Why we are rich but still depressed?

Question

You could have all money in the world and still be sad. You can have cars, big houses and still fell alone. You could be smart in things and know how to gain, But still you will not be happy. Your own desire to have want will never find happyness. Love is careing patience not quick to temper forgiving. happy are you when you humble your self and when some body askes for bread or something to drink you would be welling to give it. because if you have true love than you would have also kindness not rudness.

Answer 1

Those are a means to a temporary happiness. A false happiness, a happiness dependent on other's perception of yourself...which is not happiness rather pride.

What you said is real, but a little too biblical. I have a story of pure happiness. My girlfriend and I got into an argument one morning. Now I love her to death, and she loves me...it's just when we fight, I hate it. I was really upset on the way to work. I had just gotten off the freeway, and I was waiting at a red light. I saw a homeless man on the corner. I honked at him. I took everything I had in my ashtray, dumped it in my hand (took out my needle for my basketball pump) and gave him all the change I had. About $6 worth. The person behind me was honking at me 'cause I was taking too long...I didn't care, at that moment, I was happy. Purely happy, because it was kind, and thoughtful, caring, and giving. I had a smile on my face and you know even now when I'm just thinking about it I have a smile on my face.

Nobody is ever angry when freely giving to someone in need. That's where true happiness lies, in your humility, as the asker stated, and in your caring and giving to others.

I also have a story of false happiness. I had just bought a new car, and was showing off to my family. I was so happy at that moment because they were oohing and awing at my car. After I said my good byes I drove off alone. And this huge let down came over me. It's like none of that even mattered. I still have that car, and no one cares. It doesn't mean anything. My family forgot about the car the moment I turned the corner, and I forgot that joy I had felt.

It wasn't true, it was solely based on the reaction of others. That's the trap life sets. Is this what you need for real true happiness or is this a trap that sets you up for depression and disappointment.

PS...Ask yourself that same question about today's religions as well. Is religion a means to real true happiness, or an elaborate trap tricking you into thinking it's real when in reality it's just a very well conceived trap.

Answer 2

We live in a society that promotes the view that 'richness' equates to financial (monetary) wealth. When you use the word 'rich' in your question I know that you really mean Why we are 'financially wealthy' but still depressed?
True richness actually has NOTHING to do with money.... True richness is about the VALUE that we place on our lives and the 'things' that we have in our lives.
I live in a beautiful community of people that share some common spiritual values... there are about 120 of us... We get approx 10,000 visitors a year... Many of these people are energetic, vibrant and enthusiastic people, coming from all corners of the globe and all on a mission to make the world a better place. It's the most loving, most nourishing, most inspiring place on the planet, and living hear makes me feel truly blessed and one of the "richest" guys on the planet...
I earn about £25 / week living and working here... for all intents and purposes I have no money yet I am still an incredibly rich man...
Love and Light

Answer 3

Perhaps its a greediness or overambitious attitude that leads us to always want more than what we have, rather than being content with what we have. Some people spend their entire lives trying to get rich, but their ideas of what constitutes being rich is boundless, meaning that there is never a set goal like "I want to earn $1 million dollars per year gross" or "I want to own a yaht by the time I'm 40." Usually, people spend their entire lives just working at accumulating more and more, and when they have more, its not yet enough---so they want more.

Sometimes people are still depressed because of envy---its like the "keeping up with the Jones's" syndrome. No matter how much I have, I must outdo my neighbor. This way, nothing is ever good enough unless I compare myself to my peer and come out on top.

Another reason for this depression is materialism, and a lack of purpose in life. Some people are so attached to their things that they would likely choose to be buried with them thinking that this is all there is to life. Some people fail to realize that this world is temporary, so they cannot learn to accept that things are only temporary and not permanent; its a feeling of permanence and attachement to this world/life.

Some people are too self-centered and busy with their own personal gains that they miss out on the chance to stop and look around at whats going on in the world; thus, they cannot put their own lives into persepective and they continue to live in a dillusion. This dillusion distracts them from reality and whats really going on, so they continue to live in a sort of mental isolation from the rest of society.

Answer 4

Money doesn't buy morals. Money is a reward to those who earned it from the best of their ability and kept true to their vision and morals. But if you lost sight of your morals and vision, and earned money demeaning yourself and your vision, it's almost as if you were a beggar on the street digging through the trash for soda cans. But you seem to be referring to how love makes you happy, which pretty much is the same thing. People who love and are kind do so because they kept true to the person they want to be, and found the person or people they respect and are respected by them. Knowing what you want in life is the key to happiness.

Answer 5

You've evidently not been rich. Money is the world's greatest enabler. It's all in how you deal with it. Money is just a tool that allows you to do those things that make you happy. I have never met a truly sad rich person that didn't have a major personality dysfunction just like regular people.

Answer 6

Being rich isn't the answer to happiness. I actually took a class that looked at studies in happiness and what we found out was that there are a few ways to improve it, and interestingly, the financial area did not factor in.

Read some stuff by David Meyers.

Answer 7

Check out the theory of emotional set points. We may not be emotionally lazy (well, maybe we are, but...). We may simply be limited naturally by the nature of our brains as to how much we can grow emotionally:

"Current theory proposes that everyone has a 'set point' around which they tend to make their adjustments. This theory proposes that everyone has a set of conditions which he recognizes as a goal to experience well-being. These set points may shift from time to time and are the result of a lifetime of experiences. For example, one person may have a set point that does not include happiness or self-esteem. Another may have a set point that includes a clear image of identity, self-esteem, and evidence of growth in spite of adversity. For some people, to be free of pain brings about a state of well being.

Of course, set points can change over time. It's the purpose of this brief article to suggest that you should regularly evaluate your set point in order to determine whether you should change it or return to a previously satisfactory set point; this is especially necessary if you have had a change in your living environment.

During the course of a lifetime each person acquires one or even many set points; however, we rarely fully evaluate them in depth at that particular time in our life. We are on a kind of treadmill, permitting our set points to drift according to our most recent experiences. This process is called the adaptive theory of well-being.

It should no longer come as a surprise that people living in what we may call negative circumstances report well-being scores that are well above average. This well documented fact should not be used as evidence that people inevitably adapt. The reported feelings of well being may just be due to what another person might consider as low expectations. For some people, having enough food, shelter and freedom from pain is enough; feelings of happiness or self-esteem are not part of their equation."

Answer 8

Because Wisdom is greater than silver and gold, and Many weathy folks are 'smart' but not Wise.
Having More and More means worry.
The poor mans rest is sweet, but the money worry of the richman keeps him awake at night.

Answer 9

Our society is setup that good actions = reward, and reward = happiness. That philosophy is incorrect, however. But who are we to say anything, we are just gears in the machine.

The truth is, happiness comes from genuine giving -- it signals an understanding in a person that most do not possess.

Answer 10

Those who say money can't buy happiness doesn't know where to shop.
I dare someone to give me a million dollars to prove this theory ;)
The problem is that people live outside of their means and forget what's most important.