Are WE Happier Than OUR Forefathers ?

No we are NOT happier than our forefathers!! In todays life nobody wants to sacrifice for any relationship!! Today peopl seek profit in every thing!! Profit profit and profit!! We are gettinglatest gadgets and every thing but still we are not happy why?? Our forefathers lived thier lives completey. But we are just "surviving"!! Not "living". In this race of of surving we forgot how to live. Life is precious please don't let it go that easily! AS much as I know about my life is... I was born..started going to school ....went to school for 14 years.....then running after my career.....running for admissions...then I'll be running for a job....then will be having a family and ...then will be running after my kids and thier life.....in between of all this where is my life?? Will I ever get some time to live freely!! Without any tentions ?? I guess no never!! No I am not happy.

The time has changed, people says! The people have changed, people say! Change is a normal thing in our world: When our forefathers were living, changes were occurring at that time also! Nostalgia is ok, but all was good at that time and all are not good in our present time, this is not a healthy approach because the progress and change both are together and we have enjoyed that benefit of all such changes and progress! We are benefited most and we are saying that our fore fathers were happier than us!? Why? I think this is related with our approach and attitude! Simplicity is part of our attitude and approach. What ever facility comes, what ever new changes and materialistic benefits are become part of our daily life! And all such happening here with humanit6y whole as a part of globalization! And time never goes back than why human being needs to go back? We could have simplicity today also if we want and high thinking is also here and it is already crossing old boundaries and entered in new realm of achieving it! So lets find out that from our own inside and then we will feel that yes simplicity is still there!

Oh, how true your words are, Sukumar. Our forefathers didn't take life and possessions for granted. They worked very hard to obtain a good life and they appreciated and valued every minute of it. Today, however, we tend to take a lot for granted. If we don't have a job, an easy job at that, we will be subsidised for the government for an amount of time. We all think we should have a cosy home to live in and we think the World owes us a life. Our forefathers had to fight for their lives and their families' rights, and work, as in hunting and farming, for the food to sustain their lives. Oh how the World has changed, and is it for the better? I think not.

I've noticed that the word 'sacrifice' was brought up a few times. I'm not sure I agree that we need to sacrifice in this modern day. I think that we sacrifice a lot but don't realize this until too late - until we realized that we sacrificed our time with our kids or mates, so that we could try and make a lot of money and buy things. These are things that our TV sets keep showing us that we should want, we should have, we should buy... I think that we have more technology and have a wider range of 'toys' than our forefathers had - but I don't notice too many people having a lot of fun, particularly people who 'have things.' It seems that as people acquire things, they have to keep scrambling to get more things or to keep the things they have acquired..... This brings to mind a silly comedy routine that George Carlin did quite a few years ago (probably 15-20yrs ago) - his whole routing for about 20 minutes is about 'STUFF' It's about how we learn, (I think he's referring mainly to North Americans) to 'want stuff' - then try to figure out how to get stuff that our parents don't want us to have. Then we try to figure out how to NOT SHARE our stuff with others that we think we acquired fair and square....then we look at other peoples 'stuff' and see that some of their 'stuff' seems to be better than our 'stuff' so we kind of want to get rid of our not-so-good 'stuff'...it wasn't as good as we thought the 'stuff' was when we wanted it, then set about to 'get the stuff.' Consequently, we have to get newer stuff and get rid of the old stuff before people find out that some of our stuff isn't good 'stuff'...and we have to start getting BIGGER PLACES to house our 'stuff' because nobody wants some of our throwaway stuff...so we get a bigger car (stuff) a bigger house (stuff) maybe a boat- and when all this gets to be too much, we start looking for another, bigger house for our stuff..... etc LOL - though it was a comedy blurb, I think that what George Carlin put in his act is very true! We spend so much time wanting, trying to acquire, comparing our stuff with other peoples' stuff - that we forget to ENJOY the things we have and enjoy PEOPLE - who cannot be replaced by 'Stuff.'

We and our forefathers breath a different air, ate a different food and drink a different water. And those things were better than what we had today. So I think our forefathers were living in much better place than ours, they should live happier. I guess.

This question can be relative. In my point of view if I am the forefather I would be happier if I see my children successful. While if am the child I'd be happier if I'd see my father old yet happy and satisfied. In terms of history, it is also relative. A person may or may not be happy to be in an old fashion technology. Some love technology advancements while others don't. Each individual I undestand have different perspective and preferences. Simplicity and complexity are often appreciated but most of the time criticized. For me I would prefer advancement in technology since am a happy person too. My answer is a big YES!

