In America there’s definitely a prevalent belief in the saying “money buys happiness.” In the past, I have never agreed nor disagreed with this statement but now that I am in Vietnam and experiencing a different culture, I can strongly say that I do disagree with this statement for I believe that money absolutely cannot buy happiness, in fact maybe money even distracts from happiness.
While biking the streets of Hoi An, looking to my left and right all I could see was small, compact villages living such poor lifestyles from what I am accustom to seeing at home, in America. These families’ houses consist of dirt as the ground and fire as the source of heat. They wear rags for clothing and often people walk around and work with no shoes entirely. It has been very evident throughout our travels in Hoi An that majority of these people are living off of very little to no income. And yet when you bike past them they greet you with big, warm waves and smiles as they continue on with their work. You see kids playing games in the sand and running around with no toys, and yet they look like they are having more fun than kids in America do who have all their complex electric toys.
I think I came to this realization that money doesn’t buy happiness when we went on the coconut boat rides the other day and the native people paddling the boats were so silly and literally seemed more happy than most Americans I interact with on a daily basis. No, they aren’t racking in money like those who work on Wall Street, but at least they laugh and look like they’re genuinely satisfied and happy with the way their lives are going. Living in Fairfield County in Connecticut all my life, I know a lot of people who lead extravagant lifestyles but I honestly can say that a lot of these individuals always seem so stressed to the point you barely catch them smiling or laughing. I think it’s refreshing coming here to Vietnam, seeing such poverty, and seeing these same people who are living with nothing appear happy as could be with the biggest smiles on their faces. Experiencing this has definitely made me realize I need to take a step back sometimes to appreciate how much I have and not let the expectation and stress to make money distract me from the ultimate goal, happiness.
Look how happy this guy looks… He was laughing and smiling the entire duration of our boat ride!!
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