...From seeking enjoyment to avoiding grief, most people's goal in life is about achieving happiness. However, how to define and obtain happiness in one's life and also living it virtuous can be challenging. When we consider the questions of how we should live our lives, we often seek for some method or schematic that we can apply to help us classify our actions and qualities as good, bad, or indifferent. Such a means of methodology would surely make it easier to determine what the right thing to do is. In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle formulates a concept in which we can integrate into our lives to measure and characterize our actions and choices. This concept is called the Doctrine of the Mean and according to Aristotle if we utilize his...
Words: 391 - Pages: 2
...happiness. Others may say that family brings happiness to one’s soul. We can say that most people would like to feel some form of happiness. Happiness can determine how your life will succeed or not. Happiness can be maladaptive and adaptive in an evolutionary perspective. My happiness will help me and my future, survive in this modern world. My happiness is determined by my career. I have obtain a position as a police cadet that has brought me my happiness. My happiness is to defend those who can’t and to offer any help possible. My daily routine is different and exciting. The adrenalin rush I get from deterring crime or giving advice to people in need makes me happy. The...
Words: 1320 - Pages: 6
...Dying With the Most Toys Does Not Mean You’ve Won In Book 1 of On the Free Choice of the Will, Augustine examines the relationship between doing good and being happy. Happiness is when someone takes delight in their own will, as opposed to depending on temporal things for your happiness, something with which modern psychology agrees. Evil people will to be happy as well, but they refuse to will to live rightly. This leads to evil people depending on temporal things for their happiness, which leads them to be unhappy. Augustine’s first point about happiness is that while everyone wants to be happy, a person is truly happy only “when he takes delight in his own good will” (Augustine, On the Free Choice of the Will, page 24). This person concerns his life with eternal things, and “the joy occasioned by acquiring this good [will] elevates the mind calmly, peacefully, and steadfastly,” which Augustine says is “called the happy life” (25). While the happy person takes delight in his good will, he appropriately assigns “little worth to anything else that is called good but can be lost even when the will to retain it remains” (24). In other words, the happy person does not become attached to the temporal things in life. This is because temporal things are, well, temporary (hence the similarity in the two...
Words: 1147 - Pages: 5
...BEING HAPPY! A Handbook to Greater Confidence and Security Author: Andrew Matthews Publisher: Media Masters Date of Publication: 2000 ISBN: 9810006640 No. Of Pages: 136 pages About the Authors Wisdom in a Nutshell Every person's ultimate quest in life is to be happy. But more often than not, people struggle finding contentment, peace and happiness in life. This highly motivational book by Andrew Matthews is written to help both young and old to find the path to bliss. Andrew Matthews An international speaker, bestselling author and award winning cartoonist, Andrew Matthews makes complex issues simple. The author of Being Happy!, Follow Your Heart and Being a Happy Teenager, Andrew Matthews is published in 29 languages in 60 countries and has Andrew has appeared on over 3000 radio and television programmes on 4 continents. This book entitled Being Happy is about the daily experiences in life and how you can change your attitude towards these to become happy. This book talks about forgiveness, confidence, goals, success, humor, and many more. This teaches you how to deal with the daily problems that you face and how you can address them without spoiling the rest of your day. More importantly, Being Happy will help you embrace yourself with respect and love that you deserve. This will help you understand yourself better. And eventually helps you live life to the fullest. Andrew Matthews has presented seminars and keynote speeches across...
Words: 3055 - Pages: 13
...with yourself and the environment that you live in. True happiness also comes from enjoying the little things in life like the environment around you or the things you do for people you love. In the stories Serving in Florida and On Dumpster Diving, the narrator is treated like garbage and thought of nothing more than a bare minimum worker or the scum of the city. When in reality these people are working so hard just to survive by themselves and keep food on the table. When they are in social gathering with other people of their own social level these people are treated equally and compassionate, but when they are mixed with people higher up them then they are treated like they are on the lowest level of the food chain. The people that are looking down on these poor citizens think them of nothing more than lazy and just never tried hard enough to get better. When in reality these people are working their butts off just to survive and not all of them had a choice in the matter, some people become homeless and poor from accident as house fires or identity theft and can not fix their problems to get better. Some of these people are not able to fix themselves because others have given up on them and treat them like garbage. A study has shown that 15% percent of homeless people actually have jobs it is just that they can not afford to pay for housing. Being homeless does not always mean you don’t have a place to sleep and that you live on the streets. A lot of college students...
Words: 815 - Pages: 4
...before adding money to their life? I believe that true happiness is the friendships that people make in life and the family that they spend their time with, because whether they are poor or rich, it hardly makes any difference if they have no one to spend time with doing things. Also, the happiest people in the world are some of the simplest people, and they are familiar with what makes them happy. The general argument made by Eduardo Porter’s essay “What Happiness Is”, is that “citizens of much the world – expand large amounts of time and energy pursuing more money and a bigger GDP because they think it will improve their well-being” (461). He cites...
