Best Things Still Free

Facts of Life

An increase in material wealth does not equate to an increase in happiness, according to a study conducted by Richard Easterlin, an economist at the University of Southern California. Study subjects' income doubled over 25 years, “but people were not saying they were happier,” Easterlin told the Daily Trojan, USC's student newspaper. Meanwhile the study showed that non-monetary attainments such as good health, marriage and education are strong determinants of overall well-being.

Register Illustration by Tim Rauch

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis