time in nature, find peace and happiness in what’s here right now, and not be so caught up into the wealth addiction because money isn’t going to make us happy. We needed to find that wealth isn’t the solution to everything and won’t necessarily make us happy. We can find happiness in other things besides money.
Now, we’re living in another wealth explosion, another wealth addiction. Many people are addicted to the acquisition of wealth right now, thinking that if they’re wealthy enough they’re going to be happy. So why isn’t there a hippie movement again? Why isn’t there a large part of our culture going against this wealth addiction?
The answers are very important for those of us seeking happiness in this life right now.
Here is the big difference: In the 1960s, we had television, but it wasn’t as powerful as it is today. There were only three main television stations, and companies hadn’t become that sophisticated in marketing through through this medium. In the twenty-first century, all that has changed. Marketers are pros at using television, and what they’ve brainwashed us and taught us to believe we need things to be happy. Added to this, they say, the more things we have, the happier we’re going to be.
Brainwashing works. Think about it as a tool that marketers use to get us to buy things they want to sell to us. It works on all people, even—or especially—children. Around Christmas time, marketers run commercials for new toys. The kids will see those ads and tell their parents they really, really, really, really want the new toys. The parents buy, the children get, and the companies sell. The marketing and brainwashing work.
We are not any different from those children. We too are impacted by all the marketing to which we are exposed. We too want those things. We too have been brainwashed. And that’s why I believe there hasn’t been a hippie movement against this wealth addiction that we are facing today: We’ve bought in. The less-wealthy people are frustrated with the wealthy but actually want to be wealthy themselves. They’re wishing they could be richer, and because they’re not, they’re not happy.
People have been brainwashed into thinking that wealth works. They think they will be happy if they’re wealthy. Most people realize this is not true, but their actions in how they respond to life show the opposite. So they are unhappy because they’re not wealthy, and the people that are wealthy are unhappy because the money doesn’t buy happiness for them either.
All this brainwashing is about the power of ideas and thoughts. They matter. These ideas and thoughts can affect our whole world, and clearly they’re powerful. So what we need to do is ask ourselves, “If thoughts matter, if ideas that I expose myself to matter, what am I exposing myself to?” Everything to which we are exposed matters. Everything. What I watch on television, what I read, whom I talk to, but most important what I am thinking about all day long all matter tremendously. What you think about all day long results from what you expose yourself to. It’s a catch-22. What you watch affects what you think, and what you think affects how you see the world. So we need to make the choice to be happy. Whatever ideas are formulating in our lives are going to affect us, either in a good or bad way. If we’re listening to the Happiness Podcasts, we’re exposing ourselves to good ideas, but if we’re watching or listening to negative, critical reports or advertising that feeds the wealth addiction, that is what we’re going to get. Whatever we expose ourselves to will impact us.
I’ve seen the positive results of this in my travels around the world where I’ve sought out the healthiest people I could find. Over the years, I have found that the people who are the healthiest are also the happiest people I’ve ever met. And I can tell they are very careful about what they expose themselves to in all aspects of life. They expose themselves to positive, good things.
What we take in from the world around us is a lot like the food we eat. If we eat well, we’re going to have good results; if we eat candy or consume alcohol or things that are not good for us, we’re going to have different results. If we eat well, we will feel well; it we eat poorly, we will feel poorly. Everything matters, everything. Desserts are okay in moderation. If we eat dessert all the time, it’s bad for us. The same goes for alcohol. A little bit of alcohol once in a while is not a big deal. Drink a lot of it, however, and you can become an alcoholic.
The same is true with our thoughts. If we’re watching and exposing ourselves to things that are beautiful, that are positive, that really feed our happiness, then that’s what we’re going to get—beautiful, positive thoughts and happiness. Once in a while, being involved with something that isn’t absolutely healthy is okay because it’s not in large amounts. But what I’m talking about is 90 to 95 percent of what we expose ourselves to. If it feeds our happiness and helps us move in the direction of being happy, we are going to be happy.
So we have to ask ourselves what are we feeding our minds in regards to happiness? Are we having conversations that are negative to other people or ourselves? Or are we talking only of the good others do and accepting people with their imperfections? Are we watching shows that are critical or harsh? Or are they beautiful and wonderful? Are the people in our lives critical, harsh, and negative? Or are they supportive, loving, and kind? It all matters. We can’t totally isolate ourselves from everything, but we can choose much of what comes into our lives, and the more selective we are and the more careful about what goes into our minds, the better we will do in life.
As an example, I have worked with a few people over the years that have struggled with depression. Like many people, they were watching a lot of the news. When they stopped, their negativity, depression, and anxiety abated; they got better. We are affected by everything we expose ourselves to. Mostly, it’s our thoughts that we have in our heads, but everything else around us affects those thoughts. We have to ask ourselves, is it good for us?
Now, we don’t want to be overwhelmed by totally changing our lifestyle. It’s like if you’ve been overdoing the consumption of sweets and then all of a sudden you eat only fruits and vegetables. The change can be so challenging you’ll quickly revert to refined sugar. But if we start small, we’re more likely to succeed in the long run. For instance, we can seek out people that are more positive and spend time with people who are uplifting and loving. Over time, we’re going to get used to that.
The difficult part is that former ways—whether sugar and alcohol or negative friends we’re used to—can be thrilling and making the change to healthier choices feel boring. But if you truly want to find happiness that surpasses everything you can imagine, you have to move in the direction of watching everything you’re exposing yourself to and you’ll see that what seems bland to other people’s taste is wonderful to those who are healthy and happy. They don’t need the thrills of wealth, materialism, drugs, or alcohol. Instead, just watching a beautiful sunset, spending time with someone you love, being in nature, and so on can be achieved any time and make you happy. It doesn’t require anything of you, and it’s so freeing to be happy without all the stuff, the negativity, and the downside that goes with materialism.
We can be happy, but it takes effort. We have to work at it and not assume we’re going to be happy just because we want to be. After all, everyone wants happiness. That’s why so many are pursuing things like wealth and addictions. But if we want to be happy, we have to pursue happiness, and that’s an internal journey—happiness isn’t external. Happiness comes when we are content with whatever is happening and find beauty and peacefulness in this contentment. Any of us can have it right now, but we have to work on finding it and be careful about influences that will be pushing us away from true, long-lasting happiness. They will try to teach us that if we have certain things, then we will be happy. Remember, these thoughts are incredibly powerful, thanks to the media’s brainwashing that wealth addiction is a good thing. If a worldwide hippie movement can be repressed through the media, then clearly, what we expose ourselves to matters and we have to be careful, not in a fearful way but by an increased awareness of the influence of the media and all else around us.
So
