America Vs Munguia

There are no pure states of mankind. Whatever else happiness may be, it is neither in having nor in being, but in becoming. What the Founding Fathers declared for us as an inherent right, we should do well to remember, was not happiness but the pursuit of happiness. What they might have underlined, could they have foreseen the happiness-market, is the cardinal fact that happiness is in the pursuit itself, in the meaningful pursuit of what is life-engaging and life-revealing, which is to say, in the idea of becoming. A nation is not measured by what it possesses or wants to possess, but by what it wants to become” (Ciardi, par. 10). Even though I disagree most part of his article because it seems like only the Americans always un-happy, and don't know what happiness is. I think not only americans but other country can be un-happy in my own opinion. Despite the article, I really like the last paragraph because it “is not measured by what it possesses or wants to possess, but what it want to become” to be happy. Meanwhile, choosing Aristotle theory to help define happiness to support Dalai Lama and John Ciardi's

There are different factors that affect happiness and it is rooted from the country you were born in. “We are shaped not only by our current geography, but by our ancestral one as well" (Weiner 112). Most countries have different culture that contributes to people 's happiness. People who live in America will not be as happy as the one who lived in Moldova. In Eric Weiner 's, book The Geography of Bliss. He was searching for data on happiness. He conducts a study on how people in different countries understand and measure their happiness. The biggest factors that affect people 's happiness are the environment and cultural differences. Where you live is a big factor of who you are. People find happiness when they feel comfortable and

However, there is only one moral aspect to blame in this context: the circumstance. “If you ask an unhappy person why he is unhappy, he’ll blame the circumstance. In many cases, this is justified” (Brooks, 2014). This is exactly what makes blaming an individual for their happiness unethical. It is much too high of an expectancy to place on someone, especially if their circumstances are less fortunate than others in the world. In The Happy Danes, Meik Wiking links a country’s status and value to the happiness of the citizens within it. “A strong civil society and democracy; high degrees of security, trust, freedom, and prosperity, together with good working conditions with space for a life in balance, contribute to the creation of a happy society” (Wiking, 57). It is said within this article that Denmark is the happiest country in the world. This is because they have not only guarded what makes their country valuable, but they began to acknowledge a citizen’s happiness and how that can contribute to their economy. Despite having their own troubles as any country does, they are still the happiest country in the world due to how closely they guarded their valuables. “Denmark has got its own challenges - but remains an example of a country that has succeeded in securing its population high levels of trust, security, wealth, balance, freedom - and happiness”

The world state tells their citizens that they “are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get,” so World State citizens do not realize what unhappiness is like (Huxley 220). They are created and conditioned to be “happy”

According to UK polling data throughout the 1950s, it shows that happiness levels were above what they are today. The proportion of people, who say they are "very happy," has fallen from 52% in 1957 to just 36% today (GFK NOP, 2011), and survey results in Britain are similar to data from America. In the United States, social scientists have done a great deal of research, which happiness levels have gradually declined over the last quarter of a century, into levels of life satisfaction. However, Britain and America are wealthy countries. In fact, in almost every developed country in the Western world, happiness levels have remained largely static over the past 50 years, which is despite huge increases in income. Britain, for example, is three

Where are the happiest places on Earth? You might think a sunny beach in the Caribbean or the warm southern coasts of France, but the most outstanding in a new Forbes list of the happiest places on Earth are Denmark, Sweden, and Norway ("The World's 10 Happiest"). What do these countries have in common? Importantly, they are all social democracies based on the Nordic model of government policy, which is based upon a mixed-market system that encourages both economic opportunity and equality. However, we live in a country where only the most powerful can have their voices heard (Gilens and Page). Social democracies are better than the current government in the United States because a Nordic model can promote democratic ideals better than our

This would mean that even though most of the countries people have a meaningful life it is inaccurate data because there is a population difference between the countries. Another reason why people believe that money cannot buy happiness is because when people who tend to have a lot of money also have a lot of mental issues. “The pair had argued about financial issues in the past, according to police. Tabloid reports suggested that there had been a disagreement over the 30-year olds allowance before he apparently pulled the trigger “(Document 8 ). This case of a son killing his parents does show that the son was probably going through a mental illness, but this is not a good example of why money cannot buy happiness because poor people tend to be more mentally ill.

