In times of self reflection, often before making tough decisions about their future, people tend to ask themselves "Am I happy?". Many would reply immediately without seriously considering the weight of the question. Often people tend to respond based on their mood at that exact moment rather than considering the larger factors that contribute to their amount of happiness. But what exactly is happiness? Generally, people believe that happiness is directly proportional to the amount of tangible wealth and possessions while others would say that accomplishing certain personal goals in life, such as marriage or graduation, is what defines the standards of happiness. However, these definitions are centered around what one has or does rather than who they are. One cannot reflect on their level of happiness without first …show more content…
However, having a positive mindset is not always the simplest task, as things such as greed and grudges plague the ideal positivity. Happiness is defined by a positive mindset achieved by abandoning grudges and letting go of the past as well as suppressing one’s ego; when one ponders such negativity, its roots begin to fester and reside in the back of their mind, planting doubt and insecurity.
In general, people tend to assume that having tangible things, such as wealth as well as intangible features, such as health or beauty, are a sure fire way to happiness and success in life. In actuality, these features and possessions do not affect someone's level of happiness, as based on empirical data that Gary Gutting calls "old news". In the article Happiness, Philosophy, and Science, Gutting analyzes the connections between levels of happiness and social factors. What is new to even Gutting is his research that concluded that "serious illness typically does not make us less happy .. [and] marriage .. is not a major source of either happiness or happiness". This very principle is shown in The Long Exile