Welcome to the Good Life

In order to have a "good life", according to this song, you must have lots of money (be rich), be famous (very well known), look good (having a nice body and pretty face), and have your own style (so you can have 'haters').

Money is the biggest idea that Kanye shows in his song because he's constantly talking about splurging money and going on shopping sprees and having nice cars, etc and being able to show it off top everyone else around you:
"Whether you broke or rich you gotta get biz
Having' money's the everything that having' it is
I was splurging' on trizz... I always had a passion for flashin'.."

Being famous or well known / popular also. Of course you can't just be rich, people have to know who you are :
"I'ma get on this TV mama, I'ma
I'ma put shit down.."
"Now I, I go for mine, I got to shine.."

Also, you have to look good and have a nice body, or else you won't get a 'good' man :
"Where we like the girls who ain't on TV
Cause they got more (Ass than the models).."

Having style is crucial. This is because when you have style / swagger - along comes followers & 'Haters':
"Yo it's got to be cause I'm seasoned
Haters give me them salty looks.."

I noticed in his video the first image that contradicts it self is when he talks about the best things in life being free. At this time he's sprinkling diamonds across the screen. You need to have money and buy all the nice expensive things, because well nothing in life is free. then later on he talks about getting girls whether your broke or rich. But of course woman don't want broke men, they want men that share the same aspects as Kanye (having $, staying 'fresh', well known, hated on by many...etc). Then he quotes "Having money's not everything. Not having it is" (It's wrong in the lyrics cause if you watch the video and pause it when he says those lines and read the words that come out the bottle you see the lyrics.) Any way, that line totally contradicts the whole video. He's talking about in general being happy is everything in life, not money. But in his video every idea he introduces to be part of what a good life is supposed to obtain, involves having money. You need money to travel, you need money to have cars, you need money to look fresh and buy all the 'good' things in life. Then of course 'happiness' comes after because (according to the video), you can't be happy/ satisfied until you are indeed living the good life. What's interesting is how after he says "Having money's not everything. Not having it is.. " his next scene is him swaying money towards the screens direction and talking about going back to Vegas and once again splurging it and being 'happy'.

Our culture has always portrayed the same message through songs, movies, etc. It's always been about having money and 'being up' on the latest things such as sneakers, cars, clothing, etc. Having money and having girls seem to always pop up in every song. And I find it to be most interesting how all the famous people try to tell us having all this money isn't everything in life and that there are more important things but when they're making music or doing what ever, they're still giving those idea's to us and making the ignorant believe that this is what it takes to be accepted by society. Whether they believe that moneys not everything or not, why is it them (the people who have the most money in society) that tell us this. And it's only when we stop and analyze these things do we really see how screwed up our society is. If money isn't everything well then why are people working so damn hard to get more and more. Because now-a-days, living average just doesn't cut it.

Different Views On The Meaning Of Life

In order to attempt “defining” a meaningful life, I felt it would only be right to know how others defined something to actually be meaningful. I’ve had many diverse answers on the questions I posed, so in order to better understand them I tried to find patterns behind the idea’s people were giving. How do you define something to be meaningful? What are the most meaningful aspects of your life? ON a scale of 1-10 how meaningful is your life? These are the questions I decided to focus more on when asking friends outside of school, and complete strangers on the street. The two most common categories people based their definition of their life to be meaningful were connections and time.

I found it to be highly common for people to define something to be meaningful as how much of an impact it has on their life and also how you can connect it with your own life (either through memories, feelings, experiences, etc). For instance, when I asked a fairly rich white woman on the street how she defines something to be meaningful she replied “If I can connect it with my own life and use what I've learned to grow as a person, then it’s meaningful.” “I guess an example would be when I first learned how to cook. It was meaningful to me because I was able to use everything I’ve learned about cooking and apply it to how I cook now. It affected me as a person because now I am an overall better cook”. Being able to connect what you’ve learned and make it part of who you are seemed to be the definition of her life being meaningful (or at least from what I understood).

A Spanish working poor man I asked replied something similar. “Usually when things have a connection to other aspects of my life, almost like a spiritual feeling, then I think it’s meaningful.” “A spiritual feeling like a sense of belonging where you feel connected to whatever it is your experiencing.” “… an example of a time I feel spiritually connected to something meaningful is the picture I have in my wallet of my deceased father. Every time I look at it, I feel a connection and it brings out something in me that I can relate to once again.” I felt as though he was trying to explain that his experiences shared in which he can connect to by bringing out good times is something he finds meaningful. This could be because his father probably helped shape him into who he is today.

