It’s one of the biggest dilemmas facing all humanity – even more than Hamlet’s ‘To Be Or Not To Be?’ The question we’ve all asked ourselves at least once in our lives is:”can money make you happy?” If we look at celebrities in general and Justin Bieber in particular, the short answer is ‘no’.
Yes, it’s true money allows you to travel, to buy the newest smartphone, and purchase a new house. From childhood onwards we are accustomed to think being happy is defined by objects. We grow up thinking that things can make us happy and, as a consequence, we become obsessed with money. We even think that our lives are unchangeable unless we have oodles of money to make the change.
Sure, money can make things easier; but when it comes to happiness, surely there’s more to it than money? Money might be related to happiness but they are not one and the same.
The Canadian pop star, Justin Bieber, has recently posted a picture on Instagram captioned, “Just feeling super disconnected and weird”. With these words he is trying to tell the world “the most human season” he’s struggling with. He shows the sensitivity and weakness of a boy whose life has always been in the spotlight. “Pray for me,” he implored turning his post into a cry for help.
We may well wonder how a millionaire popstar is living the dark reality of depression. But Bieber’s mental struggle is one of the most important lessons that we all need to learn from. Depression is not related financial status or social profile; depression is a serious disease. And as with all other diseases, it can hit regardless of age, income, social position and life experiences. Even if you’re a millionaire. Even if you’re Justin Bieber.
The truth is that the secret of happiness is to be found in the quality of your personal relationships, time spent in the company of people you care for, and, last but not least, health. Happiness is in those people we love. Happiness is doing what we love the most. Happiness is staring at the sun going down. Happiness is singing along to our favourite song in the car.
Happiness is in the smallest things and, once you’ve experienced certain tricky episodes in your life, you learn how to appreciate them.
