Many live attempting to decipher the riddle of life. What is life? What is the purpose? What makes? Even though we only seek happiness why can’t we ever seem to achieve it? When we do reach happiness why can’t we seem to grasp it and hold it for more than the few short hours that pass like seconds? The question we must answer first is “What makes happiness, true?”
In the film “Into the Wild” it shows Chris, a young adult, trying to make his way to Alaska. His beliefs in freedom and isolation from the modern world would drive him to go to Alaska in hope that he finds the so simple goal, happiness. He struggle sand faces obstacles that hinder him to his destination. Odd people, intelligent people, elderly people, young people; he met all these unique individuals on his journey. Each one had a small impact on his thoughts and adventure. One person in particular, a young girl hidden as subplot, is the final point of why his decisions of leaving not only the modern world but the people around him was not the way of reaching the goal that seems ever so far. Happiness. This girl lived in a trailer park where free spirited individuals had the will to slow down their lives and enjoy it. One aspect that made it this type of living different from any regular neighborhood was that the habitants were always sharing with one another. This vital aspect of these people was never noticed by Chris. This proved detrimental in his short time in Alaska till his heart aching death.
In the two non-fiction pieces, “Skiing with the Dalai Lama” and “An Account of Happiness”, they state similar beliefs of happiness. In both they show things that gave happiness for a short period of time. But both show something that is will give happiness more than those...
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...aterialistic. Happiness is creating by anything that is enjoyed but not everything that is enjoyed creates happiness that last forever. Happiness that last for a lifetime were the things that made not just you happy but the people around you also happy. The film “Into the Wild” shows that just leaving society isn’t what creates the happiness that all search for. The little things such as that were explained in the poem “Happiness” are similar to all of the pieces and the film. Dalai Lama told the waitress, in “Skiing With the Dalai Lama”, that happiness is up to human beings to decide what makes happiness true. But based on the information in the poems, short stories, and film the way to reach happiness is simpler than humans make it. If we step back and observe, the answer is rather clear. The answer to this question is happiness isn’t true unless it is shared.
The book Into The Wild, written by Jon Krakauer, tells the story of Chris McCandless a young man who abandoned his life in search of something more meaningful than a materialistic society. In 1992 Chris gave his $ 25,000 savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, and burned all of his money to chase his dream. Chris’s legacy was to live in simplicity, to find his purpose, and to chase his dreams. Chris McCandless’s decision to uproot his life and hitchhike to Alaska has encouraged other young adults to chase their dreams. Neal Karlinksy illustrates the love Chris had for nature in the passage, “He was intoxicated by the nature and the idea of a great Alasican adventure-to survive in the bush totally alone.”
In the essay Why Happiness, Why Now? Sara Ahmed talks about how one’s goal in life is to find happiness. Ahmed begins her essay with skepticism and her disbeliefs in happiness. She shows her interest in how happiness is linked to a person’s life choices. Ahmed also tries to dig deeper, and instead of asking an unanswerable question, “what is Happiness?” she asks questions about the role of happiness in one’s life.
The wilderness can be viewed as a place of freedom or danger. Once a person enters the wilderness their life is at risk, but they have gained complete control over themselves. When a persons’ life is near an end because of the wilderness, they learn an important lesson and figure out what essentially matters to them. Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild identifies the importance of happiness as he is about to die in the Alaska wilderness. As McCandless is about to die, he writes in his personal log, “Happiness only real when shared” (Krakauer 189). This illustrates that McCandless, few moments before his death, realizes that isolating himself in order to gain free...
In the documentary “Fed Up,” sugar is responsible for Americas rising obesity rate, which is happening even with the great stress that is set on exercise and portion control for those who are overweight. Fed Up is a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig, with Executive Producers Katie Couric and Laurie David. The filmmaker’s intent is mainly to inform people of the dangers of too much sugar, but it also talks about the fat’s in our diets and the food corporation shadiness. The filmmaker wants to educate the country on the effects of a poor diet and to open eyes to the obesity catastrophe in the United States. The main debate used is that sugar is the direct matter of obesity. Overall, I don’t believe the filmmaker’s debate was successful.
Human nature is often displayed when a person is found in the state of superiority or inferiority, the usual results are people acting in a malicious or harsh way. A Class Divided, a Frontline documentary, produced in 1985 displays an experiment regarding human nature. In 1968, in Riceville, a small all-white Iowa town, Mrs. Elliot, a third grade teacher, felt empathy about the death of Martin Luther King Jr., decided to give her third grade class a lesson about discrimination and racism. She realized that her third graders did not understand the problem with discrimination, so she concluded that for the students to comprehend what had happened, they must experience what discrimination feels like. Mrs. Elliot separated her third grade class
When an average person seeks happiness, most often they search in the wrong place: "If only I could have that I would be happy." For ages, man has been seeking happiness from outside, not within. People have the misconception that material things and materialistic goals will bring them ultimate happiness, but in truth those only bring transient happiness. True and lasting happiness can be reached from within when one realizes the ultimate truth. This ultimate truth, the main focus of transcendentalism, can be reached through self-reliance, nature, and oversoul, the main principals of the philosophy. By meditation, by communing with nature, through work and art, man could transcend his senses and attain an understanding of beauty, goodness, and truth.
