Is CAPITALISM incompatible with happiness?

Question: Is CAPITALISM incompatible with happiness!?

Although most people have the little money to buy the most basic necessities in life they still are not happy with their life!.
In other words, they all want to live in a better society where the differences between rich and poor are not so contrasting!.
The gap between rich and poor is widening and that inevitably will lead to major resentment and even revolution, if we do not put a stop to it!.
What do you think!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

My favorite parable concerning the matter is the parable of the Grand Inquisitor, a Chapter of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoeyvsky!.

The parable is that Jesus Christ is reborn in Seville, Spain, in the 15th century!. He travels around, performing miracles, until the inquisition suspects him of witchcraft and thus toss him in prison!. While awaiting execution, he is visited by the grand inquisitor of Spain, Tomas Torquemada!. He lists Jesus's cardinal sins, and why he is hiding his guidance from the people!.

What was Jesus's sin!? finding true happiness in freedom by refusing servitude to God!. The devil came to Jesus while he was living a life of solitude in the desert, and tempted him to turn stones into bread, to throw himself off of a cliff and allow angels to save him, and to use his godly powers to become ruler of the entire world!. By denying the assistance of his Godly powers, Jesus was choosing a life as a man; a life of absolute freedom without needing to enslave himself to God!. Because Jesus chose to accept God not as master who holds the whip, but rather as an ideal, that made him the holiest man ever born!. Even as Jesus faced death at the hands of an ungrateful Jewish crowd, he still refused the assistance of God and went to death a happy, free man!.

Torquemada goes on to explain what makes this such a sin!. Most people do not want freedom!. They do not desire the wind in their hair, or the footsteps that are their own!. The vast majority of people CRAVE the soothing security of being owned, of having a master that will provide for them and free them from responsibility!. And a smaller portion of the populace desires not slavery but mastery, a sort of reverse-slavery!. Slave owners become dependent on their slaves, and are thus enslaved to their slaves!. The masters crave slavery as well, but rather self imposed slavery!. True freedom, as Jesus chose, is something that the people will not accept, just as they chose not to accept it with Jesus's first ministry!. They moulded him in an image that has more in common with the God-Emperors that ruled Rome instead of on the life that Jesus chose to lead!.

Jesus's response is to kiss Torquemada on the lips!. Torquemada in response to this lets him go, provided that he does not reveal his powers in any way!.

You might wonder what makes this parable relevent to Capitalism and happiness!. Only a very specific type of person craves freedom and liberty!. Most people throughout history, whether they are medieval serfs, enslaved to their lords, or 20th century proletariot, enslaved to their government, recoil in fear at the prospect of freedom!. Only two instances in history have men shed the chains of common human discourse and adopted the ideal of liberty; and they were the ancient Romans who overthrew theirking and established the Roman Republic, and the American revolution,who overthrew their British masters and established a Republic of their own!. Both liberty loving peoples went on to become the undisputed masters of the world for a time!. Of course, the Romans let their animalistic side get the best of them and they lost the ideal of liberty, but that should set a prescedent for our current situation!. Do we cling to the true source of happiness that our ancestors shed blood for!? Or do we forgo the responsibilities of maintaining our own happiness and instead opt for the soothing and reassuring hand of our masters!?

Parable also works as a critique of living within Capitalism itself!. Do you chose the path to riches, enslaving yourself to your own lust for glory!? Or do you forgo such trappings and instead allow yourself to follow your passions!? Too many people chose the easy path to riches, which leads to a financially successful, albiet empty, life!.

Irregardless, true liberty is a question of property rights!. A society that denies a person the fruits of their labor can not truly be called free!. Regardless of whether or not they are used for economic gain, as the fascists of the American right wing ideology supports, or if they are used as a prop for their brothers, as the socialists of the American left wing ideology supports!. All problems our society faces, such as the gap between rich and poor, stem in some way from the system of redistributed wealth!. Pure laissez-faire capitalism, unfettered by the trappings of right wing corporatism, or left wing socialism, is not just the only economically superior system, it is the only moral system that has ever been concieved!. And only in a moral society do mean treat one another as brothers, therefore it is the only system capable of generating true happiness, not the artifical happiness of slavery, which is akin to the happiness that comes from intoxicants!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

yesWww@QuestionHome@Com

it is individuality so maybeWww@QuestionHome@Com

It is sure starting to look at that way isn't it!.!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

capitalism is synonymous with freedom, you dont hate freedom do ya son!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think capitalism is a good idea, but everyone needs to be eduacated!. People need to be smart enough to recognise good deals and bad deals so they don't slip into poverty!. If everyone was intelligent and fair then our present system would work!. Because there are very stupid/uneducated/evil people in the world now there is lots of suffering!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Some of the poorest people in the world are the happiest!. There are tribes in south America that still live the same way they did thousands of years ago that haven't got a clue about our modern problems, they all seem much happier than most of the rat-racers!.

Capitalism is not synonymous with freedom, capitalism is a trapWww@QuestionHome@Com

Most people in America are happy (according to the polls!)!. Most people in every Communist country (non-capitalism) are NOT happy!. In fact, most people in communist countries would trade their 'economic status' for that of an American on Welfare any day!