Not everyone has the same view though. I continued interviewing more people, and the following paired the idea of something being meaningful in their lives to how much time it takes up. The next person I asked was a fairly wealthy black man who replied "If it takes up a lot of time and intention then it’s probably meaningful". I’m guessing he probably figures that if you spend a lot of time doing something then it’s meaningful. These types of people tend to believe that everything happens for a reason so of course if you’re spending majority of your time on it, then it must be meaningful.

A white middle class woman replied “If it matters in more than 3 months.” “Like relationships, they’re only meaningful if they’re long; otherwise they’re a waste of time… if it only lasts a week then it had no importance because it didn’t help you grow in any way.” “I feel like she was trying to say that spending so much time on something such as a relationship is most likely meaningful in a sense that it’s going to help mold her into a different more mature and intelligent being. It makes sense and I completely understand where she is coming from but I have to disagree. I feel like even if something took up only a week, it really depends on the type of experience you shared in order for it to be meaningful or not.

The last person I’m going to use is a fairly new friend who interestingly kind of combined both ideas. When I asked him how he defines something to be meaningful he said, “Something that has feelings/memories invested in it. Like if someone has used something for a long time or can associate memories or memorable experiences through the item then it is essentially meaningful.” “…well a person can be meaningful too because you associate memories or feelings with them and/or have invested feelings in them.” “Like someone you love, they are meaningful because of the experiences you’ve had that have made you closer to them. You have invested a lot of feelings into that one person making them meaningful to you.” I asked him what are the most meaningful aspects of his life and he replied, “The things that stand for something, those times in life where you’re as happy as can be. Where you can sit back with that one person or with those people and feel like your life is good. Like memories with friends, or family, or a significant other. Those memories are maybe some of the best. Or athletic moments where you do really good, I love those.” I asked if he could describe a time in his life where he was as happy as can be and what made him feel that way. “Getting into the college I wanted, that made my parents proud, something to that affect.” “Well it made me happy because I could like lift the pressure off and my parents were proud and like the way life was after the acceptance letter. It was really good because everyone was happy for me. They treat me better, give me more money, more lenience, and I get away with more shit. Now I can ask for anything I want. So it’s like I give them what they want and they give me what I want type of relationship. But with unconditional love. We fight and hate each other but we still love each other.” So to me I feel like feelings, memories, and experiences define how he thinks something is meaningful but he mentioned time playing a role also. Everyone who I interviewed related something to be meaningful whether it was connection, time, or even both also combined it with the idea of learning and growing as a person/letting it shape who you are. This is most meaningful because it’s what makes us, us.

Conversation with Eli Rios.

The conversation between the most informative and interesting person I "interviewed".

Summer friend from Camp Yomi. Currently attending Alfred University College.

srios92: Hey ! I’m writing a paper about the meaning of life and I was wondering if I could get your opinion.

Eli: heyy, sure

Eli: whatsup?

srios92: ok, so how do you define something to be meaningful?

Eli: something that has feelings/memories invested in it

srios92: well what do u mean by that?

Eli: like if someone has used something for a long time

Eli: or can associate memories or memorable experiences through the item

Eli: then it is essentially meaningful

srios92: so you’re talking about an object/item ?

Eli: yes

Eli: well a person is meaningful too

Eli: because you can associate memories or feelings with them

Eli: and have invested feelings in them

srios92: can you give me an example of both?

Eli: like someone you love

Eli: they are meaningful because the experiences you’ve had

Eli: that have made you closer

Eli: you have invested a lot of feelings into that one person

Eli: making them meaningful

srios92: what are the most meaningful parts of your life ?

Eli: the things that stand for something

Eli: those times in life where you’re as happy as can be

Eli: where you can sit back with that one person or with those people and feel like you life is good

Eli: like memories with friends

Eli: or family

Eli: or significant other

Eli: those memories

Eli: are maybe some of the best

Eli: or athletic moments where you do really good

Eli: i love those

srios92: haha yess! Me too, ok back to questions.. Can you describe a time in your life where you were “as happy as can be” and what exactly made you feel this way?

