Is the pursuit of 'status' the primary cause of our health problems and unhappiness?
As millions of Americans and others throughout the world ask themselves "how did we get in this mess?" several points stand out. The first is consumerism got us here and mistakenly governments and politicians think consumerism will get us out. But what drives consumerism?
The answer lies with culture and status...what we are taught and what we compare ourselves to. We are taught from an early age that more and more is better and better. We are conditioned by societal pressures to constantly compare what we have or don't have with what others have or don't have.
Clearly the unbridled quest of upward mobility brings a constant increased stress factor that ultimately has health consequences: heart attacks, strokes, hypertenion, immune deficiencies, etc.
What is less clear is what role stress plays in the seeking of status and the subsequent problems with happiness, unhappiness and finding a meaningful life.
The cure may in fact be worse than the bite. As Einstein said, it's all relative and the futile pursuit of status may be the most relative of all.
