My response to that is simply that except for in extreme examples such as the holocaust, peoples happiness or unhappiness is through their own faultiness (and I'm not entirely certain about blaming even extreme situations). It sounds harsh and callous, but I believe it's largely true. Making the country more socialistic or more free market isn't going to make people happy, because as the it's something that has to be achieved internally. If they are unhappy with their current tax rate, odds are they will still be unfulfilled with the new tax rate.
Progress, technology, medicine, societies and their values at large aren't the source of people's happiness or fulfillment. Vikings had a terrible health plan and spent much of their time raping and stealing, but I'm willing to bet that many of them died far more fulfilled and happy than today's super billionare CEOs that live to 98 years old. Even mortality (both your own and others) is something that one has to come to terms with rather than fought against, because nothing prevents death so much as delays it.
I don't think curing the social ills of today is going to make people feel better, and the ones that it does would probably find a way to be happy regardless. And then of course their is the matter of perspective, if I cure what one person considers a social ill, I create a new social ill for someone else. And that person is either now miserable, or finds a way to be happy anyway. And the first person may be just as miserable as they were before, which had nothing to do with the social ill that I helped cure. Even some jews managed to keep a good attitude in the concentration camps.
Societies problems are intellectual puzzles, rubix cubes with little tangible pay off. I don't mind talking about it for the hell of it, but I don't think it's going to help people in a way that they actually need help.
You can find me on facebook as Markus Van Rijn, if you friend me just mention you're from VGchartz and who you are here.