The Hunting Ground, a popular documentary publicized by Lady Gaga and former Vice President Joe Biden, highlighted the role collegiate fraternities play in creating a culture of sexual violence. In fact, Sigma Alpha Epsilon gained the notorious pseudonym of Sexual Assault Expected for the frequent acts of sexual assault associated with their fraternity (Scully). Although the documentary highlighted just one specific fraternity, it also discussed the pervasive culture of sexual violence in fraternities across the nation. Like all social organizations, fraternities possessed a culture designed to reinforce certain behaviors. The culture of collegiate fraternities encouraged sexual assault through peer pressure, substance abuse, and college administration
Yet, happiness is not a condition, a gift or a talent, though some people appear to have a natural knack for happiness than others. They seem to have no particular reason for being happy except that they are so. Sometimes it may lie in one’s genetic disposition to be happier than others in identical circumstances; they have inherent aptitude for happiness. They are born with it: born happy. It is the genetic factor. But, it is also a skill that can be acquired, practiced into habit. Typically, a man tends to count his misfortunes more than his fortunes. But if he counts his fortunes at the same time with the same sensitivity, he would see that for every misfortune there are so many fortunes, for every pain there are so many pleasures. If he counts it right, he will be very happy. It is a hard arithmetic, but to be master with the math, we need to welcome these blessings and recount ourselves to be happy every day, every time. We need to reconcile, recognize and appreciate what we have (good health) and what we do not have (cancer). The talent of being happy is an understanding. Intelligence starts here. It is not a huge effort; it is possible and achievable. It is some form of
The movie Shock Doctrine revolves around the concept of the same name. The film begins by discussing psychological research on the effects of shock therapy. It is evident that a person under extreme stress and anxiety commonly experienced during a crisis functions and performs inadequately. It is noted that the studies are conducted by a man by the name of Milton Friedman, from the University of Chicago; the studies took place in the past, and some of the subjects are still recovering in the aftermath. From this research, interrogation techniques were learned and the concept of the shock doctrine was formed. Essentially through causing a crisis, the population of a country can be shocked into complying with accepting laws that favors the United States and capitalism. This theory coexists with Friedman’s belief in that government regulation is bad, and through a crisis a country would better itself with deregulation. The video uses Chile as an example and shows how America allowed a crisis to occur in Chile, through coups, interrogations and subterfuge. In the end a new government is formed that allows capitalism. Unfortunately afterwards violence and riots occur, as the rich gain most of the wealth and poverty rises. In addition to Chile, Argentina, Russia and even Iraq underwent the shock doctrine. Almost in every account, poverty rises and violence ends up erupting. The movie ends by showing how the US was in the process of the shock doctrine, and still is but the population has taken notice. Protests such as Occupy Wall Street are some of the initiatives necessary to bring awareness to the problems of class inequalities in order to prevent capitalism from benefitting the rich and increasing the wealth gap among the classes.
In the film, “North by Northwest” we see a series of shots that creates suspense and danger. The point of the film is very vague and it ends without a resolution to the main conflict. The incredible camera work and techniques that Alfred Hitchcock did created a feeling of danger and suspense, making the audience want to see more. Also, Hitchcock's film main character Roger O. Thornhill creates suspense with his mistaken identity and fight for his escape. The film uses a handful of shots, for example, medium shots, close ups, long shots and shot-reverse-shots. I found particularly interesting how a handful of shots can create suspense and the feeling of danger can create a misleading plot.
A League of Their Own (Marshall, 1992) explicitly characterizes an American era when a woman’s place was in the home. Even our modern perspective implicitly follows suit. Although women have gained rights and freedoms since the 1930’s, sexism remains prevalent in America. This film offers an illustration when men went to war and big business men utilized women as temporary replacements in factories, sports, and so on. Here, course concepts, such as gender socialization, gender expressions, role stereotypes, emotion expressions, and language, correspond to the film’s characters and themes.
What is happiness? People have agonized over this question for centuries. Let me start this essay by answering a somewhat easier question: what isn’t happiness? Happiness is NOT feeling good all the time. Happiness is a combination of human emotions and states of mind. Exploring this state of being has consumed the philosophical minds of the ages and will continue to do so for ages to come.
But in this debate, one question still raises its head - What is happiness? Happiness is not actually leading a luxurious life, but the luxury of living a life. Happiness is not actually about expanding your business, but it lies in expanding the horizons of life. Happiness is not having a meal in the most famous restaurant, but having it with your most beloved family. It does not lie in attending honorable parties, but to attend a party with honor.
Real happiness is more than brief positive feelings but rather a lasting state of peace or contentedness. According to Reich, a former professor of psychology at Arizona State University, happiness is “deeper than a momentary good mood” (Reich). When ordinary happiness is experienced, Jacobsen, a professor in the Department
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.