We’ve all heard the old saw “the best things in life are free.” Coco Chanel, the legendary fashion designer, is reputed to have taken it even further, allegedly saying: “The best things in life are free. The second-best things are very, very expensive.”
Do you believe that? What, in your opinion, are the best things in life? What does money have to do with them?
In the Turning Points article “Are the Best Things in Life Free?,” seven well-known people muse about why it can be hard to be satisfied with intangible pleasures like love or a beautiful vista:
The singer, songwriter and writer Richard Hell:
Also, I’ve learned that once you get what you want, you will just want either a greater amount of it, or you will want something else. The best thing to have is a vocation — to like doing something rather than having something. Because then the wanting more is just about wanting to be able to do it better, and that actually pays off.
The politician, academic economist and former finance minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis:
The very best thing in life, happiness, can only be a byproduct of something that’s authentically good (e.g., a kind deed, a good night’s sleep, love) and is absent from any market. The second-best things, to which we turn out of impatience or despair, are pricey because no price can approximate the value of the best things.
Trying to replace authentic happiness with some purchased object or service is the equivalent of substituting a sleeping pill-induced stupor for a good night’s sleep. In the 19th century, some American journals published this definition: “Happiness is like a butterfly, which when pursued seems always just beyond your grasp; but if you sit down quietly, may light upon you.” Ceasing this materialistic pursuit costs nothing at all!
The Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov:
The way I see it, the “second-best things” or very expensive things are only worthwhile if they serve a utilitarian purpose. Sailing makes me seasick, so I have a yacht but enjoy it only because it lets me jet-ski. Getting better at the sport is a personal goal that I work hard at.
The best thing about the yacht is free — the satisfaction of having risen to a new challenge and mastered a new move (which is especially difficult if you’re 6’8”!). This is something that no one can do for me.
I couldn’t care less about the yacht, but I value my personal growth and am happy to invest in it — along with the occasional fine wine.
The actress and activist Yao Chen:
The best things in life really are free. They are indispensable and always with us, like air, sunlight and water. We pay them little attention, taking them for granted. Only when you are about to lose something — when your eyesight goes dim, your health begins to fade or the natural resources you rely upon grow scarce or are polluted — do you start to realize how precious it was.
The second-best, most priceless thing, I think, is my acting career — which can’t be measured in dollars. It was simply destiny.
Many young people who are just starting out say that they are willing to do anything to attain success, but I wouldn’t have been entitled to achieve my dreams if I had pursued my art at the cost of my health, for example, or if I had been willing to cast any of the other “best things” aside. Often luck is a big factor, and so if you don’t reach such a goal, it doesn’t reflect on you.
Students: Read the entire article, then tell us …
— What is your reaction to each person’s ideas about the best things in life?
— With whom do your own ideas on personal satisfaction align most closely? What about material possessions?
— If you were the eighth person interviewed for the article, what would you say about the best — and second best — things in life?
— How, if at all, do your thoughts on these topics apply to the time of year when many people are focused on spending time with loved ones and also, exchanging gifts?
— Have your thoughts on happiness and material objects changed as you’ve gotten older? If so, how?
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