What Will the Good Life Look Like?
For the last 40 years most of us have operated in acquisition mode. We gained access to the right schools, fought for top positions at blue-chip firms, moved into the upper-class neighborhoods, campaigned for admission into the right associations, and bought all the appropriate accessories, from high-end cars and vacation homes to exquisite jewelry and designer clothes. The pursuit was all about status. We spent a lot and sacrificed even more—our families, our health, our happiness—to demonstrate we were worthy of acceptance. In the midst of the Great Recession, however, we learned that the trappings were transient.
