children.

Living beyond one’s means and trying to "keep up with the Joneses" never made anyone happy. In their ever-increasing pursuit of more material possessions, some people even turn to crime to acquire them. In spite of unprecedented prosperity, America leads the world in crime as well as in divorce.

Crime and lawlessness are viewed as the top domestic problems. Crime and violence have become a grave concern. Along with the increase in the divorce and crime rates in our affluent society, has come a widening of the generation gap. Parents have tried to provide their youngsters with more material possessions than they had as children. But this has not brought them closer. Instead, the generation gap is becoming wider!

More and more young people are becoming disillusioned with the moral standards and cut-throat competition of their materialistic elders. They have decided such a life is not for them. They want something different. They want something exciting, and new.

Why this rise in divorce and crime in the midst of unprecedented prosperity? Why the generation gap? What is wrong with our way of life? Why has not a high standard of living brought real happiness? Is prosperity actually a curse instead of a blessing?

The real cause of our mounting social problems and lack of happiness is not a higher standard of living. Increased wealth and prosperity should bring increased happiness! The problem is we have not learned how to rightly use and enjoy the prosperity we have been blessed with !

The reason for worldwide unrest, unhappy marriages, the spiralling divorce rate, juvenile delinquency, crime and other mounting social problems is a lack of the right kind of education! All these conditions are a direct result of the missing dimension in education.

This missing dimension itself is dual. There are actual two spheres of education. The first is the academic sphere, where the very foundation of knowledge should be taught. The meaning and the purpose of life, right goals and true values should be explained. Principles underlying real education are missing from all levels of instruction today!

Right education is not of the intellect alone, but of the whole personality — the whole individual. Intellectual, spiritual and moral values receive an equal emphasis.

The second part of this missing dimension in education is the sphere of home and family. Education should begin at home, with enlightened teaching in family relations, the sanctity of marriage, proper child-rearing and respect for authority.

Often, parents ignore and neglect the proper training and teaching of their children. They are too busy pursing their own interests to pay attention to the needs of their children.

Too often, therefore, children are just "raised," not reared. They grow up in a permissive atmosphere of abandon and are not properly taught respect for authority.

They are left on their own, without proper guidance, and encouragement. The problem is compounded when divorce rips homes asunder!

The only way to establish a proper life is to ensure right education at home on issues that initially affect life and relationships.