If “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are our unalienable rights why does America, a country made for the people by the people, rank so low in the national country happiness rankings? I believe as a country derived from the idea of freedom and prosperity, the American people can be happier and should be happier. According to Figure 2.3: Ranking of Happiness: 2010-12, the United States is the 17th happiest country in the world and Denmark is the leading country and as an American citizen I reckon it is unacceptable that Americans feels so unhappy. I think that our government should mimic the ideals of the Danish government by allowing for more economic freedom as well as adopting more economic policies and showing more concern for

The Geography of Bliss one group's search for the happiest places in the world by Eric Weiner, is about how you can find a happiest places. According to one study,by Adrian white from university of Leicester in Britain, study shows USA is twenty-third happiest nation in the world. But, it is only after Costa Rica, Mata, and Malaysia. This is so true by 84 percent of the study has been done. For another example shown here, as psychological David Myers said in his book. He said:"from 1960 the divorce rate never dropped, number of bad teens never dropped. So the people who did violent crime are higher too. And so does population of the prisoner. That's why the USA is 23 richest country in the world, because we are not 100% perfect. Also

and those whose citizens live in general ease are the same countries with the highest rates of suicide, violet crime, drug abuse, divorce, and crime. The wealthiest societies are also the least happy societies throughout history and all over the world.

This will provide the clearest difference of how happiness is viewed I believe. A study from the University of Wellington in New Zealand showed that happiness was not the supreme value held across all cultures. In the West, the culture there has established that happiness should be maximized and is among the most precious of all the feelings a human has. Also in this study, it was found that non-Western cultures expressing happiness is frowned upon in certain situations. The researchers believed that being raised in a culture that devalues happiness can cause individuals within the culture to draw away from happiness. To compare countries in these different cultures I will showcase the Japanese and Americans. The United States is perhaps the best example from Western culture to showcase the importance of happiness. It could perhaps be attributed to the words within the US Constitution, which guaranteed that every American citizen is entitled to the right of the pursuit of happiness. When looking at Japan, one sees an almost opposite take. Instead of individualism and the promotion of happiness, Japan promotes conformity and puts a lesser value on happiness. Because of this, more Japanese citizens will back away from happiness and not focus on it as much, which is why they are so focused on their work. They make no time for anything else and put everything into it. For Americans, they work to become happy. The focus is making it to the weekend to relax and enjoy recreational time. It is clear that the way the two cultures view happiness is greatly

The following paragraph is from Dan Buettner’s novel Thrive. Happiness studies have been conducted worldwide and the author is in Denmark (rated second happiest country) conducting an interview with Peter Gundelach about what sets Denmark apart from other countries when it comes to happiness.

As I continued my research, Ruut Veenhoven stated this question in Chapter 11 of the book "International Differences of Well-Being"—"the discussions centers on whether happiness is similar for all humans or rather something that varies across cultures (328)." This question interests me, because it is a question that I think is very important. We all have a wide range of different priorities and values. First, he chooses to define happiness: "I use the word ‘happiness ' for a subjective state of mind, which I define as the overall appreciation of one 's life-as-a-whole. Happiness is the ‘sum of pleasures and pains '. Happiness in this sense is synonymous with ‘life satisfaction ' and ‘subjective well-being ' (Veenhoven 329)." Veenhoven, then, breaks up the questions "How universal is happiness" into sub-questions because it is too broad to answer. Veenhoven says that, although the mood is something we are aware of it is mostly not in the foreground of our consciousness. It is still assessable, and we can estimate how well we feel most of the time, unlike babies.

Meanwhile in Denmark, the Danes are being called as the world’s happiest people. Danes are always satisfied with the way they live (Danish culture and lifestyle 2013). Danes are also generous because they are much aware of their high living standard.

From a political standpoint, it is basic knowledge that America is ranked number one in Gross Domestic Product (GDP)(ICFAI), but no one knows what the ranking is for Gross National Happiness (GNH). GNH is a concept created in the constitution of Bhutan back in 2008. It was developed to ensure sustainable and equitable socio-economic development, and good preservation of culture and governance (00:36:30 Belic). In the “World Happiness Report”, United States is ranked 14th Nationally in GNH (Easterland). When comparing the United States to other countries, it becomes more obvious why the United States is not ranked number one. According to “The World’s Happiest Places”, in National Geographic, Denmark, Costa Rica, and Singapore are in the lead (Buettner 31).