Happiness Stands with Capitalism Could the Secret to Happiness be the 'Pursuit of Happiness'? Happiness isn’t a final destination. Happiness shows up as a byproduct of meaningful-pursuit.
The PURSUIT itself appears to be the SECRET & that’s Deeply Human.
Pursuit of Happiness in America 1) Human Purpose comes from curiosity, effort & activity 2) Human Freedom to choose, risk & exchange 3) Human Right to attempt, fail, adapt & try again Happiness enables ongoing effort - Not instant satisfaction Outcomes are Earned - Not assigned Freedom of Land Ownership under Capitalism in America 1) Land known as Your private property 2) Land secures stability, autonomy & legacy 3) Land sustains generational long-term goals, family roots & community investment Land Ownership + Answer to No-One + Secure Your Future. Capitalism of Free Markets and Supply & Demand 1) Human interactions with recurring businesses and services 2) Human exchange of trust, reputation & relationships 3) Prescriptive vs. Performance values Capitalism as Highs and Lows = Not a Flaw - How Capitalism Cycles: 1) Exposes humans to real Highs-of-Profit & Lows-of-Recession 2) Human freedom of action & exposure to the outcomes 3) Successes & Setbacks 4) Expansions & Contractions
Happiness and Capitalism as a Movement 1) Tradeoffs are real 2) Finite - is time, attention & energy 3) Not Finite/Moving Targets - is comfort, equality, happiness & wealth 4) Explicitly rejects promising equal outcomes
The American Dream is the ideal that every person should have the opportunity for upward mobility, success, and prosperity through Hard Work and Determination. Oxford English Dictionary style definition
1931 by James Truslow Adams, “In which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to Ability or Achievement.” Encyclopedia Britannica
The reality that sometimes the Pursuit of Happiness & Pursuit of Capitalism in America feels great and sometimes it doesn’t - That’s the Point
