<p>Prompt:</p>
<p>Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.</p>
<p>We are often reminded that acquiring and owning material possessionsmoney, property, jewelry, even clothingwill not lead to true happiness. While it is certainly true that material possessions alone cannot bring happiness or provide us with genuine meaning in life, there is something to be said for having material possessions. Not only can they make us comfortable, but the happiness they can provide, while it may be momentary, is still happiness.</p>
<p>Assignment: Do material possessions make us truly happy? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.</p>
<p>Response:</p>
<p>Material possessions can provide a fleeting, ephemeral burst of happiness. Despite its temporary nature, the emotion makes us happy nonetheless.</p>
<p>I spent the weeks leading up to my 8th birthday in anticipation and excitement. My parents had promised me a mahogany chess set as a present. The moment when I tore the wrapping open still resides in my memory; the emotions I felt can be described as euphoria. Though I gradually became jaded to the pleasures of the chess set, at that moment, the happiness was boundless. In and of itself, the set provided me with a happiness that few other events have equalled in my life. Such stories of the inherently materialistic customs of birthdays can be told by millions, some involving Barbies, others concerning cars. The social norm of birthday presents represents an unmoving belief in the happiness produced by physical objects. As the stories show us, this effect can be considered universal.</p>
<p>Other cultures also value material possessions. Indian refugee camps of the 1950's were a scene of despair and fear. Students from the University of Cambridge distributed small gifts amongst the camps, e.g. small toys, cooking utensils, etc. They found that families were very happy to receive these objects, even if the gifts were not particularly useful. This underscores the fact that material possessions, by their own merit, can benefit our mental state and gratify us. </p>
<p>One may argue that we become used to material possessions and the happiness subsides. However, the emotions induced by objects still constitute happiness, regardless of their short-term nature. The custom of birthday presents as well as reactions to material possessions show that physical objects can create temporary happiness.</p>