The Concepts of Happiness and Pains - Essay Example

HAPPINESS The basic need for every living being is to be happy and to avoid the pains, sufferings and miseries. Since this universe evolved, man has spent much of his life in searching and improving external things for his happiness. The man, right from ancient time is trying to find out the solution for his happiness and comfort by external things but unfortunately the sufferings, miseries have not been eliminated from his life. Human sufferings are still there, rather they are increasing. It clearly shows that the human beings have not yet understood the meaning of real happiness and that is why he cannot get the happiness. The concept of Happiness is too comprehensive to analyze because as it has the innumerable angles, perspectives. The definition of happiness differs person to person. In his entire life man strives only for the happiness because it is the thing which is there at the base of the life of human being. So this subject is so vast and difficult to describe. Keywords: happiness, miseries, sufferings, Introduction: It is the accepted fact that everyone from this world is seeking happiness and desperately pursuing the happiness. The person is lucky or the person is unlucky, how do we decide it. The pleasure, happiness he gets in his entire life. Then what is happiness? It is always said about the person who has not got the happiness in his life and such person is called unlucky fellow. We feel sympathetic about those unlucky souls who are “depressed, despondent, beset with anxiety, “Stressed out” seething with rage, overwhelmed by fear, worried sick, heartbroken, grief stricken, lonely, in low spirits, burdened with shame, overcome with boredom, deeply dissatisfied with life, haunted by a sense of dread or by feeling of emptiness, or simply be melancholy.” (Page 501, Happiness & Pleasure by Daniel Haybron, Rutgers University.) But if we consider this situation from reverse point of view and we think about the most happy and lucky soul who is totally in contrast position, till then can anyone claim that the person is happy? It is not necessary that the person with bright fortune is always happy. Happiness is totally different thing. Lord Buddha was born as a prince and was living a very affluent life. All princely comforts were wallowing on his feet and he had had all those things which can fulfill the definition of the happiness. But still he left the princely status and all the mundane pleasures and set for the jungle in search of the real happiness and the causes of miseries. Hence it is clear that pleasure is not at all happiness. Happiness is very different. According to Sumner, “Indeed, no simple theory about the nature of happiness enjoys much support among philosophers; there is not even agreement that such a theory is possible. About the only thing everyone agrees on is that happiness is complex and multi faceted notion, one nor easily reduced to a formula or slogan.” (page 139, Chapter 6 “Welfare and Happiness” by L.W. Sumner) Happiness and desire While describing about the concept of happiness, John Kekes says, “According to common sense, then, a happy man is satisfied with his life. He would like it to continue the same way. If asked he would say that things are going well for him. His most important desires are being satisfied. He is doing and having most of what he wants. He frequently experiences joy, contentment, and pleasure.” (Pg. 358, “Happiness” John Keke). But again the question arises that is it possible for any person to fulfill all his desire and thus be happy? It never happens because the human desires have no limits and so they are unending. Even if he is frequently experiencing joy and pleasure they are temporary. So the dwelling of happiness is not there in his mind. While debating about the concept of happiness many philosophers promulgate different arguments. Eudemon Epicurian and Utilitarianism “A life in which all human excellences are given full expression, is called “eudaimon” by Aristotle. Eudemonia or happiness is the highest and most complete good, the highest quality a human life can acquire.” (Page 184, “Concepts and Measurement of Quality of Life in Health Care”, by Lennart Nordenfelt, published in 1994, Springer Publisher.) The Eudaimon is a psychological archetype of the virtuous person. To become virtuous means to cultivate the best kind of character permeated in a person. The word Eudaimona is commonly translated as happiness. Epicurean philosophy is to some extend different from that of Eudaimon philosophy. Epicurus to some extend agrees with the Aristotelian philosophy but unlike him he identifies happiness with pleasure. Happiness can be roughly defined as an absence of unhappiness. But what is happiness and what is unhappiness. The entire world from its creation is pursuing happiness. The British Philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) stresses that pleasures differ qualitatively and that the higher pleasures, such as those of intellect, imagination, and