Still on a Pope Kick

Not to take away from Thomas Grey's Elegy, but I am still stuck on Pope's writings. I really respect and admire Pope for so craftily writing satire that had profound effects on society. It amazes me how brilliant some writers are and how much impact one person can have. I have been thinking about Pope's core ideology and how he believed that happiness was not determined by circumstance but by one's own perception of the circumstance, that is to say, one can control one's own happiness in any given situation. I really do agree with this. I have often heard that the mind is the most powerful organ in the human body. The mind can determine if we are sick, hungry, in pain,etc. Once again, I agree with this. However, my main concerns with this ideology are the effects this kind of thinking might have on the lower classes. People that don't have much are usually happy-from my own personal experiences. But, could these people be in a better economic situation if they were taught to fight for their rights? Can Pope's ideology be taken advantage of by those in power? As Marx once said, "religion is the opiate of the masses." I don't think Pope's ideas necessarily have anything to do with religion, but Marx's ideas still applies: the organizations in control subdue the masses into compliance for the benefit of those in power. This might not happen in every society, but I believe history has proven it to be the rule and not the exception. In sum, I whole-heartedly believe in a positive attitude, but I am cognitive of those that look to exploit the uneducated and impoverished.