Eli: I guess getting into the college

Eli: i wanted to

Eli: made my parents proud

Eli: something to that effect

srios92: ok but what exactly is it about making your parents proud that made you happy when they were?

Eli: well it made me happy because I could like lift the pressure off

Eli: and my parents were proud

Eli: and like the way life was after

Eli: was really good because everyone was happy for me

Eli: lol

srios92: but why does your parents being proud of you make you happy?

srios92: *and try not to respond with "because it makes them happy" lol

Eli: lol well they treat me better

Eli: give me more money

Eli: more lenience

Eli: get away with more shit

Eli: lol

Eli: and I can ask for anything I want so it’s like a ‘I give them what they want and they give me what I want type of relationship.

Eli: with unconditional love

Eli: we fight and hate each other we still love each other

srios92: and why is that? What makes it so different for family that you love them no matter how fucked up they can be to you, you’ll still love them?

Eli: uhm they provide me with life

Eli: liberty

Eli: clothes money

Eli: I give them....the sense of accomplishment

Eli: that they birthed someone

Eli: who isn’t a fuckup in life

Eli: in all honesty

Eli: haha

srios92: on a scale of 1-10 how meaningful is your life ?

Eli: 10

Eli: lol

Eli: but like I care about my life at a 10

Eli: out of 10

Eli: but I don’t value my life over others

Eli: like if I had to pick to save myself

Eli: or someone else

Eli: I wouldn’t be a d-bag

Eli: lol alright kool.

srios92: im not done haha

Eli: oh, ok. lol

srios92: how do you classify something as more meaningful or less meaningful?

Eli: I guess how much you care for it

Eli: how much you’d rather have one over the other

srios92: ok makes sense

srios92: how does opinion affect a meaningful life?

Eli: my opinion

Eli: on my life

Eli: depending

Eli: on what I did

Eli: what I stood for

Eli: what I worked to

Eli: how I got there

Eli: if I lived up to my genetic potential

Eli: or not

Eli: anything more?

srios92: what makes you happy? Specifically

Eli: feeling like accomplished

Eli: or like reaching a goal

srios92: and this of course is meaningful to you I presume, yes?

Eli: yea

Eli: well other forms of happiness

Eli: aren’t meaningful

Eli: like falling

srios92: falling makes you happy?

Eli: no

Eli: hahaha oops

Eli: well like laughing

Eli: and having fun

Eli: is being happy

Eli: sometimes watching people fall is really funny

Eli: and it makes you happy

Eli: ahahah

srios92: ohh ok but not necessarily meaningful

Eli: exactly

Eli: so something that makes you happy

Eli: doesn’t have to be meaningful

srios92: oh ok

Eli: so whats been up ? miss youu

srios92: waittt ! haha ok what makes a life meaningful?

Eli: memories

srios92: elaborate

Eli: knowing what you did

Eli: had an impact on others

Eli: good or bad

Eli: you still had a meaningful life

srios92: so its meaningful even if your impact on someone changed them for the worse?

Eli: yea

Eli: because it impacted someone

Eli: your life had a meaning

Eli: whether it was good or bad

srios92: so a meaningful life is one that's made an impact on someone?

Eli: or people

Eli: or something

Eli: if you pretty much wasted your life

Eli: your life had no meaning

srios92: and exactly how do you "waste" your life?

Eli: by not doing anything productive

Eli: not living up to your near potential

srios92: and how do you know your own potential?

Eli: well you don’t know your potential

Eli: but if you clearly waste your life

Eli: or feel like you wish you could have done more

Eli: your life had less meaning and sometimes even no meaning at all

Eli: like if I didn’t go to a school because of a gf

Eli: I would always wonder

Eli: how thing would have been

Eli: or something

srios92: but don’t you agree that many people wish they could have done more, does that mean they didn’t live up to their potential?

Eli: well not much

Eli: those are the what ifs

Eli: but the real big ones are

Eli: like a huge life choice

Eli: where the person did not rise to the occasion

Eli: should be a breeze

srios92: hey , uhm if family is so important, how come people go away to college ?

Eli: its fun

Eli: and its an experience

Eli: that will mature you

Eli: and teach you independence

Eli: it’s your taste of the real world before it comes at you

srios92: ok, wonderful. now im done.