As Americans, we are raised to be hungry. Hungry for wealth, hungry for fame, hungry for a higher status. Believing happiness comes along with these things, we reach higher and higher in search of more, in search of joy through physical possessions. But the harder we work and the more we strive, the less we experience pure joy. In reality, this true happiness comes from acceptance of what we have, not the desire for more. Contentment strongly differs from happiness, as simply the acceptance of what we already have. This joy isn’t found in money or numbers, but in the celebration of our current situation. Instead of the constant search for more, we should focus on the good that resides in the present. “It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it” (Dale Carnegie). We do not achieve true joy through our possessions but instead on our outlook. In life, perspective on a situation completely alters what we think about it. Like a pair of sunglasses shields our eyes from the sun’s harmful rays, a positive viewpoint allows us to clearly see the world and appreciate the good in it. In order to find …show more content…
In the quest for more, we lose our happiness. We spend our whole day rushing through life and never slow down to appreciate the good, like eating dinner with our family or watching the sunset. Today’s culture advertises the need for newer houses and newer technology when frankly, what we already have will do the job. Working to fulfill worldly desires will bring about anxiety and an overwhelming feeling. Skinnier women, faster cars, and bigger TVs will be available to the end of time, but the constant struggle to reach perfection can lead to physical and mental exhaustion and take away satisfaction in what we
As Walt Disney once said, “Happiness is a state of mind. It’s just according to the way you look at things.” Walt Disney is one of the best known founders for a motion - picture production company. This infamous and plausible man is among the many who support the claim that happiness can be achieved in an assortment of ways by contenting both adults and children. Maanvi Singh’s , “You Can Buy Happiness, If It’s An Experience,” Caitlin Kenney’s “Study: ‘High Incomes Don’t Bring You Happiness’” and ABC News’ “Can We Cultivate Our Own Happiness?” assert how one can achieve happiness. Genuine happiness can only be attained if one truly accepts what their lives present them with. Even though several beliefs claim that money is the key to stimulating
Everyone wants to be “happy.” Everyone endeavors to fulfill their desires for their own pleasure. What makes this ironic is, the fact that most don‘t know what the actual definition of happiness is. “In Pursuit of Unhappiness” presents an argument, which states that not everyone will be happy. Darrin McMahon, the article’s author, explores the ways our “relentless pursuit of personal pleasure”(McMahon P.11;S.3) can lead to empty aspirations and impractical expectations, making us sad, and not happy. Rather than working to find the happiness of others, we should all focus on finding what makes ourselves happy. It is easier to find happiness in the little things
On a sunny Saturday morning with beautiful blue skies, and birds chirping, James Hamblin was in his balcony with a cup of coffee on his desk eager to write his short argumentative essay titled “Buy Experiences, Not Things”. In this short essay, Hamblin wanted to depict the fact that happiness in individuals, is mainly due to experiential purchases than to material purchases. One of the things he said to prove that point was “waiting for an experience elicits more happiness and excitement than waiting for a material good’ (Hamblin, 2014). He also stated that “a mind should remain in one place, and a mind that wanders too much is a sign of lack of happiness” (Hamblin, 2014). Instead of buying the latest iPhone, or Samsung galaxy, we should spend
The movie, Patch Adams, for me is not merely about the life story of the “real” Hunter Patch Adams but rather it portrays, in deeper sense, what should a real physician should be to his or her patients. Aside form his passion to help others; he has this compassion to those around him that I believe was his greater strength in becoming a medical doctor. His intention in helping others was so pure that he was willing to treat his patients for free and was able to influence other medical students, despite the busy and stressful schedule they have during those times, to join him in fulfilling his cause. The movie could inspire many people, especially those that are inclined into medicine.
“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.” - Socrates
Ashley Janowiak Human Happiness and External goods Happiness is a goal every human pursues, yet the ways in which it is pursued differs amongst people. Some believe prosperity will bring them happiness. Others believe material, power, fame, success, or love will bring them happiness. No matter what one believes is the right way to conquer this goal, every person will take their own unique path in an attempt to find it. But what is happiness like?
