In the world we live in today, many cultural views have evolved that now define us as human beings. For example, a commonly seen aspect that holds a significant amount of importance in this society is that the more you have, the happier you’re guaranteed to be. This is portrayed everywhere, as people are viewed scrabbling about, trying to pick up the latest fashion, or newest household look. No matter what the cost, citizens of the United States satisfy themselves by feeding their hunger for ‘more’. People are so caught up in what others think of them that they continue to attempt to calm their craving for acceptance through items. Stop and think for a moment. With the passing of Thanksgiving, another holiday comes to follow: Black Friday. If anyone has ever mustered up the necessary amount of bravery to go out in the early hours of the morning after they’ve been stuffed full of turkey, they know exactly what to picture. Countless people crammed into an unorganized line, waiting outside a store in freezing temps. And then, once the doors are opened…BAM! Stampede! Before you know it, people are running, pushing, grabbing items off the nearest shelf, just for the sheer fact that it’s on sale. Happiness can obviously be bought, right? Wrong. Contrary to popular belief, the idea of acceptance, or in other words, the ability to be vulnerable towards other, is taking over this culture because of the search for happiness that Americans pride themselves in taking, and sooner or later, something needs to change.
As defined by the online dictionary, vulnerable means to be “open to moral attack, criticism and temptation”. Although the definition is blunt, what Americans fail to realize is the actual truth stored within its words. The world...
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...true purpose in life, they gained happiness. It was not granted to them once they consumed the fruit from the tree of life. This situation can be the same for all of those in the American society. Everyone wants to make a difference in their life time, but seldom actually prevail. Most end up getting lost within the confusion as to whether or not the acceptance from peers makes a key difference. However, by seeking out a purpose, rather than a substitution for happiness, the joy of life will be realized, and as a result, happiness will be rewarded.
Works Cited
Smith, Emily. “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy”. The Atlantic. 9 January 2013. Web. 3 December 2013.
Chiarella, Tom. “On Saying No”. Esquire. Web. 3 December 2013.
“Vulnerable”. Dictionary.com .2013. Web. 5 December 2013.
Brown, Brené. “The Power of Vulnerability”. TED. 2013. Web. 8 December 2013.
The book I decided to read is called Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. He wrote this book because of what he went through while in the concentration camps. He told about how it psychologically messed with his mind and how he used his education in psychology to make it through what he was going through. The main idea of the book is to show people that you have to have a meaning to life. A person has to find the meaning in life, love, and suffering. This book taught me how to search for the meaning of my life, love, and sufferings.
Happiness: an idea so abstract and intangible that it requires one usually a lifetime to discover. Many quantify happiness to their monetary wealth, their materialistic empire, or time spent in relationships. However, others qualify happiness as a humble campaign to escape the squalor and dilapidation of oppressive societies, to educate oneself on the anatomy of the human soul, and to locate oneself in a world where being happy dissolves from a number to spiritual existence. Correspondingly, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Krakauer’s Into the Wild illuminate the struggles of contentment through protagonists which venture against norms in their dystopian or dissatisfying societies to find the virtuous refuge of happiness. Manifestly, societal
MLA: Wallis, Claudia, et al. “The New Science of Happiness.” Time. 17 Jan. 2005. Academic Search Premier. Yale University Library. 11 Jan. 2006.
Again, I believe Taylor is missing some important feature to his theory. It seems he is correct in stating one should have their own sense of meaning to their life not just others’ perception that one’s life is meaningful. However, there is still the problem of giving equal meaning to everyone life that is doing what they love to do. As a result, to answer this problem one could suggest in order for one to have a meaningful life a person must be subjectively fulfilled by pursuing objectively valuable ends. This way it ensures the person must find meaning in their own lives as well as creating something that benefits many that will give others the perception the person has a meaningful life.
In contrast to Aristotle, Roko Belic’s documentary “Happy” provides a fresh perspective that takes place far more recently. The film sets out to similar goals of Aristotle in defining the nature of happiness and exploring what makes different people happy in general. Unlike Aristotle, however, the film’s main argument refers to makes people happier. In this case, the film argues that merely “doing what you love” is what leads to happiness (Belic). The argument itself appears oddly self-serving, considering that message is what underlines the foundation of happiness, yet there is a subliminal message that a simpler lifestyle is what leads to what the film is trying to convince you of. The message itself is obviously addressed to Americans, considering
Is happiness for sale? It is true that with enough money one can enjoy everything luxurious, and live a life of comfort and security. A little more money make us a little happier. However, happiness involves more than financial fitness; it encompasses emotional fulfillment as well, thus there are various ways to pursue happiness. In “Immune to Reality”, Daniel Gilbert examines the operation of the “psychological immune system,” which protects us when we suffer wrenching setbacks but not when we try to cope with minor ones, imparting a surprising complacency in the face of significant blows but often leaving us quite helpless when we deal with trivial irritations. In the course of a detailed investigation of the food industry,
3. Feldman, Fred. 2004. “The Quest for the Good Life” in Pleasure and the Good Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Dale Carnegie once expressed, “Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.” Analyzing this quote, it is crucial to note the underlining theme that happiness, true and genuine happiness, requires a shifting away from conformity and the status quo in order to discover the treasure found in one’s own self. Therefore, finding out who one’s self is mandates a state of solitude which acts like the green pastures by the still waters that restores the soul. However, with its roaring and hungry fire that sends up flutters of red and yellow and orange and white fireflies soaring into the carnivorous night, conflict is the key ingredient in shifting away from acquiescence and society’s present state of affairs.
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.
Everyone has a “verse;” the story of their life and what they wish to accomplish throughout it. I have had big goals for myself to accomplish ever since a young age. In most cases, this has been very beneficial to me throughout my life. But sometimes, it has caused me a lot of grief. Since this is such a large part of my life, I have many songs that I feel represent this journey.
Stiendl, David. "Want to be happy? Be grateful." Ted Talks. Ted. Ted Talk, Edinburgh. 1 June 2013. Lecture.
Bowman, James. "The Pursuit of Happiness." The American Spectator. N.p., Sept. 2010. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
Gertner, Jon. The Futile Pursuit of Happiness. New York: The New York Times, 2003. n.d. Web. 27 Nov 2009.
Happiness can come in different forms for each person. Some people dream of achieving great wealth to buy everything they ever wanted. Others may find simple tasks such as, reading a book, to make them happy. There are people who find happiness by making others happy, whether it’d be, feeding the homeless, or giving random compliments to strangers. I think that most people would agree that the purpose of life is happiness. There are several things that bring happiness to my world, which include, family, health, and laughter, among other things. Accomplishments can also bring happiness to people, which is what many people strive for during their lives. It can be a promotion, diploma, house, etc. It is usually something that is challenging,