Can Money Buy Happiness? (Based on scientific research)

What am I thinking now?

I should finish my final assignment, and then I will find a job. Since I will graduate from the well-known university, I deserve the well-paid job.

Wait a sec! What is the money for?

I don't know. It probably can give happiness to me. I can afford many things.

So, are you telling me that money can buy happiness?

A short conversation above was really happening in my mind. I didn't know the answer. And somehow, I just believed that kind of situation happens to you too, fellow readers. So I did a little dig on what promotes happiness the most. And then, I come up with this. Let's check it out.

Elizabeth W. Dunn, associate professor of University of British Columbia majoring Psychology, said that she won't surprise if people who did something for others would promote more happiness than people who didn't. But she surprised when she found out how big the positive impact of spending money on others to promote happiness. And of course, it has nothing to do with the amount of money you have. "This research shows that little change of ways in spending money will make us feel a different way of happiness", said Dunn via phone-interview session. It doesn't mean that we should have a huge salary and then we give them for others. No, it is not like that! The point is just to give what you have for others, and do it in your ways! Dunn added,"Nothing's special about the money! The most important things are your time and your involvement to help others."

Here is how the research were conducted. This research initiated by asking 632 Americans (55% female) to rate their general happiness, report their annual income, and estimate how much they spent on bills/expenses, donate for charity, gifts for others, etc. The first two categories are summarized to create index of personal spending. And the other two are summarized to create index of pro-social spending. Then these two indexes are statistically tested. Using the regression analysis, this research revealed that the personal spending was unrelated with happiness. Statistically speaking, it was not significant. On the contrary, pro-social spending was related with happiness.

Another research taken by Dunn, they took 45 Canadian students to rate their happiness. They were given money, at least $5 each. Of course, they got a different amount of money. They were given a directive. Some of them were told to spend money on them. And some of them were told to spend money on others. At the end of the day, they rated their happiness and the results revealed that students who spent money on others experienced more happiness than some other students.

Conclusion of the research, people who spend more money on others experienced greater happiness than people who spend more money on themselves. Further result, the amount of money we make has nothing to do with our happiness. But the amount of money we make has something to do with the way we spend our money.

Final decision, I deserve well-paid company for I have already known my way of spending money. I am going to spend more money on others. Yeah, I will! It will be my happiness. No, it is my dream!

Still, I can't answer the question. Can money buy happiness?

(reference: Dunn, E. Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness. Univ of British Columbia)

Letter From Lord

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.

P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.

Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to remind a friend about this; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day.

At the final analysis:

Lord has seen you struggling,

He say it's over.

A blessing is coming your way.

Angkuh ku

Jiwa-jiwa merintih..
tertatih, terkekang, terhimpit bahkan terjatuh.
Mereka meringkuk di sudut sempit nurani..
Berteriak-teriak mencari sosok berhati.


Jeritannya mengusikku..
namun kutolak, palingkan wajah
Tak menatap potret jiwa yang asing..
kucoba tenggelam dalam logika agungku


Ku dengar samar..
ia berontak tegas!
melawan yang kusebut takdir


Ku dengar samar..
ia bertarung!
menjawab tantangan hidup


Sesaat.. aku terhenyak..
terkagum pada jiwa yang terabaikan


Jeritannya menyibak jubah kemanusiaan ku,
meruntuhkan angkuh tahta diri ku
Gigihnya merengkuh sehelai napas,
ajarkan ku memberi arti berbeda bagi hidup


the AtMoSpHeRe
Bandung, 18August2006

I got the bricks.

I just feel that I am the boy who wrote the letter right now. Thanks for the brick, God! I am fixing myself from now on.

Waiting For The Brick?!!

I just read this story and found it really inspiring. It is kind of suitable for my situation (or perhaps, yours?). Check it out!!

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and drove the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" The young boy was apologetic. "Please mister ... please, I'm sorry... I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop..."

With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out his fancy handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you and May God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger.
Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the little boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us.

Fellow readers, I don’t know whether you are being thrown bricks for darting or not. But we do, sometimes. We start ignoring people around us while we are enjoying pursuit of our dreams. Perhaps, we are too busy cope problems. But, is it wrong if I am getting my dreams, even though I have to ignore others? Since, if I fail, I will not get life that I always wanted. I don’t know. It is just frantically post.

It's our choice: Listen to the whisper ... or wait for the brick!

Not to me, but For Me

Have you ever felt like you have tried the best and you don’t succeed? I am really sure that you know that kind of feeling. Under such condition, most of people usually start to look for something/someone to blame. It is pathetic.

Let‘s say, I have been in that situation. For example, my team had been making all efforts to be in a final basketball championship. And, we just ended up with no title at all. I just feel that it is unfair. I believe that you ever experienced it, too.

