I disagree with Murray’s assessment that the girl “doesn’t have a whole lot of prospects.”
I would be just as happy living on a deserted island a thousand years ago alone with a woman whom I loved as I would be in any technological society, regardless of wealth.
What brings happiness is the perception that you are actively moving towards a goal, and that you are authentically truthful to yourself and those around you.
We now live in a society that is being drawn into a state of universal deceit, where one must act cautiously when considering to whom he speaks, lest the truth stir up a nest of self-deceivers.
Same here. A simple life can be the very best life of all.
There are way too many people who waste their entire lives chasing material things. It is never enough. I have a friend who recently bought a luxury car and then he was immediately kicking himself when the new model came out with a couple more bells and whistles. Now he wants to trade his new car in for the newer model!
In the end, you take none of that stuff with you.
I've learned to appreciate a lazy afternoon sitting on my porch reading a good book - that I borrowed for free from the library!