Random thoughts on the subject "Happiness" and "Confidence" are two of the most dangerous words in American Culture. I really wonder who benefits from this. O

Random thoughts on the subject "Happiness" and "Confidence" are two of the most dangerous words in American Culture. I really wonder who benefits from this. On Culture Until the age of 19, I was in Western Africa. In our language there is no direct substitute for the question "Are you happy?" I can ask "are you sick, hungry, lost, fast, slow, smart, bad, good, angry,etc..," but I have no easy straight way of asking "Are you happy?" That is not to say people are happy, that is just to say the words/questions shape the culture. On Material Deprivation On the other hand I noticed the difference between my status and my friends. I had friends I would not bring to my home as a kid; these kids would spend on clothes what was our family's monthly income. Material deprivation is entirely subjective nevertheless. I also had cousins, family friends, who found our home the best place to be during their holidays. They would usually live in more remotes part of the country or in the suburbs, not the main city. On Material Deprivation "Appearance starts where performance ends." I notice the times one finds hope or purpose bigger than themselves (even if temporarily) they do not care so much about appearance. Take the average startup entrepreneur. They could live in a shack and be content if they were confident they had the next Facebook in hand. On the other hand they could land a job at Google for $250k yearly and be miserable because their goal was to build a unicorn. To this end whenever I worry about appearances, I know internally something is lacking. Something deeper. It happens on and off, I realize it. "Ignorance is really bliss" I have noticed something: philosophers and analytical minds seem unhappy, religious minds seem just accepting, and those who "do not appear" very intelligent are having a freaking good time in life.