This is a question that has been asked hundreds of thousands of times. The short answer is no, but to truly understand it we must look deeper. Obviously, money does not directly purchase happiness, but it does allow for things that can bring joy into one’s life. More free time is allowed for, enjoyable activities are more easily accessible, and there is not a sense of constant financial stress hanging over you. This being said, once a person is making more than 80k per year, financial stress is greatly diminished. You might not be rolling in the dough, but you are making a decent living. You are able to spend time with your family and go one occasional vacations. Given this information, it is logical to conclude that people who are financially free and generally more happy.
If a person is making less than 20k per year (and living in a modern society), happiness may be reduced. That is not to say that less fortunate people are less happy, but less liberties are allowed for. At that income level, there is no such thing as a vacation. Family time is reduced. The general quality of life is much worse. With this information, it is logical to conclude that people without much money are generally less happy. The key word to both of these analyses is generally. Some people with different dopamine receptors than others and some people have better dispositions than others. A monetary sum may have little to no effect on the attitude of person with an incredibly sunny disposition, and so with the inverse. In conclusion, being financially free generally has a positive effect on people’s happiness, but it entirely depends on the person
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Author: Alexander Schatzberg
Recently, the issue that police brutality is has drawn a lot of attention. Attention that this dramatic, and deadly, problem required. Police have been excessively brutal when faced with a potential African American criminal for decades. A protest in LaFayette square, a very peaceful demonstration, was aggressively broken up (First Amendment?) by the police. These people were well within their basic rights as U.S. citizens. The protesters were harassed and pepper-sprayed by law enforcement, the people who are supposed to be protecting them. The reason all if this chaos? President Trump wanted a photo op at a church that the protesters were near. African American people have never truly been treated as citizens. Yes, everybody can vote. Can everybody drive a car without being pulled over? Can everybody walk down the street without being judged, seeing people clutch their valuables? Can everybody walk into a restaurant without the fear of being refused? Recently in Central Park, there was a woman who had her dog off leash, which is against the regulations of the park. An African American man, who was bird watching, asked her to leash her dog. Here is what happened. As you can see in the video, the woman pretends to be physically threatened and calls the police. She highlights that he is an African American man (which shouldn't matter), and says that he is “threatening her life”. Another instance is when a white woman blatantly refused to let an African American man into the building where he lives. Here is the video captured by the man. It is becoming readily apparent that there is an aspect of racism engraved into our society. You can see this underlying racism in the police. You can see it in the way people treat African American people. This cannot be allowed to continue, as it does nothing but hurt innocent people. If all people are created equal, then why are some treated as lesser? Why is it acceptable that the police have a blatant prejudice against African Americans? Racism is not a mindset. It is a way of life, akin to religion. Many people do not understand that. When a racist person has children, those children truly believe in racism. It is an unequivocal truth to them. Parallels can be drawn to religious households, where children are raised to believe in some form of supernatural power. These children, who grow into adults, rarely change their views. While they may not actively practice racism or religion, the underlying prejudice remains. If you have ever argued with somebody who has had an idea ingrained into them from their childhood, you know how hard it is to change the minds of people like this. Please go to protests. Help change the mentality that has hurt so many innocent people. Be the change. Sources https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/politics/secret-service-pepper-spray-june-event-lafayette-square-washington-dc/index.html https://www.npr.org/local/305/2020/06/05/870752740/black-lives-matter-d-c-sues-trump-and-barr-over-tear-gas-at-lafayette-square Author: Alexander Schatzberg
