There are many people who don’t have much, but still manage to live happily. The reasons for this vary, but some examples are:
1. Some people are satisfied with their jobs even if they’re not so lucrative. They’re probably pursuing their life’s passion.
2. Even when living hand-to-mouth, some people are very happy with their families. They appreciate their partners, are proud of their children and value one another.
3. Even though some people live alone, and don’t have much in their bank accounts, they have the total freedom to do things as they wish. So their single life is very satisfying.
The common denominator in these examples is that they appreciate something that is not of monetary value, and are satisfied with what they have and make the most out of it.
Now, tackling the opposite side of the equation, even though some people have lucrative jobs, are married, or have an overwhelmingly large bank account, they tend not to appreciate the things they have and are fixated on comparing themselves with other people as if life is a race and they always have to be ahead of others. As a result, they feel miserable and empty inside. They don’t realize that they have everything that they need and how happy they could be, but instead, look for an unrealistically happy life of monetary value, which you only see in the movies, and is just a fraction of people’s imagination.
Eventually, these types of people do things they believe would further satisfy their desires such as borrowing money to buy unnecessary things for an ego boost; or disregard their freedom and family in pursuit of something they feel is lacking. The big problem is that they have this deep hole that they are trying to fill, that can never be satisfied. They are lonely even in the company of others.
In conclusion, there are many people who can live happily even having less things and smaller bank accounts, and also there are many people who feel miserable and very lonely even if they have almost everything they could ever wish for. In the end, it’s just a matter of perspective and appreciation towards what we have now.