5th hour, Blog Carnival Edition 1: Money and Happiness

Blog Carnival Edition 1

The Pursuit of Happiness: 

Do we need money to be happy? 

I wish to live my life unfocused on material goods. I wish to work for fulfillment, not for money. I have said often how lucky I am that the thing I do for "work" is the thing I would choose to do if money didn't matter. (Yep, I am THAT much of a teacher geek--I love my job.)

My husband and I have one car. It's a 2002 Honda Civic with 130,000 miles on it. It gets 40 miles to the gallon. We literally spend less each month on our car (including gas) than we spend on our cell phones.

Every year I work to simplify (John argues, "We are creating a world in which not only is money king, but it is god, president and all other things wrapped into one."), to get rid of the stuff laying around my house that we never use, to cull things down to the absolute necessities, to have a coffee table with nothing upon it, a dresser top that is wide-open space. Visual clutter is more than I can handle in my home when my mind constantly carries so many ideas around in it.

Even with my avowed dedication to not spend money on stuff that would clutter my home, I still cannot claim total freedom from the desire for the kind of stuff that money can buy. We have eleven Apple products in our home (ELEVEN). Ever since I drove a friend's Mini Cooper last November, I've dreamed of having one of my own. I love scarves and have several and keep buying more. I love to go out to eat. I love to travel.

All of these things require money. (Jesus reminds us that money gives people opportunities that they would not have without money, but Cory argues, "Money can provide minimal joy, but with it brings unforeseen problems.")

But how much is my happiness tied up in these material things? (Reid claims that "Happiness is different to every person. One thing's for certain, though, happiness cannot be bought.")

So what does make me truly happy?

I was pretty happy this afternoon hiking in Chautauqua Park with my daughter. (Garrett concludes that "social interaction is a bigger factor to being happy than money is.") She chattered away as we hiked up the trail, sharing with me the thoughts that were bouncing around in her head. We laughed at our dog as she skipped along proudly with the stick she found. The air was perfect--warm but not hot. A slight cool edge sneaking in reminding us that fall is coming. There were hints of leaves changing color already. I was happy.

And maybe, just maybe, happiness is not our pursuit. (Cami says, "I honestly have found that it is not happiness we should be in pursuit of, but understanding.")

Maybe it's understanding

or connection

or natural beauty

or leaving a positive impact on the others in our lives

or following your bliss, whatever that may be.


What makes YOU happy?

(read the blog posts, leave comments for the bloggers, and leave your thoughts here as well!)

3rd hour Blog Carnival Edition 1: Hitchhiking and Nonconformity

Blog Carnival Edition 1

Hitchhiking while everyone else is driving: 
What does it mean to be a nonconformist?

Are we lemmings? (Gabe ponders the definition of nonconformist, talks about the drawbacks of being a lemming, and argues that "the nonconformists really make the world tick.")

We just might be if we blindly follow what others around us do.

No matter what you think of Chris McCandless, in him we have an example of a nonconformist.

I mean, he burns his money.

If that isn't violently symbolic of his need to escape what everyone else is doing, then I don't know what is.

He is a hitchhiker. (MacLean explores the benefits of hitchhiking and Kenna reviews the history of hitchhiking and suggests that it might make more sense for people to simply use public transportation.)

Literally he hitchhiked to get from here to there. (Haimei reflects on her own experiences hitchhiking and Eric tells a couple of stories about hitchhiking and then asks, would YOU pick up a hitchhiker?)

But figuratively as well--he found a way to carry himself toward adventure without doing it the way most people do, like with plane tickets and enough food and other people and stuff.

And as Stacey reminds us, "[Non]conformity can be a good and bad thing, but in the case of Alex in Into the Wild it was a life ending mistake."

So, what do you think? Are YOU a nonconformist, or are you a lemming? Which should you be? Why?

(read the blog carnival submissions, leave comments on those posts, and share your thoughts in the comments below)