Definition Essay On Happiness

1185 Words5 Pages

What is Happiness? Each individual may have an entirely different view on the meaning of happiness. Personally, happiness to me is being content with what you have, being able to provide one’s basic needs and helping others. Some people necessitate material things in order to be happy, while for others, it is showing humanitarianism which according to Jeremy Bentham is ‘‘the greatest good for the greatest number of people’’. No matter one’s status in life, we all deserve to be happy, however, we should not pursue happiness at the expense of others. Human beings existence is to make others happy, once others are happy we too will be happy. Additionally, the purpose of one’s existence is to be happy, this according to Aristotle when he wrote: “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”. …show more content…

According to WSJ and Time articles about income and happiness, the first question that comes to mind is whether money can buy happiness. As stated in the article the more money one earns the more satisfied they are with life. Money is very important for many things but it should not be the only reason for one’s happiness. Being rich or getting a raise does not free anyone from anxiety. Earning more money especially for someone who is struggling financially can eradicate several causes of unhappiness such as paying the bills and marital tension over finances. This extra money will fill a gap and may take the unhappiness away but I don’t think it will bring long-term happiness. The more money one earns is the more they crave for more. One of the reasons for such behavior is a social comparison which is comparing one’s life to others. This type of behavior does not make an individual happier, in essence it makes them more miserable. One of the reasons for social