When I discussed this topic to a friend of mine, I got many point of views. Some of them said, ”We just can’t win all.” I think that this is just their rationalization or just a replacement which would make them feel better. But, sometimes, it does help, by the way.

But, point of view I like most is what my friend, Arlo, said to me. “Nothing ever happened to you, but everything did happen for you.” Actually, I am little bit confused with this quotes, at first. But it is getting clearer when Arlo gave me an illustration.

Simply said, we planned before we were going to do something. And most of them, sometimes, weren’t going as planned. Often, we are getting upset or disappointed. But, something we really don’t know is there’s always a bright side for us right there.

Let’s back to my problem up there! My team might not get a chance to play in basketball championship game, in order to remind us that there are so many things needed to be repaired, internally. Therefore, we have a chance to reflect and rebuild our ‘soul’ in the team. We might think that everything is okay, if we wouldn’t have lost.

That is what I am talking about. Final championship didn’t happen to us, but the lost did happen for us. At the end, I want to say “Cheer up. Thing may go unplanned, but something good for us do happen eventually”. Then, what to worry? You tell me.

Intermezzo Saat PPAB

Lagi ngebuka2 folder foto-foto, trus tiba sampai di gambar ini langsung keingat masa-masa indah PPAB.. Emang sesuatu yang indah untuk dikenang,,,

Ada pelantikan yang hampir batal gara2 hujan..
Ada Kico yang suru push-up anak orang abis bangun pagi..
Ada macem2lah..

Tapi yang paling ultimate, salah satunya ini..


RIKO lagi menakuti anjing2 ini dengan matanya... hahaha..

Things in My Life and How I React

A family was having breakfast in a sunny morning. This family consists of a father, a mother, a boy and a little girl. Suddenly, the little girl named Floe spilled a cup of tea on to her father’s shirt. Her Father was so angry at her. He scolded her,”I am going to have an important meeting today. And I am in a rush. I have to perform well and you have just ruined everything!!!” He was yelling at his daughter for 15 minutes. Since then, he was in a bad mood.

Then, he changed his shirt in hurry and came late to the meeting. At the meeting, he realized that he forgot to bring his files which is needed for the meeting. He left his files on the bed when he changed his attire in hurry. He was getting a notification letter from his boss because of being reckless. He became so angry and so upset. And then, he left the meeting room emotionally. When lunch time came, he suddenly realized that he also forgot to bring his wallet. It left in his this-morning-trousers’ pocket. He couldn’t buy any food to eat. He was getting more upset. He couldn’t think clearly right now. When he was on the way home, he’s so emotional. So, he drove his car very careless and he hit a woman.

On the other side, Floe was very depressed because of the incident. She felt like the guiltiest one. Then, those feeling make her get sick. And, certainly, this would be another bad news for her father.

What things can be inferred? Why did his father play a worst part of life that day? Do you think it is because of the spilled-tea on his shirt? I don’t think so.

I think it is because of the father’s reaction towards the things happened. What if he calmed himself and tried not to get upset? What if he said,” It is okay, Floe! You didn’t do that on purpose. Don’t cry. I just need to change my clothes and everything will be fine.”? What do you think would happen? The father wouldn’t have been late since he didn’t waste his time scolding his daughter. And he wouldn’t have left his files and wallet. So, he wouldn’t have either missed his lunch or got a notification letter. Further, he wouldn’t have hit a woman since he would have been driving home safely.

So, what is the point? The point is that our life mostly are not influenced by bad things happened but are really influenced by our reaction towards them. Most of the time, we choose to get angry, to feel disappointed, and, eventually, to make the wrong decision. Then, we will get the impact of our reaction, either bad result or good one. If the result is bad, we will start to complain and blame the events. We forgot the “our reaction” part. Perhaps, blaming something or someone could make everything become so easy for us. I just don’t know.

I was thinking about everything happened in life. Then, I came up with questions.

How much do they contribute to what I am right now?

Or what will I become when they did not happen?

I had no answer for those. Not until I read this. At least, I have something to say if I have to answer those questions.

Simply said, all things happened in my life contribute 10% and my reactions towards them contribute 90%. So, what action is going through your head, then?

See you at the top!

Do What You Love or Love What You Do?

Regard to what my friend wrote about On Learning and Doing What You Love, I am triggered to write something about that. Certainly, it will be another point of view.

Off to the topic. I totally agree with point brought in the posting. Stop learning after college and looking for the best-offerings company have been the stereotype for majority of college student. Though, they do not know whether what they’re doing right now is what they love or not.

Ideally, they should love what they do. They should choose something they love since they will be fighting for it in the rest of their life. But, some of them, sometimes, have a situation, a condition that leaves them no option. Perhaps, some of them do realize that what they are doing right now is something they don’t love. But they must do it.

