Happiness & Public Policy

Great line, from Alison Rowat in The Herald:

Some bravehearts, sickened by their acquisitiveness, resolve never to buy another gizmo. Children of the sixties are especially prone to crises of consumer confidence. There are few sadder sights than an old hippie clutching a digital wine thermometer and wondering where it all went wrong. They wanted to change the world, man, not ensure the Chablis was the right temperature.

The moral:

Gadget buyers shouldn’t be judged too harshly. As well as keeping millions in work, they are investing in an idea, a dream of themselves as better, healthier, less stressed, more sociable individuals. Have coffee machine, have friends round for dinner. Have juicer, be Dame Kelly Holmes. If only happiness did come in a pod or with a plug attached. The simple, boring truth is that the finest cup of coffee in the world is the one poured from a battered old flask at the top of a hill just climbed. The most delicious toasties are the ones carried to your sick bed by a loved one. And feeling the need to check the temperature of a bottle of wine before serving is really God’s way of telling you to get out more.

Sounds about right, whatever a toastie is.