Money can't buy you happiness; Money can provide you happiness. Depending on what kind of happiness, but money can definitely provide you with happiness. The first phrase; the ones on top devote all their time into earning money at the very expense of their family, thus feeling empty inside and the one at the bottom say it cause they are trying to console themselves into believing that even without money, as long as their whole family stand united as one, they can still live happily. The one in the middle, well, pick your stand.

So what exactly do we define as happiness then? Psychologist Martin Seligman provides the acronym PERMA - Pleasure, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning and Accomplishment. That's just the summarized form of happiness. There are many forms of happiness, from the simplest thing like spending quality time with your family and friends to splurging. Personally, feeling happy equals feeling satisfied. And humans are never satisfied with what they have.

Even spending quality time with your family nowadays requires money. I'm not saying that time equals money, even though it can be applied that way too, but you should know what I mean. Unless you're just gonna sit down and have a nice chat. which even so, can't be the only way you spend quality time with them. There are ought to be vacations, outing, and with that comes spending. Seeing something you want, or even you need, and then not being able to purchase that, where's the sense of happiness, then sense of satisfaction in that? Lets make matters worse now, someone else is able to afford and and bought it instead. Doesn't that lead to jealousy, the very though of 'why can my family be richer', which is definitely not something that's happy at all.

Average family, satisfied with the life they are currently having. Standards debts to pay like car and house, able to afford to put 3 meals on the table for your family a day. Deep down, are you really satisfied? Teenagers, most of us work so that we can afford the things we want. well except the rich ones who are already able to afford. Adults, most of them buy 4Ds on a regular basis, and for what, a 23/10000 chance of getting rich. Actually, unless you get the first 3 prizes, the reward isn't really great, so I shall limit it to 3/10000 chance. That's a mere 0.03% chance of winning, and might not even be the first 3 prizes. I'm not even including other forms of gambling. Aren't they doing these acts, wishing that they can earn more money so that they are able to make their family happier, making themselves happier?

I'm not trying to say that I value money more than my family, I do agree to the fact that family is more important. In fact, family is priceless. However, in this screwed up world we live in, does that still apply to others? We've witness cases of family betraying one another for money, and if that can happen, lets not even being talking about betraying friends, even the closest ones. Its human nature to desire more, to achieve more, cause why stop when you can push for more. Human are weak against temptation, we're greedy. For the ones at the very bottom, stuck with debts, not able to enjoy a proper meal, worse comes to worst, not having a roof over your head. When despair and desperation conjure, and they are pushed to their limits. When that time arrives, can they still say family doesn't come with a price tag?

You may argue that money only provides short term happiness. Family and friends, the moments and memories we share is something that you''' be happy with till the day you take your least breath. Well with money included, I'm sure that these memories, these moments would be much better. Its all about balancing the time between spending time with your family and friends, the little pleasures. and earning the amount of money that will satisfy your sensual pleasures, your family's wants.


Call me materialistic, but I'm just being realistic. Situations change, people change long with it.
 

Every year, there will definitely ups and downs, cause, well that just how life goes
O levels result didn't manage to secure the course I wanted in poly
Poly wasn't that great like I expected it to be, the first few days were dreadful
I didn't manage to work much, for some reason work doesn't really want me to .. work
I didn't manage to have a successful haircut at all
I had to move to a new environment due to my father's crazy debt
I have to put braces now and remove 4 tooth in order to do that, plus I have to take out my wisdom tooth
My nightmare, if you remember, doesn't relate to your normal nightmare
My nightmare, is actually losing my teeth
I have to start to plan about my future, which I'm lost in what I want right now
There are times when I just feel like giving up, I dont feel like doing anything at all
If I were to go on, your day might just end before my list end
Yet, its this tough times, when you look at life at a different perspective, a more mature way
How much a year can change you, really amazes you doesn't it

This year, though were full of downs, I will be lying if I say nothing good happened this year
My family are more bonded now after surviving a somewhat crisis
I get to know lot more of wonderful people, a bigger social circle
I performed a lot more, most memorable will be the one at resorts world
I'm still with my good friends of secondary school, something that doesn't happen for all
All those crazy nights we spend awake, the Xbox, soccer, cards, everything we've done together
There were definitely really great moments, moments that kept me from collapsing into despair
Sounds very dramatic, but I guess that just shows how this year was for me
And even though lots of screw up things happened, laughter wasn't that much either
I'm guess I'm glad that I manage to survive another year, especially this year


We wont know what the future holds
Therefore its important to live in the moment
















For these are the moments worth living for in life