The world is in the midst of reopening, trying to recover from the recent pandemic. The virus is not gone yet, and cases are on the rise. The economy has been extremely volatile as of late. Jobs all over the world have been cut, and millions of people have become unemployed. Despite the leaders of nations (some more competent than others) trying to reopen their nations, many countries have not been doing very well, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. One of the main reasons for rising cases is the lack of respect for social distancing guidelines and general precautions. The last time that I was in public, next to nobody was socially distanced. I did not see a single person in the grocery store who was wearing a mask, besides the employees. The virus did slow down, prior to the repoening, that was largely due to a lack of contact between people. While this did help slow the virus, it sent the world’s economy into a freefall. New Zealand was able to eliminate the virus entirely by closing down borders. This would have been the ideal situation, but larger, more economically active countries simply did not have this opportunity. Before this virus was considered a threat, it was already permeating these nations. Many people were without jobs, lacking a decent savings, when this virus hit. This limited the time that many governments could remain quarantined. If many of these countries had stayed closed for much longer, millions of people would have been forced into homlessness. Reopening is a balancing act, and not all governments are keeping the scales even. If the world suddenly just went back to normal, then COVID-19 cases would spike and millions of people would die. If the world remained closed, then people would continue to be unemployed and have no money. This is quite a predicament that the virus has put us in. I only hope the we can get out. Author: Alexander Schatzberg
Every year, roughly 350,000 people die from illicit drug abuse. In 2010, roughly 5% of the world's adult population used illegal substances, and that number has done nothing but increase. The percentage of adults who used illicit substances has climbed to 5.5 percent in 2017. 35 million people have suffered from disorders that were caused by illicit drugs. Only 1 in 7 of these people get the help that they desperately require. This therapy is expensive (very little of it is paid by the government or insurance), and many of these people who have a problem with drug abuse lack the financial resources to pay for it. This lack of rehabilitation programs severely limits what these users are able to recover from. The families of these people are suffering because the addict(s) that they love is(are) unable to get help. This is a problem that can tear families apart, and leave people in debt, struggling to pay drug debts. The children of drug users are significantly more likely to abuse illicit substances than children who are not around this kind of behavior. There are two primary factors for this, and these two factors feed on each other. The first one is to escape. The children are trying to escape the life that their drug-addict parents handed them. The second is access. They are not stupid, and chances are that they know where their parents keep the drugs. Children (especially teenagers) are curious, and even if they know that something could have negative consequences, they are likely to try it. This applies to drugs as well. I don’t have as much as I usually do to say about this subject (compared to other topics), but that does not mean that it is less important or serious than any of the other topics that I have written about. Substance abuse is a serious issue and should be treated as such. Sources https://drugfree.org/learn/drug-and-alcohol-news/drug-abuse-kills-200000-people-each-year-un-report/ https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2019/June/world-drug-report-2019_-35-million-people-worldwide-suffer-from-drug-use-disorders-while-only-1-in-7-people-receive-treatment.html https://ourworldindata.org/drug-use Author: Alexander Schatzberg
In the twentieth century, two of the worst wars in history took place. More than 90 million people died as a result of these wars. Genocide, torture, and awful chemical weapons were used. You would think that these awful implications would be enough to end large-scale violent interactions, but no. War continues to rage around the globe. The horror that is war has been forgotten by the public, and people (some of them civilians) continue to die as a result. In the current Afganistan conflict, more than 100,000 people have died. In Mexico, a drug war rages. The casualties of this war include murder and assassination, as well as open battles. Despite the global problems that this world faces, governments and organizations continue to throw immense monetary sums into war. In the United States, the military takes up 15 percent (732 billion USD) of the budget. To put this in perspective, NASA takes .48 percent and does much better things for the world than the Military. For example, they have launched satellites that allow farmers to accurately predict their harvest. The budget that the nation’s employees and agencies are paid from. This is more than China, Russia, France, Saudi Arabia, India, Germany, The UK, South Korea, Japan, and Brazil combined. The strange thing is, Russia spends a little less than 80 billion USD per year on the military, and yet they are widely regarded as a rival in terms of military power to the U.S.. Now, this could be a lie, and they could be spending much more on their military. Another question that this high military budget raises is: what else could that money be used for? Surely, there is something. Well, for starters, it could be used to convert the U.S. to a renewable power source. If 300 billion of this budget (even without this money, the U.S. would still have the largest military budget in the world) was applied to converting the U.S. to sustainable energy, in fifteen years, the nation would be completely sustainable. Less than one percent of the budget goes to foreign aid, so think of all the amazing things that could be done for other countries if this budget was shifted. Some of that budget could be used to proved UBE (Universal Basic Income) to the citizens. Please consider voting for representatives who respect human rights, and can think of a better way to spend the U.S’s resources next election. