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This document discusses the differences in happiness levels between people in developed and developing countries. While people in developing countries are happier now than in the past due to improvements in living standards, people in developed countries are less happy. This is because consumerism leads people to constantly desire more possessions, which provides only short-term satisfaction and causes discontent over time. Both groups can learn that true happiness does not come from material goods and wealth, and must be found through healthy relationships and activities.

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Jullie
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35 views2 pages

Model Essay

This document discusses the differences in happiness levels between people in developed and developing countries. While people in developing countries are happier now than in the past due to improvements in living standards, people in developed countries are less happy. This is because consumerism leads people to constantly desire more possessions, which provides only short-term satisfaction and causes discontent over time. Both groups can learn that true happiness does not come from material goods and wealth, and must be found through healthy relationships and activities.

Uploaded by

Jullie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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In some countries, parents are choosing to teach children themselves at home

instead of sending them to school. Do the advantages of homeschooling


outweigh the disadvantages?

Opinions are divided on whether homeschooling is beneficial or harmful. I believe


that this educational route, albeit having some benefits, is not suitable for most
families due to its drawbacks.

Admittedly, the benefits of homeschooling are evident. The most commonly cited
advantage of this choice is that it allows parents to save money because no school
fees are required. Homeschool advocates are also say that home- educated children
are less likely to experience bullying and peer pressure, both of which can cause
emotional and mental problems. They also point to the fact that parents teaching
their children at home by themselves can tailor their curriculum and pedagogical
approaches to best suit their young ones. This is often not the case in traditional
schooling because of the large class size. Finally, homeschool focuses on
mastering concepts rather than memorizing facts to pass exams, thereby piquing
children’s curiosity and developing their critical acumen.

However, the problem involved in parents self- teaching their children at home are
more significant. First, this educational approach does not actually save money.
This is because parents need to pay large amount of money for lab equipment and
tutors, and one parent needs to be cut off to cater for their child’s needs, be the
academic or personal. Furthermore, most parents are not well- versed in all school
subjects, hence difficulties in properly explaining concepts for children and
ultimately academic problems. More importantly, even social problems that
children might be faced at school, such as bullying and having romantic feelings
for others, can prepare them for social and workplace situation in the future.

In conclusion, homeschooling can theoretically confer certain benefits, for example


in the forms of saving in money, the absence of bullying, suitable approaches and a
focus on actually understanding concepts rather than preparing children for tests.
Nevertheless, these benefits are often exaggerated or can only be brought about by
very few parents who are extremely intelligent and can afford to say at home to
teach their children. The aforementioned drawbacks of this choice- especially the
lack of interaction with other children- are much more significant.
While people in developing countries are happier than in the past, people in
developed countries are less happy. Why? What can be learnt from this?
It is observed that due to higher levels of living standards, inhabitants in third-
world countries report higher levels of happiness, compared to the past. However,
those living in developed parts of the world perversely experience a decline in their
overall happiness level, which can be attributed t the prevalence of consumerism.
There are indeed lessons to be learn from this development for people in both
developing and developed countries.

People in developing nation feel increasingly happier because they are becoming
more materialistically prosperous. In the past, they may have struggled to meet
basic human needs such as shelter, food and education, but tremendous economic
progress made in those countries has relieved people of the constant stress of trying
to survive, significantly facilitating their life satisfaction. Those living in
developed countries, on the other hand, have enjoyed high levels of living
standards for a long time, and many of them are taking this privileged for granted.
To make matters worse, consumerism, coupled with the ubiquity of adverts,
nudges people to strive for more material possessions to boost their self- worth and
consequently feel happy. However, after successfully purchasing something,
people tend to feel satisfied for a short amount of time because there are always
more expensive things to buy and wealthier people to impress. In other words,
buying more is like chasing an asymptote, naturally leading to discontentment.

There are different lessons people in both rich and less well- off countries can learn
from this development. Residents in wealthy nations need to understand that
owning more things does not equate happiness. As they are already able to subsist
their lives almost effortlessly, they should find healthier sources of happiness
(sports, passions and relationship, for example). Those living in developing
countries also need to understand that there is a strong correlation between wealth
and happiness, but this link tends to disappear when they could reach a certain
level of riches. In order for them to prolong their happiness, they should learn to
manage their money wisely and not fall victim to finding happiness in
consumerism, the nature of which is extremely short-lived.

In conclusion, the consumerist mentality, which has been woven into every fabric
of societies in developed countries, has encouraged people to associate their
happiness with materialistic possessions, and this has caused them to feel less
happy. These people need to understand that they cannot buy their way to
happiness and that they should find other ways to be happy. People in developing
countries are getting richer, enabling them to enjoy a significantly higher quality of
life. For those people, they should try to earn more, but then they need to learn to
manage their spending habits to avoid consumerism.

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