What is happiness and can it be measured? These questions, particularly the former, have perplexed philosophers and thinkers for over two millennia. Now the government intends to find out, by setting up a happiness, or well being index, premised on the idea that money is not all there is to happiness.
That happiness is not solely about money cannot be denied. There are, indeed, plenty of stories about extremely rich people lacking peace of mind and contentment. But neither can it be denied that there is a marginal point beyond which money does matter and the rather middle class pre-occupation with finding happiness beyond money becomes irrelevant. That point is certainly reached if you are jobless, struggling to keep a roof over your head and have to think hard about which necessities of life to prioritise.
To suggest to a person in such a situation, and there are many and indeed will be many more when the government's cuts begin to bite, that happiness is not about money but about beauty, aesthetic appreciation, etc, is plainly cruel.
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