We Need Scarcity to be Happy

The moments I had the time and opportunity to listen to it were very valuable. It took me a few weeks to know every song by heart and to discover every detail of the lyrics and the cover design. I invested time and effort to make the album my own. It became a priceless piece of art for me.

Nowadays, I have Spotify which gives me access to any music I want any time I want.  What a luxury! I can collect albums with a single click. But I hardly invest time and effort in learning to know them.

Does it make me happier than what I was thirty years ago? No, it doesn’t. But on the contrary, things which are not scarce lose their value:

• A music album is more valuable when you had to make an effort to get it.
• Spare time is only valuable when you are busy.
• Health is much more appreciated when you are ill.

We need scarcity to be happy.  As Mahatma Gandhi taught us already: “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment”. [...]

 

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