Is it just me or do we put way too much emphasis on financial well-being as a measure of life’s quality?

We talk about the health of the economy as if it’s the only factor in a person’s happiness, even though we’re all acutely aware that an endless desire for more, more, more actually decreases a person consistently.

Who gives a shit if the stock market is up, if they’ve got a peaceful morning with a nice cup of coffee, or a lazy evening with friends? Who cares if stockholders have ever increasing profits, if they’ve got someone they love, or they get to do something they love?

Who cares about how much stuff they have if they’re making love to people they’re really into?

Who cares?

Make as much as you need, and no more. Obsession with the bottom line is inherently self-destructive.

An easy life with the basics covered, friends and family to love and time to enjoy it is really all that matters.

Anything else is salesmanship, pushing you toward something we don’t need.

I’ll vote for any politician who says the measure of a country’s happiness is not in its bottom line, but in the actual health and happiness of its people.

Target: 1500 words
Written: 1786 words, novel: Father Lightning