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    They arrived in my in-box a mere 48 hours apart and, ostensibly, were unrelated.  One told me about what people thought would make them happy in the future, the other about what really is making them happy today. 
   Though contradictory in some areas, the findings are not entirely at odds with each other. More to the point, the two studies combined to illuminate mankind's ongoing struggle to discover true sources of meaning and happiness in life and to balance our desire for economic achievement with our deeply rooted need for healthy relationships.
   I'm talking about the findings of two surveys conducted by two different organizations. One was conducted by Pew Research Center and focused on, among other things, the social attitudes and life goals of 18- to 25-year-olds, the so-call Generation Y. There are many interesting findings worthy of discussion - from immigration and politics to tattoos and body piercing - but the one that jumped out at me had to do with "life goals." 
   According to this survey, Gen Y's top life-goals are to be rich (81%) and famous (51%).  An article in USA Today points out that this is in sharp contrast to a 1967 survey of college freshmen in which 85.8% indicated that it was essential to develop "a meaningful philosophy of life" and 41.9% thought it was important to be well-off financially.
   Hmm.  Though I'm quite comfortable with financial goals and objectives, the recent findings left me a bit cold when I read them. Initially, I wasn't exactly sure why, but eventually it hit me. The reason why those answers trouble me is this: they don't answer the deeper questions of purpose:  Why do you want to be rich?  For what purpose or end do you seek wealth?  And what's the purpose of fame?  Are we just talking about wealth for wealth's sake and fame for fame's sake?  I mean, both the late Mother Theresa and Paris Hilton are famous, but do you consider them equally successful?  Bill Gates and Hugh Hefner are both wealthy businessmen, but are their contributions to humanity equal?
   I realize that we're always going to have people who consider the accumulation of material wealth to be the utmost life priority. But 81% of an entire age group? That seems really, really high. Of course, many of these, as they confront life's realities and grow in understanding, will modify their goals and reset their moral compass. Life and age can do that for you. And that's where the other survey comes into play.
   Earlier this month, a Gallup poll of 1,010 adults simply asked people to estimate their levels of happiness. So, while the Pew research largely dealt with aspirations and what might be, the Gallup poll dealt with realities and what actually seems to make us happy.
   Now, given the subjects I frequently address in this column, you might guess that marriage and family have something to do with happiness. If that's what you thought, you're right. 
   The Gallup poll demonstrates that the impulse of Gen Y is not entirely off base. Higher levels of income can produce higher levels of satisfaction. But, according to Gallup, analysis of data from the past three annual "Lifestyle" polls "shows that marriage may be more strongly associated with personal happiness than money."
   Gallup reports, "Those who are married at any income level are as likely (if not more likely) to report being happy than even the wealthiest people who are not married." 
   Here's compelling evidence that this is true: 56 percent of married adults in the lowest income bracket reported being very happy, compared with 50 percent of unmarried adults in the highest bracket. 
   Why is this?  Why is it that what really matters is not wealth and fame,