We move to a more abundant world every year with newer technologies and products, more entertainment and leisure activities. It is as if we are never satisfied with what we have at the moment and are always craving for more. We struggle to have happiness.
Happiness is central to philosophy. Hedonism argues that happiness is the experience of pleasure and human beings should do whatever it takes to maximise it. Meanwhile, Buddhism says that the endless craving for anything, including happiness, is the ultimate source of suffering and we have to end our craving for higher enlightenment.
Both views, in my opinion, are two extremes that are hardly applicable to our real life. We cannot pursue happiness disregarding our duties, responsibilities and feelings for others, just as we cannot give up everything for the Buddhist enlightenment.
While I cannot say what happiness is for anyone except myself, there is a business sector that serves as a good indication about what people really seek in their life for happiness—the advertising industry. There are few people that know how to generate the illusion of happiness more than the advertising industry, since their primary job is to link happiness to the products so that they can be sold. I think there are two major ways for them to advertise.
On the one hand, they usually connect the products with personal relationships. I bet you have seen one of those gaming advertisements that features a whole family playing with a console, which in reality only the teenagers would play. Nonetheless, the advertisement gives an illusion that we can enjoy playing with the console with kids thereby leads to a happier family.
On the other hand, advertising companies often produce an image that we can relate to as our perfect self: a photoshopped model selling cosmetics, a bodybuilder selling health products, a successful movie star selling literally anything. The advertisement is always pushing the agenda that buying the item could make you become as successful as the one in the advertisement. A successful person is charming not only because of the wealth that comes with it, but also the fulfilment and the gratification when we complete a challenging task in our life.
Nonetheless, like the illusion of a healthy family relationship, the products seldom lead to the successful life. The worst thing is that advertisements make us forget about the meaning of the steps to reach the status we desired. Spending time with family, doing exercise regularly are, in my opinion, themselves valuable. Without the process, I would be far less happy than having to work hard for it.
Some people cannot fathom why people, including me, practise instruments everyday while sound technologies nowadays produce perfect music with great tones and dynamics. I think the answer is simple: it is fun, it is engaging, it makes my life more purposeful, and it is fantastic to see my practice pay off. Unfortunately, I think this kind of happiness is very underrated nowadays.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash.
