Question

The best things in life are free. Write about an experience that made you realise the essence of the topic.

Answer 1

The very best thing in life, happiness, can only be a byproduct of something that’s authentically good (e.g., a kind deed, a good night’s sleep, love) and is absent from any market. The second-best things, to which we turn out of impatience or despair, are pricey because no price can approximate the value of the best things.

Trying to replace authentic happiness with some purchased object or service is the equivalent of substituting a sleeping pill-induced stupor for a good night’s sleep. In the 19th century, some American journals published this definition: “Happiness is like a butterfly, which when pursued seems always just beyond your grasp; but if you sit down quietly, may light upon you.”