We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same (Anne Frank). In the classes recent readings we went over Chapter 2, “Happiness Can It Be Defined?” in our handbook America Now. The major issue of this chapter is what happiness is all about and how people define their happiness. This chapter drew my attention right away because I am all about being happy. When it comes down to it, we all want to be able to feel as though at the end of our lives, we lived happily on Earth. Based on the issue, happiness is considered to be very important in life, but it is so difficult to define. What factors are important in achieving happiness, and why are people in today’s society so misguided in their pursuits of happiness?
It would appear that the feeling of happiness is the main goal in life that we strive for on an everyday basis. If you go to a number of random individuals and ask how they live a good and happy life, you would get a different answer from each person. Most people are bound to say that they are still striving for their happiness. That it is an everyday struggle to maintain happiness throughout life. Some may question, how can happiness be defined because of all the different ways and things that make people happy. For some the American dream is what will make them happy and that takes hard work and persistence. In the beginning of that dream is a struggle, but it is possible. Everyone is different and has different perspectives of this so-called “happiness”. Happiness is individualized, situational, and can also be defined as unique. A lot of people can experience depression because they are unhappy. We work so hard, refrain ourselves from enjoyment and distractions, in the ...
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...s quote. Although we all have different perceptions of life, everyone wants to be happy. They may go about it different ways, but because everyone is working towards the same goal they are all the same in this way. Also, achieving “happiness” is what is most important to you. People need to learn to enjoy what they have and to try their best to stop dwelling on the things around them, so that they can actually understand the meaning and purpose of the lives that they are blessed with and their existence.
Works Cited
Barton, Adriana. If You’re Happy And You Know It Your in Third. ninth . Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. 83. Print.
Mosely, Walter. Get Happy. ninth . Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 88. Print.
"Anne Frank." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2014. 14 February 2014.http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/annefrank151878.html
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.
Happiness has always been a desirable goal throughout our lives, but each actions we take might just affect the happiness of others. When humans seek happiness, we always seek for things that make us feel alive, or things that brings us the greatest comfort. Our contentment comes with the act of selfishness since we choose to prioritize our happiness above all other. We willingly classify happiness in two different types of meaning, both physical and mental happiness. People ought not be in title to happiness because it is classified in general as a physical desire by many people. Contentment is always known to be a physical satisfaction in life instead of a self-inducing satisfaction for life.
In the book, The How of Happiness, author and researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky sets her book apart from other self-awareness books by being the first to utilize empirical studies. She uses data gained through scientific method to provide support for her hypothesis. This hypothesis consists mainly of the idea that we have the ability to overcome genetic predisposition and circumstantial barriers to happiness by how we think and what we do. She emphasizes that being happier benefits ourselves, our family and our community. “The How of Happiness is science, and the happiness-increasing strategies that [she] and other social psychologists have developed are its key supporting players” (3).
Happiness plays an important and necessary role in the lives of people around the world. In America, happiness has been engrained in our national consciousness since Thomas Jefferson penned these famous words in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (Jefferson). Since then, Americans have been engaged in that act: pursuing happiness. The problem however, as Ray Bradbury demonstrates in his novel Fahrenheit 451, is that those things which make us happy initially may eventually lead to our downfall. By examining Guy Montag, the protagonist in Fahrenheit 451, and the world he lives in we can gain valuable insights to direct us in our own pursuit of happiness. From Montag and other characters we will learn how physical, emotional, and spiritual happiness can drastically affect our lives. We must ask ourselves what our lives, words, and actions are worth. We should hope that our words are not meaningless, “as wind in dried grass” (Eliot).
The philosopher Aristotle once wrote, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” This famous quote compels people to question the significance of their joy, and whether it truly represents purposeful lives they want to live. Ray Bradbury, a contemporary author, also tackles this question in his book, Fahrenheit 451, which deals heavily with society's view of happiness in the future. Through several main characters, Bradbury portrays the two branches of happiness: one as a lifeless path, heading nowhere, seeking no worry, while the other embraces pure human experience intertwined together to reveal truth and knowledge.
