19. Where Life Has Meaning: Poor, Religious Countries

In this article Julie Beck, an associate editor at The Atlantic, writes on the sense of purpose individuals of wealthier countries lack because of the lack of religious interest in their countries. She begins her article by commenting on the desire individuals have to be happy and the lengths they will go to pursue this happiness. Beck continues her article by looking at one way people find happiness: by finding the purpose for their existence. She relies on the information from a study from the Gallup World Pole which analyzed how people found the meaning to their lives around the world. In this investigation, the research was not based on "life satisfaction," rather on a more subjective level where an individual's happiness is not based on the superficiality of economic stability. The research suggested that those countries which struggled the most financially, such as Senegal and Sierra Leone, had a higher rank in the meaning the population found for their lives. According to Beck, one of the major reasons which distinguishes poorer nations and which allows them to find reason in societies which are "far from functioning to the standards of wealthy countries," was the strong presence of religion. Furthermore, when it came down to wealth and religion, the countries with a stronger presence of religion a majority of people found more meaning to life, yet even among wealthier countries a gap was formed based on their different approaches to religion. Contrarily to what was previously stated by the author, she suggests that money does have an impact on happiness, yet it was mediated directly by the effects of religion. She concludes her article by adding the thought that by looking at religion for meaning, people are looking for an easy way out of creating for themselves the true meaning of life. She states that, "Maybe that's what the proliferation of happiness literature, as well as the study of happiness is, at least in part: an attempt to create the meaning of our own lives."    

This article by Julie Beck was written with the purpose of persuading the audience that happiness is dictated by how we find the meaning in our lives. Her thesis, although stated towards the end of her article, is that the study of happiness lies in an individual's attempt to create purpose from one's life, where happiness, whether it be found individually or through religion, is based on what meaning we give it. She backs up this thesis heavily on a single investigation, which is straightforward and to the point. Although she comes off as aggressive and biased towards the end, she is able to analyze her evidence effectively. Her article falls short of persuading the audience because of the way she characterizes religion at the end, as a short-cut towards finding the meaning to life even if it may be following a lie. Her article does flow well due to the consistency in her wording and sentence structure. Furthermore, she is able to efficiently tie up her source to a more relevant aspect of happiness to the eyes of modern society. She makes generalizations which are plausible based on her deductions and the information she provides, this is specifically seen in her final statement where she states that religion and any other form of pursuit for meaning is an attempt to take meaning from one's circumstances and life. Although she does not develop much the importance of religion, which seems to be the main aspect of her article, she does make use of her sources. Beck develops her conclusion in a way which allows people to develop their own opinions about happiness and the attitude society takes towards religion.  
  
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/01/where-life-has-meaning-poor-religious-countries/282949/