In her recently released book Radical Gratitude, Leddy asks why people in the Third World - who have so little compared to us - often seem happier and more content. Her answer: we in the West are the victims of an economic system that generates a profound dissatisfaction not only with the world and what it offers, but with ourselves.
"My book is different from many others because it directly links the spiritual, cultural, political and economic realities facing the West and this malaise in society," Leddy says. "We are tied to an economic system that delivers wonderful toys while also delivering dissatisfaction. We live in a system that tells us we never, never have enough. This message goes a long way to explaining why people living in the wealthiest countries on Earth have such poor self images even though they are surrounded by opportunity."
Leddy says her book, published by Orbis Press, is an effort to explain how people can be happier if only they are more grateful for what they possess and have accomplished. It was partially funded by a Leighton Studios grant from the Banff Centre of the Arts.
CONTACT: Professor Mary Jo Leddy, Regis College, 416-922-5474 x270, 416-763-1303, m.leddy@utoronto.ca or Michah Rynor, U of T public affairs, 416-978-2104, michah.rynor@utoronto.ca