Why The Quality Of Life Is More Important Than The Standard Of Living
A large number of people, especially those belonging to societies that we consider “first world”, are publicly concerned about how to improve their standard of living. This is a priority for them. However, “you have to learn the rules of the game first before you can play better than the others,” as Albert Einstein said. Therefore, it is important to know that quality of life should always be a priority for all individuals.
When you run out of money, you want more of it. Even if you have a decent income, it may seem too small to you. If you have an intense social life, you may eventually get bored. When you dream, you want your dreams to become a reality. And if I had, would, could … there are many ifs in our world, and they all aim at a constantly higher standard of living.
Do you really believe that a higher standard of living makes you happy? Do you think that more money and a certain social status would allow you to live the life you have always dreamed of? Before you answer, please be kind enough to read the following thoughts.
What are the standard of living and the quality of life?
In one of my internet research I came across analyzes called “The World Order in the 21st Century”. The people who carry out these analyzes are, among other things, concerned with studying the social reality of our world.
In one of their articles on the standard of living they define this as the possibility for a subject to come into possession of more and better goods and to have access to higher quality services. In other words, they link the standard of living directly with income and purchasing power. The more you earn, the more you can consume, the higher your standard of living.
In the same sense, they define quality of life as the contribution to the elementary world that a person makes to promote social well-being. That is, everything that brings happiness, calm and contentment, both on a personal and a collective level, is included in this concept. Therefore, a high income can stand for a high quality of life, but also a conversation or a simple conversation in which there is a lot of laughter.
Quality of life vs. standard of living
The part of this analysis that strikes me as the most impressive is the interesting comparison between different regions of the world. Here, the standard of living and quality of life in different cities are compared.
On the one hand we find Calcutta or Dhakka, cities in India that are increasingly gaining presence in a globalized world. The standard of living of its residents has been increasing exponentially for years. They are contrasted with Timbu, a place that is only a few kilometers from the economic heart of India. It is the capital of Bhutan, a small, quite unknown country, whose inhabitants live their lives far away from the din of globalization, the financial markets and other economic markets.
While industrialization and contamination increase day by day in the Indian cities, which goes hand in hand with an increase in the standard of living, the people in Bhutan remain in their natural surroundings, between trees and rivers, mainly work in agriculture and for a relatively low income.
So where is the quality of life higher?
A resident of Bhutan lives quietly, works in the middle of nature without feeling stressed. He hardly strives for more than he has. A few years ago, a king of Bhutan defined a parameter that we could call BNG in German, gross national happiness. To assess this parameter, questions are asked about psychological well-being, the use of the day, culture, health, education, liveliness of the community and satisfaction with the government, among other things
“Don’t waste your time, because life is made of it.”
At the same time, the populations of countries that are developing at breakneck speed, such as Brazil, India or China, and even European nations like Germany, France or Spain, are suffering from worrying stress. Nonetheless, a higher standard of living is ascribed to all of the great nations in the international concert, both the developed ones and those on the way there .
But at what price?
“Do not trade health for wealth, nor freedom for power.”
And now comes the moment when you have to give the one answer. Would you rather have a higher standard of living or a higher quality of life? Do you think it is better to amass money and wealth, or to be happy and enjoy your time?
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