Words: 980 - Pages: 4
...makes people contented with how they handle their private lives, occupations, and jobs, but much less about what makes them contented with the areas that they stay. Selecting the place where to stay is the distinct most vital resolution that people can make in their private lives. Consequently, this is because the places where the people live structure their entire decisions. Happiness concerns people’s lives completely: it comprises the changing feelings that individuals experience in their daily lives as well as the entire fulfillment concerning life. It is also influenced by human growth along with peripheral circumstances like health and occupation. It is apparent that if an individual feels susceptible or does not feel protected in their locality then there is no chance of being happy (Benfield, 2012). Thus, this argumentative paper is going to explain the notion whether living in the safe community contributes to happiness both in the psychological as well as economical point of view. Most people think that a safe community contributes to happiness. The researchers established that individuals are happier when they are with alternate persons than when they are alone. Therefore, this applies to both the extroverts as well as introverts. Every person wants to stay happy and rewarding life to the people that they cherish as well as anticipate to be happy. Also, happiness is related to our lives through the fact that happiness concerns our lives as a whole. It comprises the...
Words: 1862 - Pages: 8
...TOPIC Happiness Abstract This paper talks about what happiness is in general. How happiness is perceived among people today in various countries, cultures and religions. “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” - Aristotle. Everyone has their own meaning to happiness in the way their emotions, goals and desires play out in their everyday lives. Some people may find happiness in music, friends and family gatherings. Others may find happiness in work, movies, sports and books. But, what truly makes a person happy? I will discuss how happiness can be found by individual people, cultures and the world as a whole. Every person in one way or another is on the journey to pursue their happiness and once they find it realize their whole life is focused on that one thing that makes them happy. It takes some longer to find what truly makes them happy than others and some never really find what makes them happy before their lives end. Some people may find happiness in the Arts such as paintings, music and theatre arts. These forms of art have drawn the attention of many over the years. Inspirational paintings are sold all over the world at expensive prices to willing buyers not only for the beauty but because the paintings give a sense of happiness and joy in one’s life and it also portraits something significant such as what the person desires (passionate about) when viewing the painting. One of such paintings is the Luncheon...
Words: 1597 - Pages: 7
...husband, have children and be happy. Are we fooled into thinking this is the lifestyle we’re all supposed to live? And will this even make us happy? In the short story The Decline of the West by Hanif Kureishi, the reader is introduced to a man who grew up with the exact same expectations forced upon him. After losing his job he realizes how unhappy he is, even though he followed every step society and his parents laid out for him. The short story takes place in the high end of London, where Mike lives with his family. They live in a large house with 5 stories and 4 bathrooms, yet Mike and Imogen’s two sons Billy and Tom do not think this is enough, because their school friends have bigger, better, faster houses, cars and so on. But they are fairly rich with a housemaid and au pair to take care of the children, when Mike is at work, and Imogen does her charity work. Mike is the main character and narrator of this short story. He is 45 and works every day to be able to afford this lifestyle, which he has been fooled into believing will make him happy. At one point Mike thinks about his father, the expectations and all the things in his life that has been laid out for him. And at first he seems to be grateful for the time, intelligence and the education the state provided me with, but it does not bring him happiness. “Mike you have been stalked by good fortune your whole life.” His father automatically assumes that good fortune means that his son is happy. He’s got a beautiful wife...
Words: 1215 - Pages: 5
...Personal Response Paper to Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler’s: Inner Contentment It is possible for one to be happy if they could not have everything they wanted and had to accept what they were given? There are many desires for things one can and cannot obtain. These desires can be good, useful, or cause problematic issues. They can lead to greed which can lead to people expecting too much in life. Even if one can obtain what they want, they may still not be happy. That brings the concept back to whether people can be happy even if they cannot have everything? Materialistic things do not fulfill peoples’ lives and are only representing temporary happiness, satisfaction, and pleasure. Eventually it runs out and the depression and lost feelings return, leaving one wondering what to buy next to fulfill that void. In Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler’s essay on Inner Contentment, they argue whether it is possible to have inner contentment. Inner contentment is not expecting things that can make one happy, but being happy with whatever is given, without expecting more. Life is just and everyone cannot have everything they want, they have to deal with what has been given and live life. In the essay, Lama and Cutler state that “The true antidote of greed is contentment” (1002). What they were trying to say was that no matter what one has, one can still be content and happy. They argue that there are two ways to be content which are: to obtain everything one wants and desires, but eventually...
Words: 973 - Pages: 4
...Perception of the Good Life Everyone has their own view on what success means to them. Some people believe that money and/or expensive material items determine how successful a person is. Other people believe that success is measured by how happy a person is with his or her life, by measuring their job satisfaction or their family life. I believe that a person is truly successful when he or she has lived their life to the fullest and is completely content with where they have wound up in the end and has no regrets. In this brief essay I will be telling you about my view on true success in life. I will start off by telling you why material success could be included in my opinion, then I will tell you why a good quality of life is a big part, and finally I will tell you my exact view on what I want my future to look like so that I know that I have, in my opinion, had a successful life. First, I will begin with some of the material items that some people think they need to be successful and why. People that think they need material items to be successful in life probably will not go a day in their life without working and on top of that they will probably end up hating their job. This however will not change their view on what it means to be successful. There is no doubt that they will be happy with the beach house in Florida or the million dollar Lamborghini Maserati, but for what exactly? To be miserable at the job that has gotten you to this point in life. All of that sounds absolutely...
