Happiness. Pursuit of Happiness - Essay Example

Happiness Every person in society would like to have a good life. As such, pleasure is part of good and virtuous life; pleasure is part of human life since it leads to happiness. In my perception of happiness, I can associate happiness with hunger. In this sense, hunger in life is the natural condition of man and driven by human fight or struggle. Therefore, I argue that happiness is the central core of living, which depends entirely on cultivation of virtues. Playing the mean is the way of cultivating virtues that includes moral virtues for the attainment of individual happiness. Playing the mean is the virtue between two extreme excesses and deficiency. For instance, exercising the act of justice in getting too little or getting too much. Therefore, human beings make choices depending on the circumstances that surround them by choosing on one option and neglecting the other. In most cases, the option that people choose will give them peace of mind or happiness. Human beings like other animals are adapted to a particular state of struggle for life and the mere lack or absence of effort or energy from life eliminates an important ingredient of happiness. Therefore, the hardship or difficulties of life may frustrate us. As such, we should realize and learn to appreciate the challenges that life presents. Without life difficulties, we would be bored and probably be unhappy. However, Russell asserts that human beings should try their best to overcome these difficulties since failure to overcome them will lead to unhappiness. In my own opinion, I think that every person in society would like to have a good life. As such, pleasure is part of good and virtuous life; pleasure is part of human life since it leads to happiness. Therefore, happiness in life can only be viewed as an activity and it is not a deposition; it is searched for its own benefits and not the benefit of any other thing. In life, all moral or virtuous activities, which share these similar characteristics, are happy actions. “A person does not suffer from disunity and his or her personality is neither divided against itself. Such a man enjoys freely the spectacle that the world offers and is untroubled by the thought of death because he feels himself not separate person from those against him” (McMahon 999) Pursuit of Happiness Russell describes happy people as those without inner division or feelings against the society. They should be attached to themselves and the world too in order to gain happiness. Desires can at times be a nuisance and can easily drive one to trouble especially in cases where there exist two impulses. For instance, the initial desire can push one to purchase beautiful things but on the other hand, the second impulse that one should not buy them but if one follows the first impulse of desire, she or he is likely to go broke. However, the desire based on one’s basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing are more reasonable and should be dealt with without a second thought (McMahon 998). Desire to some extent can be negative or positive depending on the situation or one’s background. For example, there is no harm for one from a successful background to desire a car as it will assist in operating his or her daily activities. However, for one from a poor background it can be troublesome as this brings an uncomfortable feeling to the surrounding population such as being jealous but to the owner the car brings fulfilment and enjoyment. According to Lama, self-satisfaction alone does not determine the negativity or positivity of a desire or an activity. All the non-virtuous actions committed by people may appear to be a feeling of satisfaction at the time of action but that cannot justify the actions (McMahon 993). Therefore, the ultimate consequence of the action is the determinant of the positivity or negativity of the action. How to Obtain Happiness There are two ways of obtaining inner fulfilment and that is happiness. One way is by acquiring anything that one needs and desires for instance; finance shelters, cars, the perfect partner, and body. However, according to Lama, if one’s desires and wants are not monitored, later on, one will run against something that he or she wants but cannot get. The reliable way to acquire happiness is not to possess what we want but instead to want and appreciate what we got already. Happy life to an extent can be viewed as good life (McMahon 992). However, professional moralists have excessively turned it into self-denial and thus emphasizing in the wrong area. Part 2 A person connected to society shows relative strength in terms of commitments and exploration of one’s talent. When such a person is assigned categories, he or she has the ability to display the feature of identity achievement and identity moratorium. Further, a person connected to self and society is committed towards accomplishing both chosen and un-chosen roles that he or she occupies. I have known Mary for a long time. All these years, she has been acting in a jovial manner because of the life her parents have given her. For instance, she never had problems accessing course materials and books in school because her father would always buy them for her. More so, during holidays, her parents would take her for tour to enable her visit new places and meet new people. Mary has always portrayed positive self-images, which imply that she is aware of her -self, and actions. Her personal space is not violated which means that she feels independent and happy when she interacts with other people. In my own assessment, i think Mary is happy because she has been able to form relationships and attain her goals without engaging in confrontations with those around her. In addition, I think Mary understands that the roles of friendship and human relationships are elements of