For the sake of clearness, allow me offer you an illustration. I am facing the choices of occupation. They are a lecturer and customer insight manager. I love being a lecturer. That is my dream. But, right now, I need money to afford things in life. My family needs my support. My little brother has not finished his college and my parents are running out of some cash right now. Being a lecturer would be a wrong choice at that time. Even though, I don’t love being a customer insight manager. For a matter of fact, it supplies me and my family more than enough. Eventually, the situation leaves me with no option, does it?

I do suggest you to do what you love. But, we can’t do that sometimes. Life is about choices. Let me take another example. Anne and Lucy were separated since their parents decided to divorce. Their parents’ divorce was triggered by his mother’s affair with another man. Anne, first, chose to go with daddy, and Lucy chose to go with mom. After ten years, Anne lives in wealthy and Lucy lives in a poor family. What do you think?

Lucy chose the wrong side? Do you think Lucy really wanted to choose to be with her mother? No. Anne picked her side first. It is to be with her father. Then, the situation made Lucy got no option. She couldn’t leave their mother alone. She had to choose her, although she didn’t like to.

What I am trying to say above is sometimes we could not do what we love; we could not get what we want, and so on. But, still, choices are right there for us to pick. Whatever the choices would be, we should choose something for our own good.

Fellow readers, like I said before, I totally agree with doing something I love rather than something I don’t. But let me complete it with my point of view as written up there. Conclusion, do what you love or love what you do! Whatever we do as long as it is good for us and anyone else, it will bring something in return. Since we were born to be great, weren’t we?

See you at the top!

For I Know That You Care

I ran from the water
and I walked down the road
My head in a dizzy
loving voice in my head

I know You can hear me
And I know that You're there
My hope will surround me
for I know that You care

The silence is haunting
down the road in my head
my heart has been longing
So, won't You find me,instead?

I know You can hear me
And I know that You're there
My hope will surround me
for I know that You care

I just know that you can hear...
I just know that you care..

With Love,
AtMoSpHeRe-1024

Part of Life ≠ Whole Part of Life

"She is part of your life but she is not the whole part of it."

That's what my friend said to his best friend. His best friend totally changed since he got a new girlfriend. He spent the whole time of his life for this lady. And he forgot to take care of his academic things, friends, etc.

I am not going to tell you a story about him. I am going to discuss about the quote. Let me rewrite the quote for you in a different version, of course.

"........ is part of your life but ........ is not the whole part of it."

Then, fill in the blanks, please! The words "She", it could refer anything or anyone. It could be our hobby; it could be our special person. Some of us (maybe most of us) have something to fill into the blanks. It is normal because we tend to focus on something. But we also forget about many things in our life.

In my perfect version of life:

We can spend most of our time studying something, but not the whole of it.

We can spend most of our time playing basketball, but not the whole of it.

We can spend most of our time with our lover, but not the whole of it.

What I am trying to say is we really can get into something we love, but we aren't supposed to forget our duty, our liabilities, our calling because of it.

At the bottom line, life should be balance. How to do it? You are the one who got the answer for your own life.

So, "get a life, bro!"

A Story of Life

A friend of mine said a great quote, "My motto is to give most values for others". He said that after telling me about his decision to move from Mac Kinsey into BRR (Reconstruction Company for Aceh and Nias). FYI, Mac Kinsey is a company which can pay him five times greater than BRR. Simply said, normal people would never and ever make that decision, since people still need those amounts of money to afford things in their life. But, this man made it. The only reason he had is by joining BRR; he could share most values for others.

Another story is about my friend's cousin. He had a dream. He wanted to be a doctor. On the contrary, his parents wanted him to continue family business. But he insisted to learn about medics. Eventually, he graduated from a good university in Indonesia. Then, he got a job in Africa, being a doctor. In the region he's assigned, there was a war. One day, he found a wounded soldier in a middle of war. Nobody wanted to risk their life to save the soldier. Instead of seeing the soldier bleed to death, he risked himself to carry the soldier on the back and brought him to safe place. Unfortunately, right before he got the soldier to the safe place. He got shot to death.

Fellow readers, do you see it coming? World around us is changing rapidly. We are on our way of losing people who would risk their life and give most values for others. Basically, people are self-centered. Look at the fact, in 1980s, people was being busy writing about sciences, technology and religions. And just some of them wrote the autograph books (books which tell a life story of the author). In a decade, it has been changing rapidly. It is found more than 50 people wrote autograph books. And, vice versa, some of them still write about sciences, technology and religions.

Truly speaking, there is no legal norm or rule which emphasizes whether it is wrong or not. But, it is not a matter. The matter I concern is people forgot to give values for others, to share joy for others. That is the missing one. People, nowadays, are kept busy by his dream. And, again, I don't know what is right and what is wrong. What I do know is people I told you their stories above are a great man. And, somehow, I just believe that there are so many people outside there who will do the same thing. I hope I will, too.

Because people around me have made me who I am right now.

"Tell me what you eat and then I will tell you what you are"