15:04 Gulf News: Happiness is priceless.
15:06 Urmila Santosh: I agree because the simplest things that make us happy in life are for free such as sharing a cup of coffee with a loved one, watching the sunset, watching an animal cuddle its little one, hearing a baby’s laughter. A millionaire living in a big mansion could indeed, admit that he or she is happy because of his or her wealth and the entourage of staff that awaits him or her to attend his or her needs. But what brings an instant smile to his or her face? It could be something as simple as eating his or her mother’s food.
15:07 Anjum Hasan: To experience happiness, we must accept that the volume at which we feel happy moves up and down but is never muted. There is no advantage to going through life in a perpetual state of dissatisfaction. With that in mind, you have to have mastered the ability to remain positive, embrace the beauty of life in all its shapes and sizes and keep a grateful heart for many blessings.
15:07 Ramachandran Nair: Very true, indeed. However, happiness differs from person to person; it all depends on how one gives a definition to it. People have now started thinking beyond the reach to find happiness.
15:07 Maria Vincent: Happiness is priceless because it is something that comes from within and its meaning is unique. Money cannot always buy what makes us happy, rather it is an emotion that comes for free whenever we find satisfaction in what we have or do. But by saying free, it doesn’t mean that it is of no value. It is of more value than the most expensive jewels.
15:08 Anjum Hasan: Happiness has no price tag; it seems that the more money a person has, the more they become unhappy. Joy is not contingent upon the world, and living up to our expectations. If that was the case, we would be sentenced to a life of disappointment that granted only fleeting moments of happiness, and we were designed for a far greater experience.
15:10 Gulf News: Money is nothing but green paper printed onto rectangles.
15:12 Ramachandran Nair: Money and happiness are to be defined differently. For some, the green paper is simply a way they can find happiness. There are many around us that find jewellery the most precious possession one can have, and this helps them be content throughout. It is left to each individual to perceive how they want money to be linked with happiness.
15:12 Maria Vincent: Money does have a value beyond being just a green paper. Money has value in procuring your daily needs, however, when it comes to abstract things like joy or sorrow, then money cannot do anything.
15:13 Urmila Santosh: I disagree that money is just a green rectangle. By saying so, we deny the worth of having money. Someone who earns Dh1000 may actually have a better quality of life than someone who earns Dh5000.
15:16 K.Ragavan: I disagree because the more money we have, the more issues arise. Buying and investing money will not bring happiness, let alone the difficulties that rise with it.
15:16 Anjum Hasan: The green paper is a mystery because it makes people go around and dance to its tune. However, the bottom line remains the same and that is the fact that it is just a green paper. We are all puppets in its hand. While it is a basic need in life, it is not everything.
15:18 Maria Vincent: Those green rectangular sheets can mean a lot to certain individuals. But to use it to the extent of satisfaction makes the difference and actually measures the value of the currency note. The bank might say Dh1000 is less worth than Dh100 but for some, who play with money and lose, are sometimes chasing a Dh100 note when they have nothing left.
15:18 Gulf News: Money itself can’t buy happiness but it can buy things that bring happiness.
15:20 Urmila Santosh: Money can only be a means to attain happiness that is derived through the acquisition of material things. But there is no end to this vicious circle of acquiring and entertaining a fake sense of happiness. If someone thinks that acquiring the latest designs in clothes, shoes or the latest gadgets will make them happier, then they are completely wrong. In fact, it will make them unhappy as these brands will soon release newer designs and bigger gadgets.
15:20 K.Ragavan: I agree that it is not necessarily the money that makes you happy, but the things that you can buy with it to make you and the people around you happy. It is an important necessity and plays a big role in our society.
15:20 Maria Vincent: Money may buy things that can make an individual happy, but for how long can that happiness last? Joy from material things is very momentary and may not last for long and in this fluctuating and changing world, the dimension of happiness can also bring change.
15:20 Ramachandran Nair: While I do agree, the fact remains that true happiness cannot be ‘purchased’ as things that bring happiness are momentary. The most precious element to make a person happy is to be well and healthy.
15:22 Gulf News: Money can help us stay close to other people, which is perhaps the key to happiness.
15:23 Anjum Hasan: Money is happiness, there is no doubt in that! Nothing is for free in this world and everything comes with a price tag! We need to pay for food, shelter, and clothes. Without money, we will have no basic necessities. The fact that we have sufficient money to have access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation and food proves that money can buy happiness.
15:23 K.Ragavan: I agree, and in addition to that, money gives you respect and a sense of status in the society you live in.
15:23 Ramachandran Nair: Again, it is difficult to link money with happiness. In this century, money brings change in life as it brings and pushes friends and relatives together. However, a good bank balance alone, cannot bring happiness.
15:24 Anjum Hasan: Money helps you live with respect as the people who are poor, are often disrespected in society. Poor people need to ask others for money, which indeed, does not make a person happy.
15:24 Maria Vincent: Money can’t always help us stay close to other people. It can create rifts in relationships, especially when a lot of wealth is on the table. Money can get you air tickets to meet your loved ones, or it can recharge your phone to talk to them, or maybe get you a gift for a friend. But that is not necessarily true happiness.
15:25 Urmila Santosh: Real happiness lies with the intangible elements of our lives — those which we cannot see, only what we can experience. Those who are close to us only when we have lots of money and don’t even care to look at us when we are going through tough times — are they even worth being in our life? I don’t think so.
Facebook comments:
Money is just a tool and if you use it wisely you can be happy, but if you use it poorly, you will be miserable.
From Mr Chris Reid
Dubai
You should know how to spend money for happiness. If you buy a big mountain with your money you won’t feel happy but if you help others, or buy a nice car, or go on a holiday — you will be happy.
From Mr Syed Shams
UAE
Money can give us momentary feelings of pleasure, but real things that gives you the sense of joy and happiness are always free in life!
From Ms Tessy Max
Dubai
— Compiled by Donia Jenabzadeh/Community Web Editor
