While driving in Arizona, I saw a billboard that said, "All Recess, No Bells." There was a photo of a kid with a huge grin. It was to get people to visit San Diego.
Advertising is amazing. They have a way of making it seem like if we get this "thing" we'll always be happy and never be sad again. No wonder it's so hard to let go of things.
But things don't make us happy. If they did, we'd never be unhappy. We'd buy or do something, and we'd be in a perpetually happy state. But I've seen unhappy people in San Diego. I've noticed sad people talking on their iPhones. I saw an angry person driving a Mercedes.
I remember as a kid noticing that the people who smoked never seemed as happy the folks who smoked in cigarette ads. My mom was always irritated when she smoked. I started thinking that anything the TV told me about was a made up story.
We can't manufacture happiness. Happiness is not an object. It is a subjective state. It is not dependent on things.
