Money and happiness

Check out this article alluding to the fact that money might actually buy happiness, kinda. Basically once you get past a certain standard of living, money doesn't seem to matter much.

The graph also makes it look as though for countries at the high and low ends of the happiness scale, relative happiness within the country doesn't seem to vary much based on income level. It's the countries in the middle of the scale where the richer are significantly happier than the poor.

In the US it appears that you'll be a little happier if you're more well off than others. However, I do have a theory that many people in this country are significantly higher on the "well off" scale than they actually realize. So I'm not sure how that factors in...

It's the little things that say something about you

I was walking behind some kids (late teens, early 20's) the other day, and one of them threw his empty soda cup onto a perfectly clean, spotless, manicured lawn alongside the sidewalk. Walking about 20 yards behind them, I picked it up. hoping they would notice.

Two minutes later, his friend, finished with his soda, tossed it over the wall and into someone's backyard. I almost yelled out to them, but figured it wasn't worth getting in a fight (I had no homeys to back me up).

As a general rule, I don't judge. But somehow, for some reason, that one little action made me judge. It's pretty stupid, I'll admit, but in an instant, I learned so much about those two kids.

Maybe it's just basic "Do unto others"? But seriously, we're all human beings here, there is no point in being a dick just because you'll get away with it.