Think about what would make you happy right now. Most of us would say something that relates to money or something luxurious we see on TV shows. Maybe a new car would make you happy or the house of your dreams. We all have analogous goals and aspirations. From a young age, we are programmed to want certain things. We see images in movies or in TV shows that are appealing. We think that with money, all of our tribulations will wash away. That’s why people go to work or buy lottery tickets or even gamble. We want what society has told us we want our whole lives and we are not fully satisfied with life until we obtain these goals. Society builds this perfect image in our heads of what happiness is supposed to look like and today’s modern technologies and our upbringings are significantly influenced by it.
People all over the country use this American Dream as a basis for what being happy means but when people focus on “richer” (Kamp) as meaning only financially richer, this becomes a negative goal. Although many people may believe that money and riches are not the keys to having a happy life, this is not true. This can be seen when the article explains, “The participants maximise points at the expense of maximising their happiness... Points are easily compared which overshadows our knowledge of the kind of ice cream we enjoy most” (Stafford).
Early Modern Europe experienced several tragedies in which the citizens sensed that there must be a better way to live where happiness was more familiar. Alterations for what truly defines absolute happiness in a society during these times of catastrophe were expressed through utopian literature. Thomas More’s Utopia, Tomasso Campanella’s City of the Sun, and Caron De Beaumarchais’ The Marriage of Figaro together attempt to answer what truly creates a happy civilization during different periods of crisis within Europe. Each of these utopian literature’s suggest a different origin that happiness derives from, soundly signifying that change in Europe would be beneficial. The revolutionary ideas of change in Europe proposed by Utopia, City of the Sun, and The Marriage of Figaro through their individual utopias, demonstrated their beliefs that such change of social classes, the expression of pleasures morally, and a more unified government would lead to a happier, less corrupt society.
According to Buddha, “Happiness does not depend on what you have or who you are. It solely relies on what you think.” To be happy, one must know what happiness is and then find aspects that make them feel that way. Happiness is not a brief sense of positive feelings, but a lasting sense of contentedness that can be achieved by keeping close relationships and engaging in habits that seem contradictory at first to happiness.
Contrary to belief, genuine happiness is very rarely found at the bottom of a shopping basket or on the leather seats of a brand new car. Often we hear the cliché saying “Money can’t buy happiness” but this is in fact true. Whilst the elation and delight brought from finally owning a wanted item is extraordinary, you must remind yourself that your happiness should not become dependant upon your ownership of this item. Being happy is not something you can purchase from a shop or car dealership, it is the way you take on life. Unfortunately, happiness does not have its own aisle at shops and never will.
The movie Pursuit of Happyness shows how a person became a homeless then eventually how he survived from being a homeless. Then, to being a multi millionaire. Even though he experienced how hard life can be he still pursued to reach his goals in his life for his son. This movie shows how a homeless person stand up and pursue to be successful.
Happiness is a feeling that humans naturally desire. Without it, one feels incomplete. In this generation, happiness has taken on a definition by how we are presented to one another. It is measured by how much money we have, how famous we are, or the things we possess. When in reality, none of these things guarantee a happy life. Happiness is something that cannot be bought with money, but rather, it must be found, earned, sought after. Each and every one of us has our own list of things that we consider to make us happy. However, happiness shines brightest through the relationships we create, and the goals we make for ourselves to strive after. Along with these two essential sources, we then can mix and match those things in life that we enjoy to create our own unique formula for happiness.
For our Economics subject, we watched The Pursuit of Happyness, a movie based on Chris Gardner, a salesman who was not making that much money and eventually experiences homelessness with his five-year old son. He faces problems when his wife is unwilling to accept his goal to become a stockbroker and leaves him. However, he perseveres even under all this stress.
... satisfied with life. Through the ‘focusing illusion’ we convince ourselves that satisfaction equals happiness. Unfortunately it doesn’t. Even though we appear to have everything, we are left feeling that something is missing, but are unable to identify what that thing is.