The Declaration of Independence states that among our unalienable rights are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Most of us can define “life” and “liberty,” at least in practical terms. Happiness is far more elusive. Is it something that can be defined objectively, or is it a deeply personal experience, different for every American? In the 20th century, the Beatles sang that money can’t buy you love, but in 21st-century America, we are constantly bombarded with the message that money can buy you happiness.
In a capitalist society, this message is hardly surprising. But it is worth asking whether this is what the founders had in mind. In 1776, there were few nonessential goods to buy. The consumer culture would not appear until the 1920s, when radio played a role in advertising not unlike that of today’s smartphones and social media. In his recent documentary on the Revolutionary War, filmmaker Ken Burns tells us our nation’s founding fathers did not equate happiness with wealth or accumulation of material things, but with learning and self-improvement.
This is not an argument against consumerism. We must come to terms with the idea that the definition of happiness may have changed. Still, that new car smell doesn’t last forever, and a new gaming console will become obsolete. Although our founding fathers were flawed in many ways, they had the wisdom to know happiness derived from possessions can be fleeting, while happiness from learning and self-improvement is lasting.
I hope everyone’s New Year is filled with good health and long-lasting happiness, however you define it.
Philip Wasserman
Stevenson Ranch
