Happiness is something humans have been pursuing for centuries. The quest for happiness is so cemented in the minds of human beings that it has been used as a method of control, and as a weapon against others. Humans are moths, ever drawn to the distant flame of joy. Over the past year I have learned much about this pursuit that has plagued humans for millennia. Pieces of literature like The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men and The Devil and Tom Walker all explore this pursuit in unique and diverse ways.
Station Eleven and I: What is Happiness? Happiness is being around your self-chosen family with a career in a profession that simultaneously gives you purpose and help improve our society. It is the feeling of comfort and being considerate of others. The novel Station Eleven has many different definitions of happiness as defined by various characters within the book.
Throughout the text, each character battles with themselves as they are not only trying to find themselves, but also trying to make sure that what the public sees is a reflection of who they believe they are. Jeevan is a prominent character throughout the first handful of chapters. In the opening chapters he is a hero of sorts, for attempting to save Arthur’s life. We find out later that this portion of his life follows a long battle of trying to be financially stable while fighting with his inner self, knowing that the things he was doing to make money weren’t the most respectable. He began as a photographer, paparazzi, and an entertainment journalist.
“Toronto existing in layers” (Mandel) and such is the impression of Miranda as she ventures once more into the vast city of Toronto, after her time in New York. Upon her arrival in the city, a pang of nostalgia hits her as she reminisces her first arrival: “she’d always liked the descent into this city, the crowded towers by the lakeshore, the way an infinite ocean of suburbia rushed inward and came to a point at the apex of the CN Tower…the city had shocked her with its vastness when she’d arrived…” (Mandel). Such descriptions might appear as mere imageries of the city, for these are common sights—the crowded city, the suburbs, and the CN--one can see when travelling into the city of Toronto. It is a familiar setting and something that is
Staying happy is a difficult thing for many Americans but all it takes is some time with family or friends every day. The Indians show this in the story When Grizzlies Walked Upright by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz tell past stories of adventure and dance by the fire with their loved ones. Like the Indians, I find adventure and happiness by spending time with friends and family. People are happier when they gather in celebration or learn from stories of great adventure.
One of those words that is commonly misinterpreted, especially in today's society. In today's society, we believe that happiness is reaching your final destination without any bumps in the road, or being rich and getting everything you want. This is simply not the case; happiness is a person’s satisfaction with life on a day-to-day basis regardless of circumstances. Happiness is being happy with your daily routine and getting up everyday excited to start your day. The most common leading cause for human beings to lose their sense of real happiness is the overuse of technology.
To find what happiness is, one must grow and learn. As we see things and think that’s when we find what makes us happy. Everyone at one point has thought about what makes them happy, "Are you happy? " that’s what Clarisse asked Montag in Fahrenheit 451(Bradburg7). We as people need to think what true happiness is for us.
Not many achieve happiness in their lifetime. Either they do not live long enough to witness it or they are not prepared for what their happiness is. Happiness is very subjective. Each person’s version of happiness is different. This version of happiness is universal.
The fact that happiness is a state of well-being pursued by humans since the beginning of humanity is not new. Since the ancient Greek philosophers, happiness has always been a goal for people. However, the definition of happiness is still subjective and controversial as Mark Kingwell, an award-winning social critic, essayist, and professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, presents in his article “In pursuit of Happiness." The author begins to build his credibility by calling everyday facts and emotions, also by citing philosophers, researchers, and other authors. Using the sources effectively in a persuasive piece, Kingwell demonstrates, through examples and science researches, the difficulty in defining happiness, which can result in unhappiness.
The Theme of Happiness What is your definition of happiness? My definition of happiness is enjoying all that you. In the book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald thinks the definition of happiness is having a lot of money and high status.some other people think that being loved and loving someone could bring you happiness. Everyone has a different definition of happiness but I think true happiness come from enjoying everything you do, not money and status or even love.
The purpose of this essay is to pick apart Mill’s essay and to give my own personal opinion about happiness. Stuart believed that you could achieve happiness by helping others achieve happiness and by finding things that you enjoy in life. I believe the key to happiness is helping other people achieve their happiness, do things that you enjoy doing, and looking at things in the brightest way possible. I honestly believe that everyone wakes up in the morning wanting to be happy, I have never seen a person who wakes up saying, “ I want to have an absolutely miserable day today”. It is human nature to strive for happiness and do things that you enjoy to do.
The Websters Dictionary portrays or defines happiness as a state of content,satisfaction or euphoria. Happiness is something that cannot be forced or simulated and it is more that just a simple feeling or emotion. It is more than just a noun used in the vocabulary of the average third grade child. Happiness is an undescribable sentiment that anything can experience depending on that specific thing. It is natural and one of a kind.
Jeevan first becomes a paparazzo for Arthur to earn money in life to support himself, however Jeevan dislikes his job as a paparazzo, he believes “work is combat” (103). Many years later after Jeevan quits his job as a paparazzo, he is in Toronto watching a play that Arthur was playing in, during the play Arthur has a heart attack on stage and loses consciousness, Jeevan quickly dashes up on stage and preforms CPR, unfortunately Arthur does not survive. but Jeevan comes to the realization, “Being a paramedic was the right thing to do with his life” (16). Jeevan had been searching for profession for so long, “he’d been a bartender, a paparazzo, and an entertainment journalist, then a paparazzo again and then once again a bartender, and that was just a past dozen years” (16). During the collapse Jeevan is a person people would go to for medical assistance, he told one his patient's spouse that, “I trained as a paramedic, before the flu.
A collection of philosophical, religious, psychological and biological approaches had attempted to define happiness and analyze its connections. Researchers have found that about 50% of people happiness depends on our genes, based on studies of identical twins, whose happiness was 50% correlated even when growing up in different houses. About 10% to 15% is a result of various measurable life circumstances variables, such as socioeconomic status, marital status, health, income, and others. The remaining 40% is a combination of intentional factors and the results of actions that individuals deliberately engage in to become happier. Studies have also found that most of us are born with a fixed “set point” of happiness that we fall in throughout our lives.
Happiness can be defined in many different ways depending on who you are talking to. To me, it can be found listening to my favorite music with the volume turned all the way up. Through this experience I am able to immerse myself in something I truly love and be a be a better, lighter version of myself. For some, happiness is living in the moment and experiencing life as it passes, but for others it means living a life of virtue. Though happiness may look different for everyone, it is something that everyone is striving for.
