English 101

Question

The writer suggests any essay and create an argument  3 Pages MLA format, Times New Romans, 12 font, double spaced.

Clear thesis w/ purpose, clear conclusion doing more than repeat introduction.
Create a good argument- Hook, Claim, Thesis, Evidence/solution… All sources must be cited.

Answer

Money Cannot Buy Happiness

Money can buy you the fastest car, a first-class ticket to France, front seat tickets to the opera, a kidney, a great house, a palace if you wish; it can buy you the best education, a diploma even. But these are all just material things. The aim of this essay is to help the reader realize that money can buy one a considerable number of things but it cannot buy one happiness. It can buy one a bed and a book but it cannot buy sleep or knowledge, which are some things everyone needs in the pursuit of happiness.

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        There are four main traits of happy people. The first being that they like themselves, they typically feel in control, they are optimistic and lastly, they are outgoing (Myers & Diener, 14). Generally, the belief is that to become happier, one as to act as happy people act, do what happy people do and own what happy people own. The sad reality is that these people measure their happiness against society’s crème de la crème. If that includes owning a multi-billion dollar company, so be it. If it’s taking their children to Ivy Leagues, put that down on the list already. If it entails owning a fashion line, then by all means necessary. What all these things have in common is the fact that they all need money to be achieved. This leads to people believing that they would be happier if they were richer and can you really blame them? Nothing in life comes for free, it is said, but the real truth is that every material thing costs something. Whether one can afford it or not depends on just how rich or wealthy they are.

        Humans naturally have the need to look after themselves, before all else. In most cases, they believe that money is one of the ways, if not the only way, in which to achieve the happiness they so desirably seek. It is worth noting that the production of wealth does not necessarily make individuals happy, but it does serve the needs of an economy, which serves the needs of a stable society, which in turn serves as a network for the propagation of delusional beliefs about happiness and wealth (Gilbert, 174). Human beings tend to focus so much on improving themselves economically in order to afford the much-coveted house, the latest car, or pretty much anything they want that can be bought. This, most believe, would make them happier and better than everyone else. In so doing, they actually indirectly influence the economy, making it strive in most cases. Not too bad an outcome, don’t you think?

        While I do agree that money can buy you certain things like the ones aforementioned, I strongly believe that it alone cannot buy one happiness. Wealth satisfies the needs of the people in question but it does not guarantee them pure happiness. In fact, research has shown that with an increase in wealth, people’s time does not appear to sit toward activities that are associated with the improved effect. They tend to devote relatively more of their time to work, compulsory non-work activities like childcare and shopping and active leisure such as exercise, and less of their time to passive leisure activities like watching TV (Kahneman et al. 1910). They barely take some time off to stop and smell the roses, to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They would suddenly prefer donating to renowned charity organizations as opposed to actively participating in community service. Instead, they end up with slightly higher tension and stress as opposed to the flipside of the coin. What is more frustrating is that somehow the money is never enough. Even the richest of them all is still never quite satisfied with what they have made. This is a common trait of human beings. The minute one gets a bicycle they will want a scooter. The minute they get a scooter they will want a motorcycle, and on the cycle goes.

        In conclusion, I believe that money, like everything else, is fleeting. Today is the only day we are sure of and even that, we cannot be certain of. One could lose your multi-billion dollar company in one wrong move and go back to 2-star hotels as opposed to the 5-star hotels they were used to. Or An individual may end up in the economic class as opposed to the business class he or she was accustomed to. In one wrong move or by pure bad luck, one could lose everything. Everything you thought brought you happiness. Everything you thought you’d have forever. Then they will be back where they started. And who knows what that will be like? It is advisable to stick to the things that money cannot buy like love and friendship. Unlike cars, happiness cannot be bought. It can only be felt. Thus, everyone should love fiercely, laugh uncontrollably, give generously, and by all means be thankful for what they have.

Works Cited

Diener, E and Myers, D. G.. “Who is Happy?” Psychological Science, (1992): 11-17. Web.

Gilbert, T. D. Stumbling on Happiness. Reporting Live from Tomorrow, 2006 Web.

Kahneman, D., Krueger, A. B., Schkade, D., Schwarz, N., & Stone, A. A. Would You Be Happier If You Were Richer? A Focusing Illusion. Science, 312 (2006): 1908-1910. Print.

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