Meaning Of Happiness

What do you mean happiness? Maybe this philosophy question or something as simple as children can understand it. Happiness is a feeling inside us so it makes hope and love life. Laozi, Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler are talking about life through happiness, because they know that happiness is the most important thing in life. Both "The Tao Te Ching" and "The Sources of Happiness" have a lot about happiness. "The Tao Te Ching" is talking about happiness through spiritual style and "The Sources of Happiness" is talking about happiness by the reality of the experience. Through philosophy and experience can understand the concept of happiness. Although, the authors are talking about happiness, but we have an important question how to get happiness.

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.

Happiness is something that all people, no matter what race, gender, or social class, strive for. Based on lifestyle or perspective each person has their independent idea of what happiness is, but everyone shares an end goal to live their definition of a happy life. Many people, though, struggle in finding their way to this goal. They face hardships and challenges that test their happiness every day. Happiness, though somewhat indirectly, does take learning and training to discover and maintain.

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

People tend to feel the most happiness in their daily lives rather than happiness over all. For instance, if someone opens the door for you, does something outrageous, tells a funny story or simply reacts kindly to you, you can experience happiness. Laughing at someones joke can cause you to feel happy even for just a moment. Another definition of happiness in our daily lives is self appreciation such as, getting that new raise, getting an A on a test or even getting into the college you want. These examples all cause happiness in different but still rather large ways. We seem to think that happiness is so difficult to come by, we focus so hard on what happiness is that we don't even realize the simple things in life that are truly making a difference. We can become significantly happy without even noticing. Although happiness seems like it’s hard to find it’s not all that difficult. What’s hard to come by is the feeling of genuine happiness ; genuine happiness is what people truly look for.

Everyone defines happiness differently, but everyone needs happiness. The book Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse talks about how Siddhartha finds happiness through many ways. He leaves home and his friend, Govinda, to find enlightenment. He starves himself, he learns love, he even thinks of suicide… Fortunately, he meets a ferryman, who becomes his best friend, also his “teacher”, and helps him find the ultimate way to achieve enlightenment. Siddhartha abandons his relationships, money, and education which bring him happiness, and in the twenty first century, these still bring happiness as the essential steps to take.

What then is happiness? Perhaps happiness is a basic and familiar concept, yet it may occur to be perplexing when one has to convey it through the medium of words. Lyubomirsky defines the term as “the experience of joy, contentment, or positive well-being, combined with a sense that one’s life is good, meaningful, and worthwhile” (Lyubomirsky 32). It is often subjective, personal, and can stem from a myriad of activities: some may experience similar feelings by engaging in sports, spending time with family and friends, others while reading or simply being in solitude. Due to the personal nature and subjectivity of happiness, a handful of myths pertaining to this concept has emerged. Three happiness myths were presented within the chapter: 1. Happiness must be found. 2. Happiness lies in changing our circumstances. 3. You either have it or you don’t. The first myth greatly piqued my interest, since I, too, have once externalized happiness and assumed that it would be found outside.

Often having happiness is finding the key to life. Happiness is the ability to make one’s life full of joy and success. In the “Death of a Salesman”, “The Great Gatsby”, and “The Devil’s Advocate”, the protagonists in the movies seem to yearn for happiness and success in their lives. Although success may be the ultimate goal to achieving happiness, it does not always lead us there. There are many obstacles people have to overcome, and sometimes happiness is not enough for some people. It is why I believe more people should enjoy life and live it to the fullest extent as possible. Happiness allows people to live their lives and look at the good despite all their flaws and as they are happy they look back at what it took for them to achieve

In the article “What Happiness Is’’, by Eduardo Porter, states his point of view about the definition of happiness. Gandhi states “Happiness is when you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony” (qtd. in porter 459). In my opinion happiness can be described in many of ways from different individual’s point of view. My perspective of happiness is when you accomplish something in life, because makes you so proud of what you have done. Happy is something that makes you happy whether it’s a person, a thing or stuff and happiness is desired to be happy. Happiness is important role to maintain happy because without happiness the world would be different.

Although the definition of happiness has been changed and rearranged for as long as humans have existed, thousands upon thousands of years, some philosophers want a hard definition of it. The term happiness signifies something different depending on whom you ask. The question of “What is happiness?” has been theorized and discussed by many philosophers throughout the years, and many have their own labyrinthine conclusion that may put off the average person who just has a subconscious thought of what is happiness and why we need it and/or experience it. A few theories on happiness have emerged from people who are educated in this discussion like Matt Killingsworth, Carl Honoré, Graham Hill, Dan Gilbert, and David Steindl-Rast. All who were featured in “Simply Happy,” a segment on the “TED Radio Hour” from 2014 and they give a more modern approach on being happy throughout life and share other theories. The Tao Te Ching by Laozi was written around the sixth century BCE and is one of the classic texts in China which separates yourself from your life to achieve happiness and a more recent theory of happiness from the past teachings of the Dalai Lama, The Art of Happiness which strictly distincts happiness from desire which are often thought of as related in today’s modern society.

To discuss the philosophy of happiness, one must first start with what exactly this term means, and the historical context in which it has been formed to what western culture perceives it to be today. Much

Happiness is the fundamental objective of life. This bold statement is unanimously agreed upon among generations of people on every corner of our planet. However, the real question that has been contested for centuries is the true meaning of happiness? The true meaning of happiness is one of the most highly debated philosophy topics in history. Most famous are the writings of Aristotle and John Stuart Mill who both paint very opposing pictures of happiness. Mill believes happiness is obtained through pleasure and the absence of pain. On the other hand, Aristotle insist happiness is obtained through living a fulfilling, virtuous life. This passage will examine Aristotle 's and Mill 's views on happiness as well as give an opinion one which philosophical theory is most convincing.

Happiness could be seen as the goal for humanity, which is what causes the world to move forward. In each person’s unique way, they would be attempting to reach happiness, and this would cause humanity to progress. However, each person cannot know what the true form of happiness really is, and can only strive to what they think to be the ultimate idea of happiness. Different people would go about attempting to be happy in different ways, and some of these ways would be more successful than others. A person who was raised in a family with certain morals and beliefs may experience happiness by following strict rules set by the family, while another may find happiness by breaking those same rules. In the interpretation for the perfect happiness, there is diversity as to how the happiness could be achieved.

At first glance, happiness is a state of mind that many, if not all people aspire to achieve in their lifetime. What exactly is that state of mind is up for debate among the east and the west, and varies between different cultures, traditions, and religions. In the west, happiness is mostly associated with success, wealth, fame and power. In the east, happiness can be viewed as freedom from mundane occurrences such as the occupation of western powers from within a country, the end of war, poverty and famine, and liberation of the false self. In contemporary times, and with the arrival of eastern philosophy, religions, and traditions in the west, many are turning inwards and using a tool believed to have more power than an atomic bomb, the human mind. In China, India and various other Asian countries, the mind has long been a powerful tool used to liberate one from suffering, the cyclic cycle of life, as well as a means to reach enlightenment and immortality. However, the mind is only a tool, and not the way per se.

Happiness may have diverse meanings to diverse individuals. But regardless of how we define happiness, our distinct passions and life experiences contribute in making each one of us cheerful. Undoubtedly, the secrets on how to live a happy and healthy life depends on how we sort out all the factors that play an imperative role in accomplishing the level of happiness we desire for ourselves.