I noted that people are happy here in India. When I went back home, people had everything in the materialistic sense and were surrounded with abundance, but they were not happy.

Hawn contrasts two kinds of “wealth”: material abundance and inner well-being. The observation that many people in India appear happy despite fewer possessions becomes a critique of consumerist assumptions—having more does not reliably produce contentment. The quote also reflects a common theme in modern mindfulness discourse: happiness is tied to meaning, community, gratitude, and mental habits rather than external acquisition. Implicitly, it frames travel and cross-cultural encounter as a moral mirror, revealing what one’s home culture may neglect—emotional health and spiritual or psychological balance—even amid comfort and plenty.