The Business of Happiness

Abdulah S. Jum‘ah, made an interesting statement when he resigned after 13 years at the helm of the largest oil company in the world. In his farewell speech at the end of 2008, he said: “When I am asked what business I’m in, I don’t tell them I’m in the oil industry. I tell him or her that I am in the business of making people happy.” He explained that from the school bus giving children access to education, to the distribution of food, and power and heat to needy parts of the world, the oil business essentially made people happy. This statement swelled many of his loyal supporters with pride and has been echoed repeatedly, like ripples in a pond, at almost every company banquet, board meeting and seminar since the day it was mentioned.


If oil does in fact make people happy, it comes at incredible cost. Drillers need more than a pair of gloves and a lunchbox. Geologists have to find them places to drill. Pilots (like me) have to get them there and back. Doctors and nurses need to keep them alive, and dentists need to plug the holes in their teeth. Then there are the cooks, barbers, mailmen, security guards, travel agents, accountants, firemen, bus drivers, plumbers, lawyers, mechanics and teachers for all their kids. To keep up morale, these employees will need some sort of recreation, but this now requires libraries, tennis courts, weight rooms, bowling alleys, coffee shops, swimming pools, golf courses and hobby farms - with adequate staffing for each. Since the desert isn't always pretty to look at, grass and trees are imported from far off places, as is water, and grounds keepers to keep them trim. Air conditioning is a must most of the year, so repair men stand guard 24 hours a day. Pretty soon, departments are created to handle complaints, process passports, coordinate shipping, and board pets. It doesn't take long, and each driller has a crowd standing behind him like a Verizon subscriber and all he has accomplished is extract raw oil out of the ground. Now it needs to be processed and transported ... and if it can get past the coast of Somalia ... the world will be a bit happier.