a vital good life. This is because no one would ever choose to live without friends even if he has all the other good things in life. In my assessment about the life of Mary, I would outline three types of friendship based on the intended aims and goals. First, her friendship is based on pleasure which is present since she discovered that she has a common interest concerning any activity she wish to pursue unanimously with others or her friends. I would argue that the participation of friends in any activity leads to a greater pleasure or happiness to each of the participants than it could apply to an individual person as portrayed in the life of Mary. Further, another form of Mary’s happiness is grounded on the utility when she and her friends come up to benefit each other through coordination. The focus is on the benefits that will be acquired rather than enjoyment the two acquire. For her, good relationship or friendship is the one that focuses on the good, which arises when two people participate in an activity to establish the goodness for each other. In this case, pleasurable activity and the good is the relevant factor. Part 3 John is a thirty-year-old boy. He is often indifferent and cold in the sense that he has problems establishing relationships with other people in a meaningful manner. These features depicts that John is internally divided and unhappy with his life. This is because since he completed his education, he has been looking for employment with no success. In the end, he has been frustrated and stressed by the whole process of looking for employment while at the same time cater for his family. In addition, lack of fulfilment is one of the characteristics that John has portrayed which makes me argue that he is internally divided. John tend to be caught up in the cycle of wanting more and more beyond his reach because of his economic status. This trend is not favourable to both happiness and contentment since it has always made him unhappy. Part 4 A person separated from society would always do things that hurt others in society. Such people are stigmatized because of social discrimination and neglect. Peter, my neighbour has not been living harmoniously with other people in the society. This is because he likes doing things that offend other people. As such, he has been neglected and nobody cares about him even his family. In addition, Peter is living an unhappy life since he is not in a position to share any information with the society because of the neglect. Peter seems unhappy due to his detachment from the society. From the Russell’s explanation of what the cause of unhappiness, i think Peter is suffering from social stigma because of social discrimination or neglect. A stigmatized person lacks happiness due to the ideology created by one. Peter’s desire to possess things such as weapons has made the society to view him as a criminal and a bad person since his desires conflicts with the societal desire. Peter is an unhappy individual because he has the tendency of being discontented with the job he does. He experiences unhealthy relationships from both the family and the society. He feels too much pressure within himself and from the society and thus feels uncomfortable. In addition, Peter has a tendency of having a distant family relationship, he spends most of his time alone, and lack close relationships with those around him. Part 5 I think I am connected to myself because I am living a life that is active and working well in a manner that is unique and significant to people. In addition, I refute things such as hedonism because according to me happiness is not the highest aim of human conduct. Those actions which add to pleasurable activities cannot be taken as always right. It is also significant to note that moral virtue does not imply the end of life since life can continue with unhappiness, misery, and inactivity. In this regard, moral virtues are gained by behaving virtuously but eventually they are damaged by either defect or excess. I know I have good moral virtues, which gives me happiness because moral virtues are not innate but they are acquired. For instance, i become trustworthy by acting truthfully, which in turn makes people in society believe in what I tell them. I think I am well connected to society because I always know how to appreciate excellence and beauty in the world. As such, I enjoy this strength of high level of appreciation, which seems to bring the experience and feeling of joy and meaning of my daily living than those who have less developed strength. Further, as a well-connected individual, I often portray a higher degree of meaning in life and a stronger sense of connection to people around the entire world and me. I am self-satisfied with the job I do, comfortable with the environment around, loving family and my good health. Summarily, Russell describes happy people as those without inner division or feelings against the society. A person does not suffer from disunity and his or her personality is neither divided against itself. Such a man enjoys freely the spectacle that the world offers and is untroubled by the thought of death because he feels himself not separate person from those against him. Lama asserts that self-satisfaction alone does not determine the negativity or positivity of a desire or an activity. All the non-virtuous actions committed by people may appear to be a feeling of satisfaction at the time of action but that cannot justify the actions. In life, there are two ways of obtaining inner fulfilment and that is happiness. One way is by acquiring anything that one needs and desires for instance; finance shelters, cars, the perfect partner, and body. Works Cited McMahon, Darrin. In Pursuit of Happiness. New York: Penguin Books, 2007. Print. Russell, Bertrand. The Conquest of Happiness. New York: Routledge, 2012. Print. Read More