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_armed_conflicts https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison#:~:text=Defense%20spending%20accounts%20for%2015,of%20the%20annual%20federal%20budget. Author: Alexander Schatzberg
70% of the world's population has less than $10,000, all assets counted. To put this in perspective, the average American household brings in an of $80,000 every year. The average American household has a net worth of $700,000. Poverty is an ailment that kills tens of thousands of people every year. The people who are dying cannot afford to live in an area with clean water. They cannot afford food. They cannot afford shelter. While these problems may seem “far off”, they really aren’t. The world is constantly getting smaller, due to advances in technology. People can travel thousands of miles in hours. This means that we can get to distant places, different continents in a matter of hours. This means that you can help, whether it is donating a few dollars or flying to Senegal to build a school. When people think of poverty, the first thing that usually comes to mind is “Africa”. This is for good reason. Being an underdeveloped region, poverty is a trend there. Clean water is extremely hard to come by in some parts of the continent, and this can lead to horrible diseases that can spread incredibly quickly. Did you know that diarrhea causes more than 2,000 deaths in children every single day? That makes it one of the most deadly ailments to ever plagued our world. The primary reason that a child in African nations would get diarrhea is an interaction with unsanitary water. This could be swimming in or drinking water, things that U.S. citizens do every day. Humans need water. That is a fact, and there is no denying it. Without clean water, hundreds of thousands of children will continue to die every year. These impoverished people don’t have access to education. This means that is the world doesn’t have access to what is inside their minds. The cure to cancer could be locked in the brain of a little girl in Somalia, and the world would never benefit. Without universal education, through universal development, the world could be losing some incredibly valuable opportunities. If you are reading this article, you have access to the internet and a device. This means that you probably live in a relatively developed nation. Even if you are poor, relative to the rest of your nation, you are much better off than much of the world. If there is any way that you can help those less fortunate than yourself, I would strongly recommend it. Sources https://www.bankrate.com/personal-finance/average-net-worth-by-age/ https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/pdf/global/programs/globaldiarrhea508c.pdf https://globalwa.org/issue-brief/education/ Author: Alexander Schatzberg Humans have been affecting the the planet in a drastic way. In 2018, 37.1 billion metric tons of CO2 was released into the atmosphere. To put this in perspective, that is almost five tons (10,000 pounds) of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere per person. In the U.S. the average is much higher, at 17.5 tons per person. The vast majority (roughly 87 percent) of this waste comes from the burning of fossil fuels. This includes coal, oil, petrol, and natural gas. The U.S. and China are the worlds two worst perpetrators. In China, this is mostly due to large factories and energy supply. The United States is a different story. Factories are part of it, but it is mostly due to large houses and private petrol cars. Despite having less than 5 percent of the global population, the U.S.A. produces more than 25 percent of global CO2 emissions. China produces 28.5 percent of global emissions, but they have a much greater population than the United States. While climate change is natural, it has never changed this rapidly before. Climate change has become a political issue, which is shouldn't be. The movement for a better, healthier planet should not be a two-sided thing. As the U.S. government is having a political battle over helping our planet, CO2 emissions are wreaking havoc upon our planet. Some people may call this "natural change", every year a new record temp is recorded. Every year, there are more intense storms. Every year, the polar ice caps are melting, leaving hundreds of species to go extinct. Now, the light that is being reflected by the ice is heating the water. This heated water circulates throughout the globe, and can raise water temperatures by a few fargenheight degrees. While this might not seem like a lot, some very sensitive fish and corals can be wiped out by