A couple of weeks ago, I did a project in consumer of expressing what makes us happy. Each person was suppose to make a collage of pictures representing our happiness, and then write in an essay if money can buy happiness.
This sounds like a simple task, but suprisingly it requires lots of steps regarding thinking.
At first, I thought this would be easy. I knew my stance, that money can't buy happiness under any, yes any circumstance. The more I thought about this though, I realized that in certain situations it really can. For example, the people in Gaza living with barely any food facing starvation, dehydration, and being crammed with nine other family members into a one bedroom living area like sardines. If this family of ten received money to buy food, water, and shelter, then it really could bring happiness. Also, if you look at the people suffering from diseases and sicknesses, living every single second in heart wrentching pain, I believe medicine, which money buys can bring happiness to them.Therefore, after lots of thinking, I came to the conclusion that money can't buy happiness once your basic needs are taken care of.
My thought process for the collage went a little differently. At first, I had no idea what pictures I was going to include. Then I decided to put in what really brings a smile to my face, this is my friends, family, nature, and music. Therefore, I printed out pictures of images that represent all of these things and placed them on this collage. Lastly, I put a couple important quotes about happiness because reading quotes really makes me happy.
I realized my thought process lead me to build from one idea to another. First I decided to make a collage, then I added pictures of what I liked, then I added quotes, and at the end I added smiley faces all around to represent happiness in itself. I also realized that when I first form a thought, I also form a belief; then I question my belief to see if this is true and what I really believe in. In this case I realized that it isn't. Money really can buy happiness when people lack the basic necessities and health, but once those are achieved money can't buy happiness.
It surprises me that my thinking is like a cause and effect chart, like the ones I've learned about in school for so many years. One idea or thought causing the next. I have always been an over analyzer and thinker, but I have never really taken the time to think about how I think. By taking this time to think about how I went from one idea to the next on my consumer project really makes me realize that really good ideas stem from the small, simple ones; a big, strong plant starts out as a seed and then grows to the beautiful product. Plants represent my thinking in this way.
I like that I start with simple ideas and make them fancy. I also like the fact that I can see what leads me to believe or think what I do, how one things leads me to another. However, I believe that in order for me to become more creative, I should start thinking outside of the box more. Take a different approach to having a flower instead of planting it. Maybe next time I will go to the forest and find one instead. In order for my thinking to grow, the next time I do a project I am going to approach it from the opposite side I normally do.
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