November 14

Author’s efforts aimed at rethinking the economy

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Photo courtesy of John de Graaf

Can money buy you happiness?
Some who would normally say ‘no’ might, in this dreary economy, want to test drive this theory just to be sure.
But Queen Anne documentarian and author John de Graaf would answer the question with a definitive ‘No.’
De Graaf says there is quantitative evidence that shows that while there may be a correlation to wealth and happiness, they are not causal. And he says that this country’s tunnel vision in terms of the economy, how we should grow it, and how the lives of citizens can return to conventional wisdom’s “normal” if we just figure out a way to consume more, is completely misguided.
About four years ago, de Graaf came across some notes of Gifford Pinchot, the first director of the U.S. Forest Service. Pinchot said that the U.S. could keep its forests healthy by doing “the greatest good for the greatest number for the long run.” That stuck with de Graaf and became a guiding point in a new book he co-authored with David K. Batker called “What’s the Economy For, Anyway? Why it’s Time to Stop Chasing Growth and Start Pursuing Happiness.”

In his research, de Graaf wanted to find out exactly why some countries were basically untouched by the current economic crisis. Why people in some countries lived longer and were happier. So he evaluated qualitative and quantitative data from the Organization of Economic Cooperation Development and discovered that while the United States was doing well against other countries in terms of education and Gross Domestic Product, the U.S. was trailing in terms of mental health, leisure time, environmental policies and transportation. He found that there were higher rates of depression and loneliness in the U.S. than in other countries.
“We have to understand that we’re all in this together,” he said from his Queen Anne office. “We have to be a more egalitarian country and we should be having this conversation.”
He wrote the book as a way to start a conversation about righting our lives and rethinking how we think about the economy. Our economy is 70 percent consumer based. But if we were to move down 25 percent where several European countries have theirs, people in the states might find stability in their hearts and wallets.
“I don’t make a lot of money and I volunteer in many things. I’m a full-time volunteer fro the Happiness Intiative. I live in a small place in Queen Anne, I know my neighbors reasonably, I support the community, I pay taxes and work hard,” de Graaf said. But he is happy. “You can be rich and happy, but those people are generally generous with their money. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett. They think they should pay more taxes.”
Taxes, happiness, the economy and more will be the talking points at de Graaf’s book signing and reading at 6 p.m., Friday, Nov. 18 at Queen Anne Books at 1811 Queen Anne Avenue North. To learn more click here.


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