this "minor" change. While fossil-fuels might seem convenient at the moment, that will not go on forever. You see, we don't know how much oil is left in the earth's crust. We do know that it is not an unlimited supply, and that civilization will need some new way to power itself. Some alternatives to fossil include solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and wave power. All of these are good, diverse, alternatives. This being said, they have one thing in common. They are all extremely expensive compared to fossil fuels. It will be hard to convert the world to clean, renewable energy, but it can (and hopefully will) be done. You can help by installing solar on your house, and buying an electric the next time you are in that market. Sources https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/co2-emissions-reached-an-all-time-high-in-2018/ https://www.ecocivilization.info/three-tons-carbon-dioxide-per-person-per-year.html#:~:text=The%20global%20average%20is%20now,That's%20it%20for%20climate%20change. https://whatsyourimpact.org/greenhouse-gases/carbon-dioxide-emissions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil_fuel#Limits_and_alternatives https://chinapower.csis.org/china-greenhouse-gas-emissions/#:~:text=Greenhouse%20gas%20emissions%20from%20human,carbon%20dioxide%20emissions%20in%202018. Author: Alexander Schatzberg On June 11 2020, President Trump filed a statement to the Supreme court. The contents of this statement are simply unacceptable. You see, Trump is a homophobe as well as a racist, and this become appallingly clear with this brief. Trump, and his administration, believe that that same-sex couples should not be allowed to adopt. He pushed for this law in his statement, and eventually settled for is being "up to the adoption agency". The mere fact that this would be a concern in this day an age is shocking to me. What is the reasoning behind this, if not homophobia? Many of these children are coming from extremely poor families or countries. They were put up for adoption to better their life. By restricting the people who can adopt, this administration is directly harming the children who these LGBTQ+ couples would be adopting. This also harms the couples. While it is a viable option to get a sperm-donation for lesbian couples, this is simply not the case for gay or some transgender couples. These people love each other, and they want children. What is the next step for them? Without adoption, they simply cannot have children. That is why it is so important that everybody, especially the LGBTQ+ community, has to option to adopt. Sources https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/trump-administration-argues-adoption-orgs-allowed-to-refuse-lgbt-couples-630568 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/02/us/trump-hhs-lgbtq-rule.html Author: Alexander Schatzberg On May 25 of 2020, an African-American man named George Floyd was murdered by the Minneapolis police. He was suspected to have used a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill to buy a pack of cigarettes. The manager of the shop where he used the counterfeit currency called the police, who arrested him. The proceed to kneel on his neck, to the point where he was unable to breathe. Despite his calls of "I can't breathe", the police did not relent. When he passed out, from lack of oxygen, the police did not get up. They stayed, kneeling on his neck, choking him. He died. Maybe if he was white, he would still be alive. This is an atrocious act of police brutality, and should not be tolerated. Several weeks after the death of George Floyd, President Trump was interviewed on the chokehold that is implemented by the police throughout the nation. He claims to not be in support of this restraint technique, yet what he said shows that he doesn't truly understand what is "doesn't support". His words: "I think the concept of chokehold sounds so innocent, so perfect. And then you realize, if it’s a one-on-one. But if it’s two-on-one, that’s a little bit a different story. Depending on the toughness and strength — you know, we’re talking about toughness and strength. There’s a physical thing here too.". What so few people realize is the frequency of the attacks on African-American lives by the police. The only reason that Floyd's death is receiving such a reaction is its publicity on the internet. If not for modern amenities, many of you would go on oblivious to the crimes being committed against our citizens. In 2019 alone, there were 1,004 fatal shootings by the police. More than a third of these victims were unarmed, and excessive force was used. These attacks are wrong, and need to be stopped. The African-American citizens of the U.S. are not being treated constitutionally, for all men are created equal. End the brutality. The video of Floyd being murdered is below. https://www.tmz.com/2020/06/14/new-video-george-floyd-murder-police-stand-by-ben-crump-lawyer/ Sources: https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2020-06-03/data-show-deaths-from-police-violence-disproportionately-affect-people-of-color https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html https://www.vox.com/2020/6/12/21289495/trump-fox-news-chokehold-lincoln |
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