Words: 1011 - Pages: 5
...“Not So Happy Endings” In the unusually written short story, “Happy Endings” by Margaret Atwood, Atwood gives the reader six very different possible storylines using many stereotypes and a good deal of cliché to propel a few main themes of the story. Atwood’s story is not only unusually written, it is also funny, thought provoking, and interesting despite the lack of detail and odd structure. After she has presented the six different storylines Atwood suddenly moves to the ending, which ironically, does not provoke any happy feelings as the title would indicate. The following literary analysis presented will discuss Atwood’s use of short scenarios, point of view, lack of detail, flat characters, and a flat tone which all together help to get one of her themes across. In “Happy Endings” Atwood uses theme to illustrate to the reader that everyone’s beginning and ending are the predictable skeleton of a story; the how and why you go through life to create your journey to the end are the important parts of life. Atwood’s six storylines, A through F, range from the stereotypical life in version A to the completely eccentric version F. In the first line of the story Atwood introduces John and Mary by simply stating that they meet (395). Atwood goes on to bring the reader into the story by asking the reader “What happens next?” (395), and then goes on to Version A. Version A is the “happy ending,” with John and Mary who live a flawless life. John and Mary are happy, healthy...
Words: 1407 - Pages: 6
...20 simple tips to be happy now By Dr. Timothy Sharp Author of “The Happiness Handbook” Founder of The Happiness Institute www.thehappinessinstitute.com © Dr. Timothy Sharp 2005 www.thehappinessinstitute.com Introduction This e-Book is based on Dr. Sharp’s popular publication “The Happiness Handbook”. Each of the tips listed here is described in more detail in this book, which also has a series of accompanying workbooks. For more information, see the final page of this document or go straight to The Happiness Institute’s website at www.thehappinessinstitute.com. This e-Book is also based on the following philosophy: Happiness is the ultimate purpose in life Happiness is achievable, for all of us Happiness is determined more by our minds than by our circumstances The disciplines that will lead to and enhance happiness (such as helpful thinking and good habits) can be learned and mastered, with practice. © Dr. Timothy Sharp 2005 www.thehappinessinstitute.com Tip 1 Make happiness a priority. If happiness is not at the top of your list then other things will take precedence. If other things take precedence, they may well interfere with your efforts to feel good. Tip 2 Make plans to be happy. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. Just like in any other life domain, the successful pursuit of happiness requires planning. Tip 3 Set happy goals. Following on from Tip 2, planning requires effective goal setting. And don’t forget to make sure your goals are SMART (specific...
Words: 1494 - Pages: 6
...happiness. Clearly not everyone values the same in life or would agree that what is good for others is good for them. Certain people live healthy lives jogging and maintain their desired weight while others find it physically impossible to jog because of an injury. Some people wish to be rich to indulge in what they want to be happy while others wish for health to live long happy lives. A drug addict considers his life to be perfect and righteous because consuming drugs is what makes him happy despite the negative health effects and poor choices while under the influence. 2. Our desires are up to us and constantly change depending on what it is that we wish to have or accomplish. When choosing the path to what we consider a good life we must adjust our desires to our lifestyle so that they are obtainable and bring happiness. Some desires may become obsessions that can lead to unhappiness. We can choose what we want but it does not mean that we will get it or that in the end it is for good for us. We all desire different things in hopes of being happy but are never satisfied with the end result and set new objectives and change our wants. One person can ask to be rich and think that money will make them happy only to realize that they are diagnosed with an incurable disease. At that point, their only desire is for health which cannot be obtained. There are things in life that are out of our reach despite how hard we work for them or how much we want them which makes me believe that...
Words: 558 - Pages: 3
...Aristotle:Nicomachean Ethics Jonathan Rodriguez I. Introduction Aristotle is considered to be one of the greatest philosophical thinkers of all time. His writings compose of searching 'what is the purpose of life' and 'function of man'. His goal was to know what makes a person’s life well and how we get there. Aristotle believes that the nature of morality is grounded in the function of persons, meaning that we must act in order to become happy and fulfilled. What are the functions of persons and how does one acquire virtue? To live a good life is to aim towards living a good life by acquiring habits that make one become good by doing good. Essentially human activity is aimed towards acquiring happiness for themselves and others to achieve a status of well-being. The idea is that moral excellence is an activity that is in our power and we practice this activity through reasoning. An individual doesn’t do anything for no reason, an individual has reasons as to why one does things, and we act with ends in mind whatever those ends may be. According to Aristotle the ultimate end is to contribute happiness to oneself. A person is always searching for happiness by aiming towards what makes him happy and this doesn’t take a day, it takes a lifetime. Aristotle has an idea as to what the functionalist accounts of persons are which I will introduce in Section two. Next in Section three, I will discuss the connection between virtue and the function of persons. Lastly in Section...
Words: 1835 - Pages: 8
