Summary:
Is there a connection between material possessions and happiness? This question is examined in a book about life as a homeless person, an essay, and a study about the connection between possessions and experiences as it relates to happiness.
In the science of Psychology, there have been many tests showing that there is no physical point in life when a subject can obtain pure enlightenment, fulfillment, or complete satisfaction of sound mind and body. This retains to the idea that money can not buy happiness. Although this idea is very popular, could it be proven wrong? Could material possessions give people satisfaction and happiness, or just reflect how happy a person is?
Lars Eighner states in his essay titled "On Dumpster Diving," how his life experience of being homeless and having to resort to living basically off of trash, and other people's unwanted possessions to survive. "Some material things are white elephants that eat up the possessor's substance" (Eighner 263). It is true that a person can not physically go and buy some happiness, it must be obtained. "How" a subject would obtain happiness or "pure happiness" is the ultimate unanswered question. If a person were to go out and buy a bunch of objects, furniture, jewelry, cars, would this make them anymore pleased with themselves? Maybe it would, maybe not. One of the question's this essay is addressing is, over time would all the items someone buys, takes, or consumes to supposedly make them "happy," over time if this experiment does not work as planned, wouldn't a person over time begin to become consumed and over whelmed by all these material things. ."..but certainly mental things are longer lived than other material things" (264).
Although, these statements from Lars Eighner agree that some material possessions would consume a person in a negative way and therefore possessing them, it is almost ironic because Eighner lived on the streets and it was almost impossible for him to have many material possessions. This is more along the lines of looking at material possessions in a psychological way, that possessions are just material items and not a "soul grabber." These items consume and take over lives; they do not help with growth.
Although many disagree with the psychological point of view, saying that possessions and materials are just another expansion of ones soul, and can help with growth and happiness. Adler gives a descriptive point of view on his idea of how a book can express a certain part of your soul by simply making inside of it.
Mortimer Adler's essay entitled, "How to Mark a Book," talks about how people, "have to "read between the lines" to get the most out of anything" (Adler 211).
"Full ownership comes only when you have made it a part of yourself, and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing in it. An illustration may make the point clear. You buy a beefsteak and transfer it from the butcher's ice-box to your own. But you do not own the beefsteak in the most important sense until you consume it and get it into your bloodstream. I am arguing that books, too, must be absorbed in your bloodstream to do you any good" (212).
This statement has a beautiful idea entwined inside of it; that books are so rich and must be "absorbed" (212) inside of us. Adler also states, about books, that, "you won't want to lend them because a marked copy is a kind of intellectual diary, and lending it is almost like giving your mind away" (215).
This opinion shows that just simply writing inside of a book, putting down thoughts, ideas, or just highlighting appealing subjects can give some people a sort of satisfying pleasure, as it would be to drink a cool glass of water when thirsty.
As stated before in this idea, to mark a book is to have a part of a person's soul inscribed inside the object. It is true that when people sell objects they love, a new owner most likely wouldn't have any recollection of the worth that a simple object have to another living being. To them it's a new item to their collection. Although an old saying does shine through in this sense: one person's trash is another's treasure, therefore resorting back to Lars Eighner's "Dumpster Diving," essay. He savaged through people's trash to find a means of completion, being food, new shoes, or just a place to sleep. All of these needs tie into the economic belief of human's unlimited wants and needs. For that momentary feeling of completion, people are grateful to the object that transports us to that state, being food, new shoes, or even a dumpster to sleep in.
Although this is idea that material possessions bring happiness in the psychology world is greatly argued and disagreed with. Leaf Van Boven and Thomas Gilovich both researched the subject, "Do experiences make people happier than material possessions" (Boven and Gilovich 1193). In their research they found some very interesting facts about happiness stating this: "Consistent with these ideas, prior research demonstrates that materialistic people tend to report lower subjective well-being than nonmaterialistic people. People who strongly agree with such statements as "Some of the most important achievements in life include acquiring material possessions" and "buying things gives me a lot of pleasure" report lower levels of satisfaction with life than people who disagree with such statements" (1193). This statement gives whole new meaning to the "material possessions bring happiness" issue, bringing this report from Leaf Van Boven and Thomas Gilovich to make a lot of sense. Experiences make people wiser and if the experience was or is remember able, which necessarily does not have to be good, will leave a lasting impression and educate as well as shape our lives.
In conclusion, the best way to decide if material possessions bring happiness is up to the person in trial. Some people are just satisfied with saving up to buy that new car, and some are just as satisfied in putting their ideas and dreams down in an empty book, or just highlighting their favorite one.
Work Cited
Adler, Mortimer. "How to Mark a Book." The Mercury Reader. Ed. Janice Neuleib,Keathleen S Cain, Stephen Ruffus, and Maurice Scharton. Boston: PearsonCustom Pub., 2005. 211-16.
Eighner, Lars. "On Dumpster Diving." The Mercury Reader. Ed. Janice Neuleib,Keathleen S Cain, Stephen Ruffus, and Maurice Scharton. 252-64.
Boven, Leaf Van and Gilovich, Thomas. "To Do or to Have? That Is the Question."Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. American PsychologicalAssociation, Inc., 2003. 1193.
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