Are we happier than our ancestors?
By deserve40
@deserve40 (1656)
India
January 17, 2009 9:52am CST
We have lot more comforts than what our ancestors used to have. Since has made our life much easier. However, we have been running after the materialistic happiness and in that process, we find that we do not become happy evenafter having so many comforts in the life.
So do you think that we are happier than our ancestors?
2 people like this
5 responses
@Margajoe (4709)
• Germany
17 Jan 09
No, I think they were more happy.
They did not now all these material things as we do.
They had the advantage, that the things they did have could not be taken away so easily.
We had lots of comforts.
But look around now a days, you can be happy if you can rent a house and pay your bills and taxes.
No more comforts, no more easy life.
We know what we are missing, our ancestors did not know.
Take care.
@Margajoe (4709)
• Germany
18 Jan 09
Exactly.
Running after the comforts, has gotten to be a lot less.
The comforts are getting less, because we cannot afford them any longer.
It is not easy having to step back in life.
We do need to have a better peace of mind.
Take care.
@deserve40 (1656)
• India
18 Jan 09
We have many comforts and for each of them, we have to pay some cost. The cost for each one is heavy in the sense that we have to keep running behind money constantly for being able to pay for the cost of those comforts. We are so used to those comforts that we are not ready to give up those comfrots eventhough we know that they are not really doing anything good to us. We are missing a vital factor in our life and that is "peace of mind" and that keeps us away from the real happiness.
1 person likes this
@Sreekala (34312)
• India
20 Jan 09
Hi deserve40,
I love to remember about my childhood. I born and brought up in a joint family. All are respecting the head of the family and asked permission for doing anything. Cooperation with neighbourhood families was also appreciable. All are happy to help each other supporting everyone when he/she facing a problem. When there is big function in neighbourhood family, just forgetting their own house and offering their helps to them for making the function a great success. Now I hardly find the cooperation which I enjoyed much in my childhood. People are become very much selfish and don’t have time for others. There is an absence of humanity everywhere. Now the technology has grown and we have more facilities but I feel that regarding happiness we don’t have fortune like our ancestors. 
@deserve40 (1656)
• India
20 Jan 09
You have rightly stated that the cooperation between family members and neighbours is not found now a days. Perhaps the reason behind this is that, the people have become so busy in their work that they do not find time even to take care of their own family members sometimes. This busy schedule of people has come from their temptation to get more and more money to buy more and more comforts. Unfortunately, there is no end to the wishes of human and so there is no end to the working hours of people which makes them so busy and I may say so selfish.
@cristobert (332)
• India
17 Jan 09
No we are miserable than our ancestors. Our forefathers never went to amusement parks, never had the luxury of flying across the globe, never had 24 hrs entertainment TV Channels, never knew micro wave ovens. All modern day inventions and innovations have worked exactly opposite against the purpose they've been created for. Instead of saving time these gadgets have made a man a slave to all these and man is spending more time.
@deserve40 (1656)
• India
18 Jan 09
Yes, our ancestors did not have the comforts which we have now a days. The porpose of the new gadgets was to save time and help man to live more comfortable life. However, these things have worked against their purpose. They have made man slave of many gadgets and other things.
Science and its inventions are good as long as they are slaves of man but they have made man their slave and so man is not happy today.
@bbsr13 (4196)
• India
17 Jan 09
Hello! Our ancestors were pretty happy in those days with no comforts.On the other hand today we have all comforts and we are not happy.We are running after unrealistic dreams and getting frustrations when failed to achieve the ends.We are so busy these days for earning lot of money that we don't have time to look after our family for which the relationship is breaking and the children and the older people are neglected.In those days our ancestors were living together and getting peace in mind.But we don't have peace in mind and passing our days in tensions.thanx.
@deserve40 (1656)
• India
18 Jan 09
So we are not happy because, we run behind the unrealistic dreams. We are so busy earning money that our children and old people are being neglected by us. Perhaps this is the worst thing for us. We should not neglect our duties towards our older people and our children. Our children are our future and if we cannot afford to spend time for them, then the money earned by us is of no use. We feel sad when we find that our children are not growing as good human and our elders feel neglected by us. However, once we fall in this trap of modern life style there is not end to it. We become so much helpless.
@arthi_88 (1516)
• India
17 Jan 09
I guess happiness is really not determined by the level of technology we have cause I can assure you my Grandparents are much happier than all of their grandchildren put together and they both are reaching their 80's! They are the most romantic couple, satisfied and proud parents and self respecting individuals and their happiness is due to the commitment, endeavors they had toward building a healthy and strong bonded family...I don't know whether I will be so successful in my family life or be proud at the end when I am 80 if I live till then...
@deserve40 (1656)
• India
18 Jan 09
Your grandparents are much happier than you as they have built up good family relationship. They are proud because their children and grandchildren are good humans. They are self respecting individuals because they know their limitations and they do not run after the materialistic happiness.
On top of everything else, they have enough time and good health to enjoy their life.