moral sentiment, are the source of genuine happiness, while the lower pleasures offer mere contentment. He further put it, “It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a fool satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied.” (Page 121, “Utilitarianism,” Mill) While explaining the connection between happiness and utilitarianism Mill says, “The creed which accepts as a foundation of morals “Utility” or the “greatest happiness principles” holds that action are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and the privation of pleasure” (pg 121 Utilitarianism) Utilitarianism approach thus is based on morality. In Utilitarianism one question is commonly asked "How will my actions affect others?" Hence the utilitarians are called consequentialists because they are always conscious about their actions and always think whether the particular action is right or wrong and then behave accordingly. This means that according to Mill Utilitarianism can only attains its goal of greater happiness by cultivating the nobleness of the individual. According to Mill utilitarianism means “standard of morality” which uses happiness of the greater number of people as its ultimate goal. Here let’s take the example of a very fine Hollywood film “Sound of the Music” in which the protagonist named Maria is studying to become nun. She is sent to become a governess of a seven children of a naval commander Captain Georg Ritter. Thus she leaves her convent to become a governess for the seven children of a wealthy, Austrian widow who has grown in a very strict discipline Here Maria tries to bring happiness in the life of the children of the naval commander who were living their life as caged birds. She also brings happiness in the life of the widow Captain Ritter. Hedonism and Happiness Hedonism is related with the way of life which is characterized by openness to pleasurable experience. This way of life has been rejected on the moral grounds. The relationship between the hedonism and happiness can be studied on two levels first is on national level and second is on individual level. On national level happiness is connected with the moral acceptance of pleasure and with active freedom. At the individual level it is connected with hedonistic attitude and behavior such as frequent sex and use of stimulants. According to me pleasure is closer to hedonism than the happiness. Here I am very much tempted of comparing two different films which are the fine example of hedonism and happiness. The concept of hedonism is shown in the movie called “Basic Instinct,” which was released in 1992 casted by Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone. This film consists of all those things which come under the definition of hedonism, like sex, homosexuality, stimulants, getting pleasures from murders etc. It is a perfect example of Hedonism. The violent sex between the protagonist, the lesbian relationship between the heroine and her girlfriend, all these are associated with the hedonist concept of pleasure. While the total contrast film to that is the film here and that is “The Sound of Music.” In this film the audience can have the idea of what exactly the real happiness is. It is a very light hearted film which teaches the moral values of life to the audience and we can say it’s a goody-goody type of movie. It has a very simple story and it teaches to get the real happiness from the small things also. Unlike the monotonous and disgusting discipline the protagonist here teaches the children how to live a life happily and she reveals the wonders of life and the joy of music. She teaches the children how to get happiness in the framework of social morals and ethics. While watching these two movies if asked which movie gives more happiness, the answer will naturally be the “Sound of the music.” Because people get sheer joy after watching this film which cannot happen with the “The Basic Instinct.” It is much closer to the concept of Hedonism. I think happiness is always associated with the mental peace and serenity of mind. According to me this is the real happiness of life shown in “The Sound of Music.” The happiness which the heroine of “The Basic Instinct” was gaining was just a sensuous pleasure. It is never called happiness which is snatched away by doing wrong deeds or taking the life of someone. On the contrary it is the happiness which can really be distributed among the people. “An important aspect of hedonism’s error is that pleasure lacks what we may call casual depth. All appearances are that happiness has deep, far reaching, and typically lasting consequences for a person’s state of mind and behavior.” (Page 510, Happiness & Pleasure by Daniel Haybron, Rutgers University.) Plato attacks hedonism. According to him there are many things which seem to be pleasurable but actually they are harmful to our life. Reverse to that many such things also are there which seem to be unpleasurable but yet they are very much useful for the future happiness and comforts. The things give