No we are not and we will never be and i feel neither our kids be. They are gonna face really tough time ahead and they are gonna suffer a lot. During the time of our forefathers they were satisfied with what they had but now in this world som many different kinds of gadgets coming out everyday how can one be satisfied, in the next 100 years i don't what our world is gonna be. It's going to be so different.

Yes, you are absolutely right! Our forefathers were living in well peace of mind. Always they were active for the welfare and peace of the people of their surroundings, that too unconditionally! Whatever they have built up and protected for us is certainly the example of unconditional sacrifice. That is why they had total peace of mind, though material happiness was very much limited during their times. We may be happy in this modern age even 100 times better than our forefathers, but our mental peace is always at disaster by self-made factors. We are responsible for our unpeace and this is mainly due to the fact that we feel only accountable for us and our feelings only! We never think or conceive the fact that we are only minute parts of an universal network that is designed naturally to extend service among our surroundings. Thus there is no thought of sacrifice and accountability for others around us. This is the key factor of today's unpeace in our society. Besides this, accute self-centeredness and artificial way of life have deactivated the human conscience and thus today's unpeace everywhere. Thanks.

Some times I think that the men and woman that settled the America's so so many years ago were happier. They worked hard and they valued family. They did not worry about what their neighbors had because their neighbors were more than happy to share what little they had too. Now days we do not share or work hard. The way of the close family unit is gone. There are so many kids that are raising theirselves for one reason or another. There are so many people telling everyone else how they should live. There really is not much freedom now days as there was many many years ago.

I think I am as happy as my forefathers were or would have wanted me to be,but in general perhaps life has become so pacy that not everyone stops to think about happiness anymore.There is more stress and depression around us.It's a good thing that we are slowly trying to learn some of the art of our forefathers to give our lives a better meaning and find peace.However,on a comparative scale I'd tend to agree that our forefathers were happier than most of us.

I agree. I think that is a major problem for the "Me" generation. I also think we don't work as physically hard as our forefathers did, so don't rest as well at night. I'll bet they didn't have insomnia the way so many people do today!

This is true, I believe as a world (not just Americans) that profit is the bottom line and if money is not the motivator than it will be awhile before you get a response! I agree that we are generally not going to make personal sacrifices unless there is something in it for us, not just doing something out of love. Its a sad thing that this our reality but good thing we were born with free will so hopefully change is coming......

certainly not because so many differences between us and our four fathers that time mainly population is very less comparatively present and of course accordingly living space also more and now in a single room 10 people are staying because of space problem in cities of course land rates are very and meddle class man cant effort that much rate but in olden days no such problem our four fathers are mainly depend on cultivation so food also no problem even though they have less because eating persons also less. they are very less dependent on power no lights no TV no air condition no refrigerator so they are happy even though power failure and no power situation they eat fresh food and they breath fresh air they drink fresh water so they are least bother about pollution and mineral water they are not bother about rapid industrialization and there effects they are lives joint families so every body help each other no a days it is the big problem we are very far a way from all our parents and relatives. if some thing happened to us not even our neighborers also not come to help even though we are dieing there life is piece and slow we are fast and panic we all ways think about future it may be insecure file of course now we have a sophisticated technology and medical facility, problems also grown like Terrorism and Diseases like ADIS in my point of view our four fathers are happier then us

i think we are not happier than them,and also they are not happier than us. different eras has different situation, and different situations has different difficulties. happiness is just the thing you have to creat and look for ,not just use to compare with . right? my friend? wish you happy forever.

No matter where and when you look at humas we will always be unhappy with something... But we ought to be happier than our forefathers, a lot of things are a lot eaiser today than just 100 years ago.

I think our forefathers were more happier than we. Thanks

Githa says "hapiness depends on "aasha" or desire. Our forefathers lead a simple life, but in our case we have more convenience and we want to get more than them. In that sense we are not happy compared to them

hi dear i am totaly agree to you and you are very right our forefathers were much satisfied then us as there were no dig dreams they were happy with what they have at that time they were healthy and strong as every thing at that time was pure in itself like fruits,vegitable, water fresh year . no noise polution ,no air/water polution no competion no struggle for employment i here remember which my grand father use to say at there time though everone prefer to do irregation but jobs were easily avialable during the time of was militry officers come to villages and choose persons for army but now a days its too difficult to select even in army. Now a days man has become selfish and so as the case of god he too have stopped caring for human kind.

i thin we to have many things in our tine which our forefatherseven never expected. like good food,clean water,electricity,airoplane,two wheelere four wheelers,mobile hones computer and technolegy.......therre was many thinks they never expect or imagine of them....... and now we are enjoying..... speciolly mylot hehehehe....... Kkittu:)