A Reasonable Crunchiness
[Angelo Matera  03/08 10:20 AM]

For the reader who questions the agrarian imperative, one of the most reasonable, common-sense statements I’ve read about what we can all do, whatever our circumstances, to live better, and avoid ideologies that enslave us, comes from Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, a book based on hard, psychological research into the question: Why are people increasingly unhappy even as they experience greater material abundance and freedom of choice?

“If enhanced freedom of choice and increased affluence don't enhance well-being, what does? The most important factor seems to be close social relations. People who are married, who have good friends, and who are close to their families are happier than those who are not. People who participate in religious communities are happier than those who do not. Being connected to others seems to be more important to well-being than being rich or 'keeping your options open.'

In the context of this discussion of choice, it is important to note that, in many ways, social ties actually decrease freedom of choice. Marriage, for example, is a commitment to a particular other person that curtails freedom of choice of sexual or emotional partners. Serious friendship also entails weighty responsibilities and obligations that at times may limit one's own freedom. The same is true, obviously, of family. And most religious institutions call on their members to live their lives in a certain way, and to take responsibility for the well-being of their fellow congregants. So, counterintuitive as it may appear, what seems to contribute most to happiness binds us rather than liberates us.”