“Contentment is the secret to happiness.” Discuss.
Dietrich Cheung
24/5/2008
1500 words.
This Chinese proverb suggests that to be happy one only needs to be satisfied and content with your current state – that is to say, being satisfied and not allowing this satisfaction to be compromised by any external force. Contentment is examined in contrast with discontentment; and the former proves itself to be a preferable option. Contentment demonstrates influences upon happiness; however, the idea that ‘contentment’ alone is the secret to happiness is questionable and will be challenged in this essay. If happiness includes furthering your career for example, can a contented outlook on life alone fulfil this?
“Affluenza” according to Jessie O’Neil is “the bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from one’s efforts to keep up with the Joneses”.[1] Consumer culture reigns supreme in first world countries, and is even beginning to infest some developing countries due to globilisation. In 2006, an average person is reported to receive up to 3,000 marketing messages a day[2]. These are all the symptoms of an underlying culture that endlessly proposes that a ‘better, faster, more-designer, newer’ product or service will provide the next level of ‘self-fulfilment’. Material prosperity undoubtedly brings a degree of pleasure; it is the constant need to compare with others that provides a certain sense of discontentment. The sense of inferiority when comparing ourselves with others who are ‘better’ often breeds discontentment. “Affluenza” describes the pandemic of discontentment with the reasoning that ‘no matter how well your situation, there are always people who are better off than you’.
Contentment, then suggests that a person does not feel the need to compromise their self-worth for anything external. They do not feel the need to compare themselves with others which in doing so often causes envy and unhappinesss. People who are ‘content’ are intrinsically satisfied, and thus presumably become happy. They are solid in their beliefs that all external elements (including events, opportunities as well as material possession, etc.) will not alter their happiness. Also, in contrast to discontentment a content spirit arises from the constant comparison to external factors that are ‘worse-off’. Buddhist teachings are a prime example – they emphasize heavily on contentment as a means to avoid disappointments and hence suffering caused by unfulfilled desires. Buddhists denounce material gain, as such acquisitive mindset generates numerous desires. Contentment thus becomes a symbolic proclamation that they would not want their ‘happiness’ to be hostage to external factors. In response to ‘affluenza’, a ‘content’ person reasons that no matter how bad you think you’ve got it, there are always people who are in worse off situations- and for that reason you should be happy with what you have.
In comparison to discontentment, contentment in ‘the way things are’ appears to be a much more probable path to happiness as it doesn’t allow external factors to intervene and thus influence ones perceptions. External factors – defined as social status, age, health etc. are by nature always unpredictable and fluctuating. Content persons come to the realisation that in comparison there are always guaranteed groups of people who are ‘better off’ in every way. The ‘content’ position acknowledges this and deems it as an unnecessary distraction. There is really no need to be envious of others in superior positions. They reverse the discontent perspective and focus on what they ‘do’ already have instead of what they ‘don’t’. It is most effectively illustrated with the ‘glass that is half full’ mentality; contentment is a product of optimism.
It is generally agreed that having a positive outlook on life is vital in acquiring ‘happiness’. Optimists are more likely to achieve ‘happiness’, the relation being that no matter the external influence they will enlighten themselves by focussing on the lighter side of things. Contentment also demonstrates a strong relationship with optimism by the simple fact that people who are content are ‘intrinsically satisfied’. As long as they cultivate a sense of contentment, whether temporary or constant, they will enable themselves to see the lighter side of things. After all, there are always people who are much worse off than our own. One cannot really complain about the lack of choice for new shoes as soon as one come to realise that many in our world do not even have legs. Contentment then is preferable to discontentment for the fact that it enables one to acquire the habit of always having a positive outlook throughout life – a dependable en route to ‘happiness’ indeed.