Your assumptions do not match reality!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

That's an interesting question!. Some wealthy people really don't care if others are poor since they blame the poor for their troubles!. But another reason to consider the possibility that capitalism is incompatible with happiness can be found in a book called "The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism" which basically states that people are unhappy under capitalism because they are given the message to work hard and not rely on others, but at the same time, to accumulate lots of stuff they don't need and do go and have fun!. So if you think you should work yourself to death and then go have lots of fun with your 'toys' the contradictory messages drive you nuts!. That's a very short version!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

You want to stop people from making too much money!. If everyone just quits and no one is making money, then we will all be equally poor!. You must be a Democrat!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I don't think that money or the lack thereof influences my life!. As a matter of fact, I am the happiest now then ever!. We just lost our business and have not found work!. Creditors are calling daily and we pinch every penny we do have!. But, this has brought about a wonderful relationship within my family!. We cancelled TV and are now actually talking, playing games and spending time together!. We think twice about buying something and my kids learn to manage their money wisely!. My husband of 24 years and I are more in love than ever!. And yet, we are facing the loss of our home, many privileges and so on!. So I don't believe that having money or being poor is the reason for happiness unless we have nothing else to bind with!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think the advertising/marketing industry is incompatible with happiness!. That's what keeps them alive and well!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It is not wealth or splendor, but tranquility and occupation that bring happiness!. - Thomas Jefferson!. If you want to be happy the economic or political system is unimportant!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Your question has a lot of presumptive generalizations which will not stand up in research statistics, so, if you're going to ask such a question, or want to get into such a discussion, admit that your question is your bias, and invite responses!. God Bless you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

you know even i have no money i will not say i am a poor person because you know i have with me better things that money !. i have happiness, i have education, i have god , i have a great family and a lot to give!.

money is a necessity to survive in this world
but is not everything because there are things in life that money can't by and those things have a lot of value
but it does not have price!.
if people think like that there were less problems in most people's life
money is good when you know how to use it i positive things
is better to have a rich soul than have a lot of money and have a poor soul!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

a capitalist society will destroy its self!. and we do not need to stop the revolution!. it comming and its necesarry!. how is it ok for a company making billions a a year to pay there workers so little!?!. you would think the rich would do a little more to make the poor happy and maybe there would be no need for change!. it is after all the rich that will be hurt the most in the end!. they have everything to lose while the poor have nothing to lose!. greed is what has destroyed this capitalist society!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It depends on the type of happiness!.
Capitalism depends onthe acquisition of material goods which are payable by money derived from hard work through wages and luck in business!.
Lets say you got your Porsche CArreira or BMW race car and fancy house in the burbs throught capitalism!. You decide it is not enough to make you happy!.

WHy!? Maybe what will make you happy cannot be bought by money!. Think about it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

capitalism is the not the best system for happiness, it is the ONLY system for happiness!.

those who are poor have chosen to be poor!. this is america!. this is the country where you are free to make your fortune, free to be happy, free to be poor or free to be miserable!.

there is no dictator taking everything you work for away!. there is no socialistic government taxing the rich to death to equalize society for the poor!. there is no social pressure that looks down on you if you are successful and wealthy!.

in a socialistic nation, the attitude of the people would turn an evil eye, sneer, glare and inwardly think that one was a thief if a young person (like me) drove up in a big ol' mercedes (not those crappy old C class pieces of junk!.!.!.i'm talking S class, baby)!. anyone here from canada!? i have a lot of friends from there and that is the attitude they report to me constantly!.

you know what people do here in america when someone of my age drives up in a big ol' S class!? they come up to me and want to shake my hand while patting me on the back!.

thus, people who have CHOSEN to be poor are bitter to those who have financially succeeded!. they are envious!. they are angry that they didnt do more in their life!. the poor feel 'ripped off'!. they feel it is the rich peoples fault that they are in the position they are in!. the poor blame everyone else for their situation except themselves!.

so, does having a big a$$ mercedes make me a man!? HAHAHA!!! not even close!. what the car does tell me is that i have worked hard, i have believed in myself, i have applied myself and i have accomplished what i have set out to do with a lot of hard work and determination!. the 'mercedes' is just excess that is a side benefit of the efforts i have made!. the 'mercedes' wouldnt make me any happier than if it were a honda accord!. i have owned honda civics, honda accords and even worse pos' that broke down if you just look at them!. i have been the poster child for growing up poor and was the epitome of the starving student, so do not even preach to me how i dont know what it is like to be poor!.

money doesnt buy me happiness!. money doesnt buy me my close friends!. money doesnt buy me class and defintiely, money doesnt buy me love!.

what money does buy is comfort!. a big house, a big yard, a big car, big jewelry etc etc etc!. ask any of my friends that if you strip all the sh!t that money has brought into my life, i will be exactly the same person i am today!.

so why bust ones behind to be so successful!? i already said it!. i like comfort!. i like fast cars!. i like luxurious cars!. i like working smarter not harder!. i like excellent food in the finest restaurants!. i like the fact that in america that money can buy justice (to a certain degree) and i also like the fact that money separates the cut above from the celebration of mediocrity that is presently plaguing america!.

call me elitist!. call me a snob!. call me whatever you want!. it doesnt bother me in the least!. what it will show is the hypocrisy that exists in america today because i do not know of one poor person who would not want to be 'rich' AND i do not know of one 'rich' person who would want to be poor!.

the poor in this nation will never 'rise up' and start a revolution!. why!? because welfare keeps the poor complacent enough to where they just complain but are too lazy to do anything about it!. why!? because if they are too lazy to better themselves and get off welfare, they for he11 sure are too lazy to get off their giant behinds (from eating doritos and drinking bud) and start a revolution!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It is when the capitalists/big business stifle competion and ask the government for handouts !. !. !.Www@QuestionHome@Com