us pleasure such as junk food which is actually not good for our health but only seem to be good. But some things seem to be unpleasant like medicines, exercise. They are genuinely good and bring happiness in our life. Thus through this simple example the path of happiness is always difficult and there is no shortcut. And the shortcuts are no longer give us the pure and permanent happiness. Wayne Davis has qualified the happiness in three senses. First “really” happy. It means actually or apparently happy. In the second really happy means very happy and in the third happy means ideal or perfect happiness. According to him it is wrong the happy person is really happy in several cases: If his happiness is due to the satisfaction of evil desires; or if his happiness is due to the satisfaction of evil desires; if it is based on ignorance or false belief; (Pg. 111 Theory of Happiness by Wayne Davis) If the person is enjoying the things in a very perverted manner, his happiness is definitely not called the real happiness. Catherine Tramell, a successful crime writer in “The Basic Instinct” was such a person with perverted mind. Relational and non-relational happiness We can say that happiness is the harmony, a fine communication between a man and his life. Wayne Davis has classified the happiness in two different categories one is relational happiness and another is non-relational happiness He says, “The adjective “happy” can occur with or without a compliment. When “happy” takes “that,” “to,” “with,” or “about” it expresses what I call relational happiness. Without a complement, it expresses non relational happiness.” (Page 111, “III. “A Theory of Happiness” by Wayne ) Thus non relational happiness never depends upon any incident, reason. Like relational happiness it is not temporary but always lifelong and such happiness is the greatest thing which very few people can achieve. Happiness always takes place where there is a pleasant surprise, good news, and success. If we are certain about the good news or success then happiness is comparatively less. But if we are not sure about the success or if we have not rather expected about the good news or success, and if it happens that will definitely increase our happiness. But if something undesirable things happen, the misery or the disappointment is dominant than the happiness. This can also be called the relational happiness. Happiness, Desire, Beliefs, and thoughts According to Wayne, “Happiness is influenced by three major variables, belief, desire, and thought.” (Page 119, “A Theory of Happiness,” by Wayne Davis) It is not the fact that the desire has not been fulfilled but it is the desire which is the major hindrance in the path of unhappiness. If lot of attention is given to the wanting of ego, the sufferings increase. As far as belief is concerned According to me unhealthy beliefs are the major reason of our happiness and if we want to maintain true happiness it is essential to change the unhealthy beliefs into healthy beliefs. Unhealthy beliefs cause fear and nervousness and so it is necessary to remove them from our mind. The happy thoughts lead your mind towards happiness. Happy thoughts always connect us with purity, courage, and confidence. The same thing is shown in the movie “Sound of the Music” where the nurse spread happiness by her purity of mind and her power of music. On the other hand the jealous, angry, and fearful thoughts keep us far away from the happiness. Conclusion The worldly things or man made things can make the physical life luxurious no doubt. But comfort, pleasures are totally different and they are related to your mental life. The dissatisfaction and the nature of enjoyment is the base of our human misery and unhappiness. If the causes of worldly happiness increase, we won’t be able to get the happiness. As the pleasurable things and the comforts result from the worldly enjoyment they can never be the happiness in real sense. Prolonged sex, exorbitant eating, too much drinking or any other enjoyment is not everlasting and they will definitely result into suffering. For getting optimum worldly pleasure man spends his entire life madly. Real happiness is not there anywhere in the world but it is there in the human beings. It dwells in the mind of every human being. Thus “Being happy in this sense means, having a certain kind of positive attitude towards your life.” (Page 145, L.W. Sumner, ‘Happiness and Welfare’ in Happiness, Welfare and Ethics) Sources: 1. Mill, ‘Utilitarianism’ 2. L.W. Sumner, ‘Happiness and Welfare’ in Happiness, Welfare and Ethics (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), ch. 6. 3. Daniel M. Haybron, ‘Happiness and Pleasure’ John Kekes, ‘Happiness’ 4. Wayne Davis, ‘A Theory of Happiness,’ American Philosophical Quarterly 18, 2 (April, 1981): 111-120. 5. “Concepts and Measurement of Quality of Life in Health Care”, by Lennart Nordenfelt, published in 1994, Springer Publisher. 6. John Kekes, ‘Happiness’ 7. Robert Nozick, ‘Happiness’ in The Examined Life, ch. 10 Read More