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This is an interesting topic. I lived with and studied Eskimos and Koyukon Indians who by contemporary Western standards were generally very poor. They lived in small sod covered shacks or rough log one room cabins, did not have electricity or running water and certainly not tv, and had to endure brutal environmental conditions to find food and make a meager income. Infant mortality was high. Every adult over the age of 50 had seen members of their immediate family die of hunger, pandemic disease and environmental stress. I personally knew people who died of freezing, drowning and even bear attack. And overall, they were generally happy, proud and satisfied with their lot in life. This is not to say they did not have problems. They did. But their level of personal satisfaction was probably no less than yours, and possibly even higher. They were always willing to share what little they had. The cooperated in wresting a living from the land and celebrated together. They taught me that happiness is not measured by your material possessions but by your friends and your personal perspective.
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