We might not have the same opinions, paths, and ways of living; but we all, millions of people around the world, share the same purpose of life: Being able to say “I am having a good life!” What we mean by “good life” is living in pure happiness and having a wonderful peace of mind. The difference between us is that each one of us chooses a different way in his pursuit of happiness. Some find it in stability with a big house, a family, and a good paying job. Some find it in adventure and wildness, travel, and taking risks. While others don’t really have specific criteria or an organized plan, they just believe that happiness comes with living each day as if it was the last, with no worries about the rest. Personally, I find it in trying to be the best version of myself, in staying true to my principles, and in the same time in being able to make my own decisions; which reminds me of what George Loewenstein said “Just because we figure out that X makes people happy and they're choosing Y, we don't want to impose X on them.”
who achieve sense of meaning in their lives are happier than those who live from one pleasure to another.
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.
Happiness according scientific studies happiness comes from dopamine taking chemicals around the brain, which is a transmitter in the brain that controls the nervous system. These chemicals in the brain make us happy and sad. Happiness means different things to different people, so say Happiness comes from peace and other happiness comes from your expectations from being fulfilled. Happiness is like being sad or angry, it?s an emotion. Some people can get happiness from the simplest things such as reading your favorite book; other people are more complicated they see happiness as some thing that doesn?t really happen to them, but that?s not true because very person is different some people are happy all the time or at least most of the time, while some people say that there not happy are really just happy for a short period of time, weather it means just laughing at a joke, your happy for that couple of seconds.
Happiness is something most humans value above everything else. The various things in life that make us happy, such as family, friends, and cool cars, to name a few, are the very things we hold dearest to us and place the most value on. People fill their lives with things that please them to ease the gloom that comes as a result of the seemingly never-ending trials and tribulations of life. We gladly accept any amount of pleasure we can extract from the monotony of our daily lives, and we will do almost anything to achieve happiness.
Success in accomplishing a goal, might be a trigger for happiness in some. Becoming a successful business man, a professional athlete or attaining your dream goal of becoming a doctor might just be what creates happiness. A mother with a new baby is one example of a personal experience of happiness. A grandmother seeing her first grandchild born, a child opening their Christmas gifts, a child saying their first word, a child taking their first step, these are just a few examples of personal experiences of happiness. This would be the warm fuzzy feeling that describes happiness. It is becoming clearer that happiness is just a
Happiness is how something is viewed as opposed to a physical thing. However, happiness is not only a perspective but also a choice. Success and happiness are frequently linked to contentment but happiness should not be dependent on success. In spite of not succeeding in my chosen sport of horse riding the enjoyment it provided for me far outweighed any d...
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.
Throughout my life, I have learned to see that happiness is not such an inaccessible dream. Although its notion varies from one person to another, happiness is often times only one inch away. Some people will experience happiness in the pursuit of it. Some will find it in sacrificing themselves for greater goals. Others will find it in people’s company, in lust or in drugs. There is no recipe for success or happiness, and it is only up to us to define what we want from life, and how we want to get it. The only certain thing is that it is never too late for anybody to achieve their dreams, to make peace with their feelings, and ultimately, to be happy.
What is happiness? Probably, this is one of the most difficult concepts. The meaning of happiness cannot be reached treasures of gold and silver, because it is more precious than gold and silver. Everyone knows happiness by his desires, outlook on life, and the lifestyle. For example, people think that happiness is when you understand or when you have money. They aspire to this life, and when they get to realize that happiness is not the case. Poor people think that happiness is money, and rich people know that it is not. Lonely believe that happiness in the family, and family know that just having a family - this is not happiness. As a result, many are chasing ghosts, frustrated and a verdict: "no happiness in life." The purpose of this article is to understand what happiness is, so that everyone can see the totality of this unusual condition, evaluate yourself, find your mistakes and set goals to achieve happiness.