“Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.” — Benjamin Franklin //
My German friend and I woke up and hired a driver to take us around Bali island for the day. We arranged the driver through our hotel, and it turned out he was the brother-in-law of the hotel owner. Such was our introduction into the importance of family and community to Balinese people, which I’ll discuss in a different article.
Bali, an island just east of Java in Indonesia, has a population of over 4 million people. In contrast with the rest of Indonesia with is predominantly Muslim, Bali is mostly comprised of 85% Hindu, making for a marked difference in local culture. It is the largest tourist destination in Indonesia, and visitor numbers are up again after a lull in the early 2000s following terrorist bombings in 2002 and 2005.
After stopping off at a 7-11 for some snacks (prevelant throughout much of Southeast Asia), we first went to the Royal Temple in Mengwi, one of the most important temples in Bali. Built an 1634, it is very pretty as it is situated on an island in a river, its inner temple surrounded by a moat — its Balinese name in fact literally means Garden Temple in the Water. It also featured a cockfighting rink, the first of many we would see. Although cockfighting in general is illegal within Bali due to the gambling it encourages, it is legal when done for religous purposes as is required during certain cermonies which dictate a blood sacrifice that is poured on the ground.
Next, we went to the Batu Karu temple, originally built in the 11th century and one of nine “directional” temples meant to protect Bail from evil spirits. Unlike the prior temple, this one was deserted, situated in the middle of the jungle and quite tranquil, with its many statues, stones walls, and a large pond.
It was not surprising that this temple felt quite different from the last one, as Bali has countless temples of different sizes and type – leading it to gain the nickname “the island of a thousand puras (temples).” The different types include temples built on the sides of mountains or volcanoes (thought to be the abode of gods), temples by the sea to appease sea dieties, temples within villages serving as the center of Balinese people’s religious activities, water temples which in addition to their religious functions also help manage water allocation, and others.
From there, we traveled to the spactacular Jatiluwih rice terraces, definitely the highlight of my day. Because it can only be visited on your own by renting a car or a driver, it is not packed with crowds — and at the same time, it is huge. The result is a stunning display of green layered upon green, stepping up from a deep valley and on upward. We spent some time trekking throug the rice terraces, past the occasional farmer or cow, walking along the paths which double as an irrigation system. Very cool. Along the top ridge of the field were houses. I kept thinking about what the rent probably was for those homes overlooking such a beautiful area … not much, I’m sure.
Next was a stop to view Lake Bratan, followed by another temple, Ulun Danu, beautifully situated on a lake, and then a trip to Munduk, a hiking area where we took a path down to see a 35 meter waterfall. It pounded with such force you could literally feel the spray from the waterfall at a distance quite far away.
The next day we took a biking tour of the island, a great way to see some of the less touristy spots of the island and get to know the local culture and religion. Before the bike tour began, we stopped at a coffee plantation, where after a tour of the grounds we were able to try 15 different kinds of coffee and tea. My favorites were the teas – lemongrass, ginger, and local flowers, amongst others. I have never had coffee before, but tried 7 different kinds while I was there. When in Rome. I also tried snake skin fruit – tasty!
Then we rode up into the mountains in Northern Bali and got on our bikes. The new 18-speed bikes were in stark contrast with the meager village where we started our ride. Throughout the ride, we drove through what I can only describe as very beautiful and very local villages – riding past homes along the street with beautiful foliage separated by stretches of green jungle with spiders as big as your fist, and then along spectacular ride paddies. We made a few stops as well, at local village temples to learn about the Hindu religion practiced at Bali, and at a local Balinese house. The house was especially hard to visit, as the family living there was living very meagerly. At the same time, the family living at the house we visited was not particularly unhappy, despite their poverty. They had each other and they had their religion to give them comfort, which was enough for them.
In case you were wondering how we ended up at this family’s home — the owner of the bike tour company was finding different homes in need and donating a part of his proceeds to help the families get food, clothing, and other basic necessities. Very noble cause for him, especially given that the bike tour company owner himself started as a servant and worked his way up over many, many years to become owner of his own bike tour business.
Each village had a different specialty item that they made for local and tourist consumption – tourism makes up 80% of the local economy. We passed by villages that were experts in making painted masks, others who excelled in stone pillars, and some who were making large vases.
Towards the end of the day, I asked my guide about why people in Bali seem so happy, especially those we had seen that were living so meagerly. He told me that as long as people have the basic necessities in Bali, they can live very happy and fulfilling lives. He expressed his view that money and wealth is what can lead to problems. Many people in Bali have accumulated wealth by selling land they own to companies for development and tourism. They have become rich over night. He told me a story about someone he knew who always had wanted a car. This woman dreamed about owning a car, pictured herself driving. She saw it as a major status symbol and thought others would look more favorably on her if she had a car. After selling her land, she had a lot of money and bought a car. She ran her hands along the outside, opened the door, sat in the car seat … and couldn’t bring herself to start the car. It was too much for her – what it represented, the amount of money it had cost. She sold it without ever driving it (and lived happily ever after).
