“… According to a global survey, three out of four of the happiest people groups in the world are not rich consumers…

Using a scale where 7 marks the maximum of happiness, Forbes magazine’s riches Americans came in second (5.8), tied with the Pennsylvania Amish. Close behind them (5.7) were the Masai of East Africa, a tribe without electricity or running water who live in huts made of dung. Happiest of all - ahead of America’s richest - were the Inuits of Greenland (5.9). All this research suggests that a climate of warm, cohesive community and its attendant values are more important than material comfort or other external factors (like climate - in view of the Inuits!) in producing happiness. Even seeing the numbers, though, how many of us believe what they’re telling us?”

From page 219 of “Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope” by Brian McLaren