Saturday, June 27, 2009

Happiness and Wealth

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090602/sc_livescience/happinesshasnothingtodowithwealth

Just as in the webpage url above it is my experience that wealth, fame and good looks in combination are more likely to be a problem than a blessing.

From about age 15 on I always had good looks, good parents(my birth parents stayed together from before my birth until they each died), and a fairly good education and good friends. However, my happiest memories of my life started about age 32 to about age 37. When I was young I expected to be happiest when I was 16 and got my driver's license. However, I didn't understand the problem of unrealistic expectations that most people don't get over until at least age 30 if ever.

So, my favorite time of my life was age 32 to 37 where I had gotten over unrealistic expectations, knew who I was and neither of my parents had died yet. With the death of my father at my age 37 it began the ending of my second marriage and I can't really say I was ever happy after that though I can say I have been very contented since I almost died at age 50. Now I'm 61.

Has money made me happier? Strangely enough since my late 40s money has no longer been a problem for me. Up until then I never had private health insurance before. So I think the biggest help money has brought is that I can now see any doctor I want and because of this I'm still alive. If there is any one advantage to money it is in staying alive after 40.

For example, I had a colonoscopy at age 50 and they found a polyp and snipped it off during the colonoscopy. If that had been left to grow I would be dead now. So, I would say money for health insurance and good doctors is the most important thing about wealth. So if staying alive makes you happy then you want to be wealthy after 45 or it might not happen.

This is a real life reason that this nation needs health care for everyone.

The single biggest reason statistically for personal bankruptcy is health care expenses in this country.

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