In the past, according to the majority of people’s logic and their innate way of thinking, they may have thought,  “As long as I have money, I must be very happy and there is no reason to be unhappy.” Strongly advocated during the Age of Enlightenment, the West began to accept the idea that happiness does not depend on spirit, but rather on substantial things. Looking for happiness from one’s inner spirit was equated to searching for happiness in a place where it did not reside, in other words asking for the impossible.  Influenced by this culture, people shifted their developmental focus to amassing an abundance of external material wealth and its associated accoutrements.

~ Luminous Wisdom Book Series 8