Money Can Buy Happiness! :: Happiness Essays

What is happiness? According to the dictionary, happiness is a mental or emotional state of positive or pleasant emotions. Now think closely, what does happiness mean to you? Many people say money can’t buy you happiness, some people say it can. People say, â€Å"How can you not be happy when you have a ton of money?† But people also say, â€Å"Having too much money can get in the way of happiness.† To me money is just green paper that lets you buy things you want and need. But can this green paper really buy you happiness? After reading this paper of mine, think about the question again and what do you believe is true. I am going to share with you a little story about someone that thinks money can’t buy happiness. This story is written by a seventeen year old girl named Michelle who was asked this question for an interview for New York Daily News, so read and think about her story: I never really thought the expression, â€Å"money can’t buy happiness†, was true. As an infant, just by observing the people around me, I observed when they would obtain money and a huge grin would spread across their face, the corners of their smile spreading from ear to ear. Whenever I would see that grin and a person’s face light up at the sight of a crisp, green bill it would make me believe that I had proved the famous expression wrong. Now that I’ve grown up and matured, my idea of that expression has changed. As of now, I am able to reflect on life more and look deeper into things and particularly into people more than I was able to do years ago. My ideas about this expression changed the most though because of the money situation my family had stumbled upon because of the failing economy. I remember being younger when the economy was doing well and waking up to twenty gifts for each of my three sisters and I. We used to believe that all of those presents, brought in because of money of course, were the best part of waking up on Christmas. Of course all of those toys and material items would make a child happy; however looking back it would only make them happy if it was given to them by somebody who bought it for them with love.