Strategically, having a satisfaction for your current state is also a safer bet as external factors that can potentially alter our moods, emotions and happiness in general occur constantly. Having such a stable mental state ultimately means that you are less likely to sway in at least your emotional perception of happiness. The ability to disregard external factors by focussing on the positive side of things ultimately ensures that the pathway to happiness is a consistent one. By means of happiness, consistency is high in relevance. People desire consistency in their lives, especially when it comes to things that are considered ‘good’. If contentment fosters and encourages consistent positive mentality, continuously shielding off potential threats than it is a dependable en route to ‘happiness’.
Having a shield, a consistent intrinsic assurance is a dependable source of happiness. Consistency in a positive outlook contributes to one’s overall confidence. There is no longer a need to compare yourselves against a ‘bigger’, ‘better’ or ‘greater’ person or thing etc. There is no need because you believe that your current state is sufficient – keeping in mind that there are always people who are worse off in comparison. Ultimately, you become enabled to focus time and energy towards other things because you are confident and secure in your overall situation.
So far we have drawn that ‘contentment’ is an honourable candidate as ‘the secret’ to happiness- it offers one a secure life through a consistent positive outlook towards events that can potentially affect our happiness. The core belief being that there are always people worse off and you need not to compare with people who are better off – if you need to even compare at all. Happiness however encompasses greater aspects than a positive outlook on events; what about attaining goals? Thus far, the benefits of ‘contentment’ are all beneficial in the sense that it protects us from discontentment (symptoms of affluenza), what about if we desired to compare ourselves with others for a meaningful purpose i.e. obtaining goals or competition?
Avoidance of unhappiness is a precursor towards the path of happiness, is it the ‘key’ alone to happiness is a different question; for example what if you decided to build or renovate the house to better accommodate the family- to do this you would need to compare yourselves and exercise action that is contradictive to contentment. Within happiness there is an aspect of ‘obtaining’ through actions that contentment alone cannot fulfil. Contentment is focussed on the status quo, allowing for the possibility of happiness through satisfaction; however there are also things that can be done to improve oneself thus would also increase happiness. Competition or comparison amongst others for the purposes of bettering the current situations is a useful tool to maximise meaning and happiness because it enables ‘proactive pursuit’. For example, during the heat of an extremely competitive sprint you create for yourself an opportunity to achieve a certain goal- be it a personal best or a win over a competitor.
Contentment, the status quo- can effectively also be a barrier towards achieving goals and ultimately happiness. Being content with the current situation can breed complacency as everything is fine. There is no need to improve, however, in many cases this is often an insufficient method of achieving goals. Achievement and active pursuit of improvement through the execution of these goals is also a contributing factor to happiness as there are many external factors that can contribute to ‘happiness’ (as opposed to external factors that can deter one) for example career aspirations, financial goals, fitness goals.
The proactive process of setting, executing and achieving goals is a contributing factor towards happiness. It is often said that ‘success’ is more a journey than a destination. The essence of continual improvement within ones life is a proven means of achieving certain levels of gratitude. People strive for better living standards, safer environments and greater opportunities for themselves and their families. The process of achievement often includes competition or goal-setting, this type of comparison and competition however is distinguished from certain comparisons that may lead one into discontentment. The difference is that one is using comparative methods in a positive way to maximise happiness where as one is allowing the external factors to deter from ones happiness.
Contentment alone without the struggle for betterment does not incorporate this aspect of actively pursuing happiness; instead it is focussed on preserving it and providing a barrier towards external factors. It is a strong mechanism to foster the potential for happiness, but it alone is not the ultimate ‘secret’ for happiness.
Obtaining happiness is both an act of contentment and an active pursuit of goals in a positive manner- finding the balance between these two aspects is the key. Moreover, true contentment should not exclude a competitive spirit: a failure to achieve a goal should not lead to bitterness; instead the setback of disappointment can be cushioned with a content attitude- in doing so providing strength to repeat the process. In that respect, contentment provides us with a reality of one’s own limitations, as well as providing the necessary foundations to continue in the journey of happiness.
In conclusion, while contentment may not be the sole secret to happiness, it is certainly a vital ingredient.
