Throughout history people have been looking for something that made life special, spectacular, or one of a kind. Today, this search is known to the world as the “pursuit of happiness”. The phrase use was heightened during the enlightenment period and lingered for long after. This impact of its use did not only impact the way life was looked at but also impacted the arts during that time and for the future. Two pieces that show this evidence is the novel Candide by Voltaire and the song “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi. Both of these works, even though they were published more than two centuries apart, carry the theme of the pursuit of happiness. These pieces are evidence of the unchanging pursuit that mankind goes through.
The beginning of the pursuit is where both of the stories start off. Where the characters get a taste of what they believe to be “pure happiness”. In Kid Cudi’s song, the narrator finds what they believe to be happiness in drugs and alcohol. “Crush a bit, little bit, roll it up take a hit… I don’t care hand on the wheel, drivin’ drunk I’m doin’ my thing.” (AZ Lyrics) However, in Voltaire’s Candide, the character Cunegonde starts an infection of the search in the other character through the observation of Pangloss, her teacher, giving her mother’s chambermaid a “lesson in natural experimental philosophy” (3 Voltaire) in the park. She was “filled with the desire to be learned; dreaming that she might well be a sufficient reason for young Candide, and he
I believe that one of the ultimate questions that all members of the human species asks is ‘How can I find happiness?’ and reflected in this question is a desire to find a happy, fulfilling, quality life. Many people try to find such happiness through their careers, material possessions, and all manner of other pursuits. What a large portion of these people do not realize is that happiness and the elements necessary to achieve a quality life may not come from place, position, or possession but from attitude. In both Gilgamesh by Stephen Mitchell and Sunny Chernobyl by Andrew Blackwell, the reader can see these ideas explored in great detail.
As human beings we are naturally wired to seek happiness wherever we can find it. When we don’t, we may enter a stage of anger, anxiety, or distress. That’s why it is our personal goal to look for happiness and preserve it once we acquire it. Many have explored ways to find what triggers this feeling of “happiness” and what we can do to keep it; nonetheless, the evidence found is hardly sufficient to make a public statement on how to find happiness. For this reason, most of the time we speculate what might provoke this feeling of contentment. “Happiness is a glass half empty,” an essay written by Oliver Burkeman, highlights the importance of happiness and discloses how we can find delight through unorthodox methods. The prime objective of this piece of writing is to inform the audience about the effect of happiness on their lives and how their usual attempts of becoming happier can sabotage achieving this feeling. Furthermore, he wants to promote the benefits of pessimism and describe how it can help us in the long run. The author utilizes pronouns, logos, and pathos in order to prove his point and draw the audience into his essay, in an attempt of making them reconsider the way they live their lives and adopt this new pessimistic way that would greatly boost their level of happiness.
“Happiness is in the enjoyment of man’s chief good. Two conditions of the chief good: 1st, Nothing is better than it; 2nd, it cannot be lost against the will” (Augustine 264-267). As human
Attention Materials: Many times I have wondered what is true happiness. Is there such thing as true happiness? Can it even be attained if there is such a thing? Is it more of fulfilling desires, or satisfying psychological needs? Every person attempts to realize happiness in its fullest essence. It seems like today people are too busy trying to get rich. Nowadays it is believed that happiness lies in that new mansion, or a nice Ferrari. People are mistakingly assuming that wealth will bring to them a personal significance in which they will achieve happiness.