All in all the bike ride was 25 km long, a quite enjoyable way to see the area and learn about local culture.
My German friend, unfortunately, did not make it the whole 25 km. Towards the beginning of the trip, he started feeling feverish, and rode in the car that was trailing our group for much of the trip. After lunch (overlooking beautiful rice paddies and jungle), he still was not feeling well and was fearing malaria, dengue, or worse. After a careful weighing of pros and cons, he decided with my input to go to a hospital in Kuta, the main tourist destination in Southern Bali which had better hospitals than our current area. I accompanied him to the hospital (where they checked our car for bombs as we were driving into the parking lot) to make sure he was able to get checked in and to see whether there was anything I could do before continuing on to my accommodation in Kuta.
Update: I recently heard from the German that his physician had run some tests and found a parasite that was being treated – no malaria or dengue. Last I heard he is doing fine.
Lessons Learned
- Material goods and wealth not only don’t buy happiness, but also sometimes can contribute to unhappiness. I am not sure the takeaway is not to have money, however. It is easier to live with limited resources when that is supported by local cultural norms and community. Living like people in Indonesia do in a first world country would require strength of character, as people wouldn’t get it. In fact the resulting alienation from the local community and unhappiness caused may negate any benefit. What we can do, however, is look for and actively seek enjoyment from experiences not directly tied to wealth
- There is nothing more important than your health. Take necessary precautions to stay healthy, but don’t let that prevent you from living life
Can money buy sustainable happiness? Why or why not?
No money can buy happiness. In fact Zadie always taught that money can’t buy poverty either. Kidding aside, happiness is an emotional state, a reflection of the inner self. Money is part of the physical material world and can only bring transitory happiness. I’ve met many happy poor people and many unhappy rich people. But I’ve also met many unhappy poor people and many happy rich people. Some people are naturally happy – they probably have lots of dopamine circulating in the proper parts of their brains. Others have to learn how to be happy. I think much unhappiness in America comes from the consumer culture that encourages people to be unsatisfied with what they have. A lot of happiness comes from being content with what you have and not worrying about what you don’t have. This is a lesson that is constantly taught by cancer and trauma survivors. All that being said, I’d rather be unhappy and rich than unhappy and poor. Work on your inner self – – but don’t ignore the realities of the material physical world.
Agree with everything you wrote … I think I would refine my view to say, money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy opportunity — if it is used wisely. And of course would rather be unhappy and rich than unhappy and poor. Or better yet, happy and rich rather than happy and poor.
I love your insight around being content with what you have and now worrying about what you don’t have. In fact, that was a central theme in a meditation course that I just completed, which I’ll be posting on soon.
Going a step further – some happiness comes from being content with what you have. But life is not static and if you remain ignorantly blissful with all you have you can miss out on so many other wonderful things in the world. You may love your Atari Pong game – – but what if everyone around you has the latest Wii? You may love Minneapolis, but isn’t Asia interesting? Much of Asian philosophy deals with the great dichotomies of life, one of which is the paradox of being happy with what you have while still seeking out new experiences. A certain amount of unhappiness with what you have leads you to seek, work, earn, etc. The person who remains content with a single station in life doesn’t grow and doesn’t experience all of what life has to offer. On the other hand, some of us find ourselves in situations where we can not grow and must find happiness in a smaller sphere. Buddhism speaks of “satori” – understanding your unique inner nature. Your happiness springs from living in harmony with that nature. True insight and happiness comes from balancing these ideas– which for most of us is a never-ending journey.
Really interesting to think about this post. “Miss out on so many wonderful things in the world” could presume that the definition of “wonderful things” are objective. But if they are subjective for every person, then “wonderful” could in fact be what you already have, for a particular person who gets unhappiness from being exposed to new experiences. Even if we assume that new experiences are good for all people, regardless of their own view on the subject, it is still dangerous to “crave” new experiences excessively, because then if you don’t get the new Wii or can’t make it to Asia you will end up unhappy. That said, seeking out new experiences in a balanced non-excessive manner seems like a good way to go. Am I interpreting your post right?
Unfortunately this format can require someone to be overly glib. You have my basic idea right but I’m not sure you got the end of my comment – about knowing your inner self. Some of us are naturally inquisitive and curious. Those people need to fulfill their inquisitiveness to be happy. Others are naturally born with simpler needs and can find happiness “in their own back yard”. Everyone is different and must take a different path in life – although you can generalize somewhat about “personality types.” The proper path for one person is different than his friend. This is what Hesse’s “Narcissus and Goldmund” is about. It is possible for people to find happiness in any situation they find themselves in. Albert Camus explores this in “The Stranger”. But it’s easier to swim when you don’t fight the tide.
I did not mean to imply that “wonderful things” are objective. They are very subjective.. I was speaking to the inquisitive personality type that I’ve always known you to be. You / Adam must learn to find happiness with what you have – – but you’ve also been blessed with the drive to find it in other places as well. Fighting that drive too much will lead to unhappiness as it will go against your nature.