A couple days ago I read an article that stated and America is the happiest place on earth! The article gave many reasons to the bliss of Americans including wealth and religion. (I do agree with the reasons given.) I personally think that the general ignorance of Americans about current events and their own personal financial situation also makes them happier than the rest of the world. After all, ignorance is bliss, right?

When I was three or four years old I had very little knowledge about how my parents paid the bills. I didn’t worry about money because I was unaware of my need for it. I think that’s a big reason why children are generally happier than adults. Children aren’t concerned about making money, responsibilities, or the future. For children the ignorance of adult affairs such as financial management is normal, and I think it is quite fine and healthy for a child to worry more about the next episode of his or her favorite cartoon than fussing over paying the rent. Unfortunately I think a lot of Americans carry this blissful ignorance well into adulthood and are happily irresponsible about their money.

For example, I have read quite a few articles from multiple sources on how most Americans are not saving enough for retirement. The numbers of American adults reported by the press as not being well-equipped for retirement ranges anywhere from 100 million to 150 million (this is roughly 50% to 75% of the adult population). The question is, how many of these people actually know that they don’t have enough for retirement? I imagine not many actually know the extent of their financial health. The simple fact is when people do not know that they are not saving enough for the future they won’t save more. The bigger problem is that some of these people won’t believe you if you tell them that they will not have enough to retire. I don’t think this type of stubborn ignorance is healthy, but at least most of them have time to correct their course.

It really seems that Americans are happy as long as there is enough to live on in the current moment. This is why the minimum payment on credit cards is such a psychological trap. The minimum payment is only 1 to 2% of the entire debt and almost anyone could afford it from month to month. Meanwhile, the interest piles up and the debt follows the minimum payment customer forever. If you watch the Secret History of Credit Cards you will see how clueless most consumers are about how credit card companies make money. The banks bank on the consumers’ ignorance, and keeps them happy with low minimum payments.

Additionally, ignorance also played a huge part in the housing bubble. Many people wanted a home and didn’t do adequate research on their purchases and loans. A great number of these homes are going into foreclosure, but some of these people who bought homes at the inflated prices are still happy homeowners because they’re unaware of the current housing crisis and they can afford their homes. After all, the easy loans gave  people an opportunity to own huge new homes, and a good number of people don’t read the news and don’t really care that their property has dropped in value. Quite a few of these homeowners are also extremely optimistic about their home values in the future. I think in general optimism is a good thing, but I would never endorse the act of falling into financial ruin due to ignorance.

I would count myself as one of the happy people living in America, but I think my reasons for being happy is more due to religion and family. I would argue that even though ignorance can be bliss at times, knowing as much as you can about the world around you would better prepare you for the times ahead. None of us know what will happen in the future, but to be completely clueless and happy in a disheveled financial present is not the path to a enjoyable future.

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