I’ve found that “happiness” is set more by expectation than anything, and expectations are set by history. The American people were fed a line of nonsense, and as a nation it is catching up to us as reality denies the culturally approved fantasies of childhood. The liberals could have won back in the day, the US could be as succesful a socialist state as say Sweden, but so long as the people’s expectations are as far out of synch with causal reality (…every one is supposed to be rich? everyone is supposed to be famous? if everyone is then no one is and national exceptionalism goes down in flames…) the amount of working “happiness” to be found would be little changed.
Or, as me mother was known to say ” money can’t buy you happiness, but at least it let’s you suffer in comfort.”
January 31, 2026 @ 9:23 am
I’ve found that “happiness” is set more by expectation than anything, and expectations are set by history. The American people were fed a line of nonsense, and as a nation it is catching up to us as reality denies the culturally approved fantasies of childhood. The liberals could have won back in the day, the US could be as succesful a socialist state as say Sweden, but so long as the people’s expectations are as far out of synch with causal reality (…every one is supposed to be rich? everyone is supposed to be famous? if everyone is then no one is and national exceptionalism goes down in flames…) the amount of working “happiness” to be found would be little changed.
Or, as me mother was known to say ” money can’t buy you happiness, but at least it let’s you suffer in comfort.”