Why Americans Are Restless Blog

 Question Number Three 

Is having a lot of material goods a help or hindrance to happiness? Why are some people able to be happy with little, while others with more are miserable?

Our society is very focused on material possessions. There is not a day when one doesn’t say, “I want that, or I need to have it.” Happiness should be held by someone’s heart, and not with in someone’s hand in a form of a material object. Material objects come and go, but happiness can remain.  People can have all the material objects in the world and never be able to find happiness. This reminds me of the line in the Beatles song that, “money can’t buy love.” We are inundated with ads saying we need this product, or we need that product, but having those things in our homes doesn’t bring the happiness. It only brings the satisfaction of owning something, but owning something and being happy are two different things.

A perfect example of people that have less material possessions, but remain happy is in the Amish town of Shipshewana, Indiana. There are many Mennonites and Amish born people who have lived here for many generations. The Amish live very simple lives. They have no electricity, cannot drive cars, and don’t have phones in their houses. My family travels to Shipshewana often, and I have noticed over the years, that these families could not be happier. As we drive on the roads in Shipshewana there are horse drawn buggies, children riding their bikes, adults and children plowing the fields, and others having fun making their own games with each other. Their faith is based on simplicity and they do not to use modern day appliances. I believe their happiness comes from inside, and not from material possessions. Since the Amish don’t have a lot of material possessions, such as televisions, play stations, and computers, they spend more time with each other, and they find their happiness through family members. Sometimes material possessions get in the way, and family members loose touch, inhibiting communication. It can mean that those with more material possessions fail to communicate with others and especially with family members. The more you have the less appreciative you are to the ones around you. Material possessions get in the way when you loose sight of what is important in life, such as faith and family. That is when a material object can become a hindrance. Not every person that has wealth and success necessarily is unhappy, but they have not let material possessions overtake their lives.

There are those who have lost all of their worldly possessions, such as in hurricane Katrina. They still have the ones in their lives that love them. They can then start over a new life and the material possessions can be replaced. The love would then carry on and the basis of happiness would be family and faith. I believe it is always important that no matter what path you take in life, you always choose the path that keeps family, faith and happiness in perspective.

 

Social Me Blog Question Number Three

It is difficult not to care what others think because of the judgmental society we live in. There is a constant pressure to wear the right clothes, or even act and speak a certain way; therefore it is hard to be your own individual.

            When being a teenager self-image is very important, but it can be influenced by outside forces. Those outside influences often come from the celebrities that many of us look up to. Everyone is supposed to share the same style, and if you don’t than you’re not considered “cool.” You need to be yourself, and not give in to peer pressure. It is hard to hold an image without being put down in the process. It is the worst feeling when you are walking down the hallway and you know people are talking about you. That is when you just have to believe in yourself, and know you like your self the way you are.

The way you act and dress says a lot about your personality. There is a way to control how people see you and your personality. If someone were to walk down the hallway with a disgusted look on their face and slamming lockers shut, one might think that person is very denoted or mean. If someone were to walk down the hallway with a smile on their face, people may think differently. In society, image is everything. You are known by what actions you do and how you complete them. There was a girl I knew in grade school that used to act so nice to all the teachers, but when she was alone, she was not a nice and caring person. This is how her fellow classmates viewed her. She was able to control her image so well that she could hide her true identity. People go through great lengths to control their image in front of people. Everyone is different, and sometimes being different is a good thing.

Since I attend a small school many classmates know particular traits about each other, and it is by that you will be judged. People will know you as the video games person, as the actor, as the singer or maybe even the dancer. Those are the images we categorize with certain people. Based on how they are characterized we assume many characteristics about that person. Sometimes these characteristics can cause you to worry about what others think and it may feel that in order to fit in, you have to change yourself for others. Many people at school know each other as school friends and don’t even know what they are really like outside of school. Everyone gets the chance to be themselves when away from a pressured environment.

We have grown up with ridicule and self-image difficulties, but as we get older we become more confident and more secure with our self-confident. There are times when you feel that you can never let your guard down and be yourself, but if you accept who you are and don’t let others bother you, it’s okay to let your guard down.