In Voltaires?s Candide, the main character, Candide, fails to live happily because he is looking outside of himself and his circumstances to do it. Voltaire says through Candide's ultimate discovery that happiness in many ways depends on a person's attitude. Voltaire's philosophy expressed through Candide's final realization is that "We must cultivate our garden," which is the key to happiness(p.585). By cultivating our garden, Voltaire means that we must make the best of our situation in the present moment. We accept what we are given in life and work to make the best of it. It all has to do with our perspective on life. We do not find happiness somewhere else or by philosophizing about it, we open our eyes to the
Many people concern themselves with the goal of living the most satisfying life possible. While some seek a peaceful existence, others hope for prosperity and high social standing. Throughout Voltaire’s “Candide,” the main character’s search for a content lifestyle is what drives most of his adventures. During Candide’s travels, he attempted to honor the teachings of his tutor, Dr. Pangloss, who believed “things cannot be otherwise than they are, for since everything is made to serve an end, everything necessarily serves the best end” (Voltaire, 101). Although these lectures seemed logical, Candide learned that the only way to live a satisfactory life in “the best of all possible worlds” was to enjoy isolation, work hard, and have a purpose in society. He concluded this at the end of the story when he explained to Martin, his travel companion, and Pangloss that “we must cultivate our garden”
People travel through life with what seems like a single goal: to be happy. This may seem like a selfish way to live, however this lone objective is the motivation behind nearly all actions. Even seemingly selfless deeds make people feel better about themselves. That warm feeling experienced while doing charitable acts can be described as happiness. But what is authentic happiness? There is an endless possibility of answers to this question, and man seems to be always searching for the solution. Although one may reach his or her goals, there is always still something one strives for in order to be happy. In the book Stumbling on Happiness, Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert takes the reader through
Many critics argue that Candide is not an enlightened work, but Voltaire’s satire thoroughly reflects on the philosophical morals and lessons of the Enlightenment. Voltaire’s satire comments on the political, social, and religious views of the time, emphasizing the beliefs of a majority of enlightenment thinkers and philosophers. Voltaire demonstrates three different enlightenment thoughts or views in his work: anti-feudalism, optimism, and the hypocrisy of the Christian church.
The famous philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated that “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” The world is full of people who are conformists as well as people who stand for themselves and follow their own values. Emerson explains that by being yourself you are already part of something great. However, the question still lingers: Which is the real cause of genuine happiness? There have been many claims argued by various sources, such as Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Ursula Le Guin’s The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas, Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery and Sherry Turkle’s TED Talk titled “Connected, but alone?”. All have come to a consensus
The philosopher Aristotle once wrote, “Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” This famous quote compels people to question the significance of their joy, and whether it truly represents purposeful lives they want to live. Ray Bradbury, a contemporary author, also tackles this question in his book, Fahrenheit 451, which deals heavily with society's view of happiness in the future. Through several main characters, Bradbury portrays the two branches of happiness: one as a lifeless path, heading nowhere, seeking no worry, while the other embraces pure human experience intertwined together to reveal truth and knowledge.
Overall it is a personal pursuit to achieve individual happiness. One example of the pursuit of happiness is The Great Gatsby. This novel itself becomes a tragedy of love, life, and death. Gatsby had one goal, and this was to achieve Daisy’s love once again. He only threw his parties in hope for Daisy to notice him again.
In part one of our book, “The Good Life,” we studied five different philosopher’s viewpoints on what is needed in order for a person to have a good, fulfilling life. They all included the concepts of pleasure and happiness to some extent in their theories, but they all approached the ideas in different ways. The two hedonists we studied, Epicurus and John Stuart Mill, place heavy emphasis on the importance of pleasure. They both believe that pleasure is a necessity in the ideal life. Jean Kazez agreed with their viewpoints in her theory and said that happiness was a necessity for a good life. Epicurus and Mill also argue that there is nothing else that we ultimately desire beyond pleasure and that it is an intrinsic good.
Now happiness, more than anything else, seems complete without qualification. For we always choose it because of itself, never because of something else. Honor, pleasure, understanding, and every virtue
The world seems to be a dark and unforgiving place, but happiness is hidden within. It is found in a beautiful view, an uplifting song, or a compliment from a friend. According to the Ted Talk video, The Habits of Happiness, Matthieu Ricard claims that everyone “has a deep, profound desire for well-being or happiness”(Ricard 2:39). Ricard uses the three techniques of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos to captivate and move his audience. With the use of metaphors, personal experiences, and even graphs Matthieu explained to his audience the full force and perception of the bendable word that is happiness. This Ted Talk dove into philosophical meaning on just how to achieve well-being, without having everything in the world.
The film “The Pursuit Of Happyness”, directed by Gabriele Muccino in 2006, depicted a responsible and hardworking salesman Chris Gardner struggles for life and try his best to improve the quality of his family environment. In spite of facing various difficulties, Gardner never gives up and he manages to pull through in sense of determination and finally obtained his “ happiness” in his life. After watching the movie, I agree on the point that one must ready to sacrifice and works really hard in order to achieve his/her dream as there is no shortcut to success. In the following paragraphs, I will describe some interesting and meaningful scenes in the movie and explain how these scenes could actually bring some moral values or inspiration in