By: Tekalign Nega Angore (PhD)₁

We often say that someone lives “a good life.” We all aim for a “good life” as a goal, and we plan and work towards it. But what exactly do we mean by “a good life”? The markers of a “good life” are often associated with wealth, the enjoyment of comforts that wealth provides, and fame. People’s perception of a good life is tied to the amount of money they accumulate, the model of the car they drive, the beauty of their multi-roomed house, and the praise that comes with fame. Is it really true that wealth and fame are the measures of a good life?

Our Psychology

What do studies say? Let’s consider a study conducted in 2007 on young people known as the Millennial generation in the United States. The question was, “What are your primary life goals?” 76 out of 100 respondents said that “becoming wealthy” was their primary goal. 50 out of 100 also ranked fame as a major goal. Of course, 10 years later, these same respondents lowered the importance of fame. Wealth, however, remained a priority, though somewhat moderated. Making money, career success, and being debt-free remained top priorities. ₂ What do these figures tell us? We understand that in our society wealth and fame are highly desired life goals, especially among young people.

Our main goals often lead us to sacrifice other goals. When accumulating money becomes our primary life goal, we may disregard ethical considerations, adopting a “by any means necessary” approach. Any method becomes justifiable as long as we achieve our goal. When our life goal is fame, pretense ceases to be a problem; the discrepancy between our public and private lives no longer bothers us. Our lives become a facade rather than authentic. We prioritize others’ acceptance over our conscience or divine judgment.

To illustrate how much this mindset controls our psychology, let’s consider another study. Brain studies have shown that the medial orbitofrontal cortex is the part of the brain that registers our satisfaction levels. The activity in this brain region increases as our happiness increases. A study on this brain region revealed that even when the wine we drink is the same, our belief about whether it’s expensive or cheap influences our satisfaction. People experience greater satisfaction when they believe they are drinking expensive wine, and less satisfaction when they believe they are drinking cheap wine. ₃ What does this show us? It demonstrates that our psychology adopts societal views as its own.

Our Religion?

Since our country is a land of religious people, let’s examine our psychology from the perspective of religious teachings. The Prophet Muhammad, the final prophet of Muslims, said, “Wealth is not about having many possessions, but true wealth is contentment in the soul,” as recorded in reliable Hadiths. ₄The Prophet’s message is clear: true wealth is contentment of the soul, not accumulated possessions. Jesus Christ, the founder and perfecter of Christianity, asked, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?” ₅ Jesus’ message is that the world and its comforts cannot compare with the value of the soul, and the soul’s concerns should be our primary focus.

The Jewish sage Solomon also expressed that wealth alone is vanity, saying, “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it.”₆ What do these teachings show us? Remember the parable of the rich fool. The rich man looked at his abundance and said, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”₇ The rich man’s perspective is clear: his abundance is meant for rest and pleasure. Islam, Christianity, and Judaism emphasize that while money and fame are not inherently problematic, they are certainly not the measures of a good life. Indeed, according to these religious teachings, “Life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”

Why?

Why is money so desired? The answer is clear: not because money is intrinsically valuable. If we were alone in a desolate desert, no amount of money would be useful; it wouldn’t even quench our thirst. We value money because it facilitates our consumption in the world of exchange we live in. If money were not a medium of exchange, who would want it? If it didn’t provide our daily bread, clothe our bodies, entertain us, or allow us to purchase goods and services, why would we desire it? Money is desired because it fulfills our needs.

And fame? Isn’t fame being known by many people? Our desire for fame is also connected to our social nature; there are many things we cannot enjoy alone. Social isolation is considered a problem in psychology; our social nature makes us seek people and their opinions. The pursuit of fame becomes a futile race to gain a place in others’ hearts when it’s solely about being famous; the focus becomes a self-centered “me” that disregards others. The problem with this pursuit is that gaining a place in others’ hearts requires constantly meeting their changing expectations, exposing us to unnecessary stress. Those who are dear to us today must remain so tomorrow, making our lives a constant effort; the process is exhausting.

So What?

If wealth and fame are human desires, what should we do about them? In answering this question, it’s helpful to consider the philosopher Epicurus. Epicurus advises that we should not be slaves to all our desires; we should not accept everything our society imposes or sells us without examination. This requires examining and appropriately managing our desires.

To help with this examination, Epicurus divided desires into three categories: 1) natural and necessary, 2) natural but unnecessary, and 3) empty or vain desires. In the natural and necessary category, we can consider things like food and shelter, without which we cannot lead a meaningful life. In the natural but unnecessary category, we can include desires for temporary satisfaction that expose us to future pain, such as excessive pleasure and comfort. The desire for expensive things can be included in this category. Empty and vain desires are those for fame, power, and wealth.₈

According to the philosopher, our empty or vain desires are acquired from a sick society, not natural desires; they have no end, and we can never stop them. Another problem is that these desires are the sources of many unnecessary conflicts, stresses, and disputes. By pursuing them, we do not find true rest and satisfaction; our lives become like trying to fill an endless pit.

Being able to buy everything we desire does not bring true satisfaction. That’s why in psychology, the concept of “unhappy rich people” and “happy poor people” is established in contrast to the social perception of “happy rich people” and “unhappy poor people.” Indeed, not all poor people are unhappy, and not all rich people are happy. The existence of “unhappy rich people” and “happy poor people” indicates that happiness is not only a matter of objective measures but also of personal balance. A happy poor person enjoys happiness while living in difficult circumstances, while an unhappy rich person lacks happiness despite living in comfort. This truth shows us that the meaning and satisfaction of our lives are not directly related to the wealth we accumulate.

Wealth leads us away from happiness when our perspective becomes materialistic; our identity becomes indistinguishable from the possessions we claim as ours. By making possessions our priority, we neglect the essentials of life; we forget that wealth is a tool. Materialism has three main characteristics: envy, ungenerosity, and the desire to possess everything. When we are envious, we want what others have for ourselves; when we are greedy, we don’t want to share anything we have, and we struggle with generosity; we feel like we lack what we have, and our focus becomes accumulating more.₉  Therefore, let’s eliminate envy and rejoice in others’ success, enjoy the satisfaction of giving by sharing what we have, and not become prisoners of possessions, fearing that we will lose what we have.

When the pursuit of fame is disconnected from playing a positive role in social issues, our mental health is at risk. Why put ourselves under unnecessary stress? Let’s pursue peace with our conscience and God, just as we seek acceptance from people. Let’s stop living only for others. Instead, let our fame be connected to playing a positive role in society. Let our fame make us fighters for justice and equality. And let’s strive to ensure that the value we give to everyone is not diminished by inequality.

[1]  Given that the article was originally written in Amharic and then translated into English using AI, it’s important to be mindful of potential nuances that might have been lost in translation.

[2]  Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz.The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2023), 1.

[3]  Jonah Lehrer,  How we decide (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010), 148-149.

[4]  Sahih al-Bukhari 6446

[5]  Luke 9:25, Mark 8:36, Matthew 16:26

[6]  Proverb 15፡16-17

[7]  Luke 16፡19

[8]  Tim O’Keefe, Epicureanism. (New York: Routledge, 2014), 123-127.

[9]  Aaron Ahuvia,  and Nancy Wong. “Materialism: Origins and implications for personal well-being.” European advances in consumer research 2, no. 1995 (1995): 172-178.