Interview Essay - Emelie Konold

Lazy fall days, colorful leaves, cooler weather, birds singing, frogs croaking, crickets chirping, relaxing to the sounds of the outdoors. Waves of water crashing upon each other, fishing, telling stories around a campfire, making s’mores, memories with family and friends; this is what happiness is to me. Happiness is in the eye of the beholder, what brings happiness to one person may not bring happiness to another person. When I think of the word happiness, I think of descriptive words like Contentment, enjoyment, satisfaction, delightfulness, something that makes a person smile. I have always looked at the word happiness as a feeling, an action, never have I thought of happiness as an overall affect. However, it is a proven fact, that happiness can affect the over-all health and longevity of human life. Happy people live longer than those that are lonely, stressed, or depressed.

daughter felt ugly as a child. We ache with the knowledge that she had to send Emily to

Happiness is not something that only lucky people come across, but rather, happiness is uncovered through a positive mindset and an optimistic outlook on life. People who take the time to appreciate the little things in life and view

Murray Meisels was born on April 19, 1924, in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in New York City and came to California in 1941 to attend college at USC. After graduating from USC, he attended the University of Oregon Dental School and the University of Buffalo Dental School. Murray served in the military during WWII and the Korean War. In 1948, he married Francis and they made their home in Buffalo, New York. They raised two children, and Murray owned a dental practice for over 40 years. While raising a family and practicing dentistry, he completed a Masters degree and taught at the University of Buffalo Dental School. In 1991 Murray retired from private practice, but continued teaching part time at the

I learned how to tie my shoes, eat by myself, and fold my own clothes at a very young age. From the lack a time both Elie and I spent with our mother’s, we were able to learn many things that contributed to our overall

Although there are a number of different nuances and qualifications for this particular term, happiness actually can be defined. In fact, it usually helps to best define happiness in terms of what it is and what it is not. Happiness is certainly a state of fluctuation there is no consistent, prolonged state of felicity. If so, it then becomes normal, the normal becomes boring, and the result a sort of benign content becomes a bland, meaningless state devoid of any significant stimulus. Instead, what is needed for happiness is the vicissitudes of life. Were there no unhappiness, there could not be happiness. Happiness, therefore, is a function of rebounding from and considering the unhappiness that is a potential for virtually almost everyone, although the unhappiness for a particular individual is most relevant to him or her. With that in mind one of the most essential qualities regarding happiness is the fact that it is extremely relative, much like motion, and is best defined as the feeling of satisfaction (ideally punctuated by elation) one gets after achievement or averting the negative vicissitudes on might have encountered.

Annie Easley was born on April 23, 1993, to Mary Melivina Hoover and Samuel Bird Easley. She had a brother, but with him being six years older than her, Easley was practically the only child raised by her single mother. In Birmingham, Alabama, Easley attended a parochial school all the way to graduation and was valedictorian of her graduating class.

“I...I don’t know. Sometimes I wish dad would just come back. And other times I wish he was never alive. He left us, to suffer with an alcoholic mother, while he’s probably living a good life with another wife who’s 20 years younger than him.” I rolled up my sleeve, tracing the scars on my wrist. We stared at the passing cars, hoping one of those was mom’s.

What is happiness? People have agonized over this question for centuries. Let me start this essay by answering a somewhat easier question: what isn’t happiness? Happiness is NOT feeling good all the time. Happiness is a combination of human emotions and states of mind. Exploring this state of being has consumed the philosophical minds of the ages and will continue to do so for ages to come.

What is happiness? The dictionary definition of happiness is feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. “The purpose of our lives is to be happy,” says Dalai Lama, head monk of Tibetan Buddhism. So if happiness is the key to success in life, why does the story’s antagonist, Lew, ask, “Is happiness bad?” (90).

Beverly's definition of happiness is "where your heart is involved, it is a focus outside of yourself." At times, she chooses to be contented rather than happy. As a child, she did not discuss her feelings, and it was hard for her to know when she was happy.

Happiness is not a strange term to us. We usually use that word to express our feelings in every day. Additionally, more than a word, “happiness” is what we really need and always seek in life. However, finding and understanding deeply its meaning is not easy. The online dictionary, “vocabulary.com” defines, “Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness.” Thus, we always wonder if we are happy or how could we be happier in our life. Happiness, therefore, becomes a goal for everybody.

The pursuit of happiness is critical in our lives. Oftentimes, we become confused as to what defines happiness. Happiness is an emotion, but it may also be the steps we take to feel said emotion. Happiness is using virtues and achieving your goal, while appreciating the little things in life.

What is happiness? The essay, “Three Simple Things,” the author gave us the definition of happiness from Dictionary.com as "an active or passive state of pleasure or satisfaction." In his own special way, the author writes about how friends, families, and his belief in God are the things that make him happy the most. Sure people may feel their happiness is being healthy and alive. There are many things that could make me happy, but the three that make me happy the most is spending time with my three girls, being with families, and fishing.

She raised her daughter to be respectful. “You never know where you might end up and who will get you there,” Gran said. Instilling this discipline in my mother, she intern instilled it in me and my other siblings. Therefore, because of my Gran Ma, I am where I am today.