“They say comparison
is the thief of joy. In a world where even millionaires don’t consider
themselves wealthy, is the key to life satisfaction to simply stop lining
ourselves up against others?”
By: Maddy Savage
Published: BBC, 5 May
2017, http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170505-how-rich-are-you-really
Level of Difficulty:* This is a tough level *
BEFORE YOU READ
Watch the following
videos and think about the messages. They will be important for the reading
task to come.
·
Why we're
unhappy -- the expectation gap | Nat Ware | TEDxKlagenfurt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KiUq8i9pbE
·
Happiness is
all in your mind: Gen Kelsang Nyema at TEDxGreenville 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnLoToJVQH4
QUESTIONS
1. What
illogical mind set does the writer draw attention to at the beginning of the
text? People who seem to be rolling in money feel…
2. What
logical conclusion can be drawn from the feelings of the rich as described in
the text?
3. The
reason becoming richer doesn’t make people happier is the fact that the
satisfaction derived from earning more money ….(Tweak the text)
4. Why
do rich people persist in an activity which obviously doesn’t make them any
happier?
5. Why
is it surprising that the trend described so far is true in Sweden too?
6. What
is it that high earners who can’t get off the treadmill are unable to do in
general?
7. What
major criterion of happiness do poorer people seem to have more of?
8. Read
the account of Graham’s research. Which sentence best summarizes her findings?
·
Money does bring happiness and the poor should
be helped
·
Money does bring happiness but the rich can
learn from the poor
·
Money doesn’t bring happiness and the rich have
a lot to learn from the poor.
·
Money doesn’t bring happiness and the rich and
the poor should learn from each other
9. Check
out how countries rank according to the World Happiness Index : http://worldhappiness.report/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2017/03/StatisticalAppendixWHR2017.pdf What attitude helped Nepal clime eight spots
in the world happiness index of 2017? The tendency to…
10. Experts
are optimistic about the millenials although they seem to be unable to acquire
the widely accepted tokens of wealth because…
11. Go
to the Key Findings of the US Department of commerce, scroll down to page two
and study the key findings https://eventbrite-s3.s3.amazonaws.com/marketing/Millennials_Research/Gen_PR_Final.pdf
The findings indicate a shift in world view: for millenials…
12. Why
did Eileen Cho refuse to invest in a home of her own? Because otherwise …(Tweak
the text)
13. What
is the take home point from the text?
WRITING TASK
Benefit from all you have read and listened to write about
how to be happy and why some people just cannot be happy.
HOW RICH ARE YOU,
REALLY? KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES
This relatively
simple text is all about a profound topic: the relationship between money and
happiness. The writing task draws on the videos and the reading task.
1.
They haven’t made it / they are not wealthy
2.
If we are unlikely to feel rich, no matter how
much we earn, it is not really worth aspiring to get there at all.
3.
Stops increasing at some stage/ Doesn’t increase
any longer at some stage
4.
Because rich people, just as the less well off,
make upwards comparisons (You don’t need to write the rest)
5.
Because Sweden is a social democracy famed for
work life balance rather than excess
6.
Live in the moment
7.
Societal capital
8.
The second
9.
Make
downward comparisons
10.
This generation may show fewer of the negative
effects of wealth(such as selfishness, narcissm and a high sense of
entitlement)
11.
Making memories is more important than making
money
12.
She wouldn’t have money for one trip a month
13.
People need to work out what’s right for them as
individuals and learn to be happy with the really small things in life
No comments:
Post a Comment