The first reading in chapter one of our text Pursuing Happiness, edited by Mathew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, presents material translated from The TaoTeChing. I studied multiple sources to find more about this ancient text, and in the paragraphs below I will discuss the meaning of Tao its self, the author behind the work, and how Taoism has grown and changed through the centuries up to present time. Taoism is a religion that originated in china approximately 2,400 years ago. The main principles of Taoism come from the Tao Te Ching which was written by a man named Lao Tzu. He was the keeper of the imperial library and he was famous across the land for his wisdom.…
In Selfish Pursuit "In Selfish Pursuit" is a short story in which Anthony Brandt, the author, presents his definition of happiness according to his life experiences. Brandt discusses the most common view of happiness, which is defined by materialistic possessions. According to him, happiness is unobtainable. Also, the author uses a lot of techniques and devices in this short story, such as cause and effect, comparison and symbolism. At the beginning of the story, the author uses a pattern of cause and effect.…
In the article, “Happiness: Enough Already”, by Sharon Begley, she presents different studies from psychologists and scholars and discusses facts that no one can be enough happy and sadness is a natural emotion. She uses Ed Diener’s studies to demonstrate that sometimes overload of happiness is not the best thing. She introduces Professor Eric Wilson from Wake University that he tried to participate lots of activities that should make him happier, but those activities do the opposite. Sharon Begley indicates that some of the Americans often see sadness as a pathological state. She concludes that just blindly chasing the so-called happiness is not the best way of living one’s life.…
In the novel, Anthem by Ayn Rand authentic happiness is the one thing a person loves more than anything. The main character, Equality 7-2521 finds his happiness through the things he never thought he would. It shows that authentic happiness can appear in many different forms whether it was expected or not. This novella shows that true authentic happiness is discovering inner self, love, and freedom. Authentic happiness represents finding your true self and doing whatever it takes to get there.…
James Hamblin utilizes ethos, logos, and pathos to effectively argue that experience rather than material possessions brings true happiness. He begins by providing statistics pertaining a wondering mind and the negative effects it can have on our mental status. According to psychologist Matthew Killingsworth “it is not good for [ones’] well-being to have a wandering mind” (Hamblin, James, 2014, para. 1). Daniel Gilbert claims “a wandering mind is an unhappy mind”…
Summary of Adam Grant Adam Grant’s article, “Does Trying to Be Happy Make Us Unhappy,” discusses finding happiness. Grant’s thesis indicates that, trying to be happy will not make us happy. He evaluates an individual case by applying different happiness related theories. At the beginning, Adam Grant points out that searching out for happiness is not a correct way of persuading happiness.…
Bruce Dawe’s 20th Century texts Televistas and Enter Without So Much as Knocking concern themselves with thought-provoking themes that continue to be relevant in the present time. The philosophical themes presented in Dawe’s works are significantly imperative within human experience. These themes include the brevity of happiness, the certainty in specific life patterns and the influence of the media. The use of various language techniques in both of Dawe’s works result in the emphasis of the thought-provoking themes that are effectively utilised to highlight the relevancy of the thought-provoking concepts and its significance in the present time.…
Sharon Begley’s literary article Happiness: Enough Already claims that happiness is an emotion that can both bring us success in life and act as a barrier that can block us from achieving said success. Eric Wilson found this out to be true after reading numerous self-help books on how to become happier. University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener also found this out after speaking with the Scottish parliament where was told that too much happiness is not good for the public. In fact, Diener’s journal Perspectives on Psychological Science states that “once a moderate level of happiness is achieved, further increases can sometimes be detrimental to income, career success, education and political participation” (Pg 455). Both Wilson and Diener…
Happiness, expressed in an everyday sense, is a mental or a psychological state of being sound and well defined by positive energy or joy. One may feel happy in a different manner, and due to a different reason than another. For example, one may be happy to win a million dollar lottery, whereas another may be happy to just to be alive. It is subjective when it comes to interpreting happiness as it differs with every individual. As a matter of fact, happiness compels an individual to embrace their passion and do what they truly believe in.…
The Road to Happiness Many of us strive to be happy. In our pursuit of happiness, we sometimes take the wrong paths that leads to unhappiness. What exactly is happiness? Are there “rules” to follow in order to live a happier life, and why there are those who seek happiness in others?…
Much of the world lives as a slave to exciting stimuli, which draws people into a cyclical pattern of falling into fleeting promises of happiness. Tish Harrison Warren explains this pattern and how to overcome this worldly trap in her book Liturgy of the Ordinary. Warren uses moments of difficulty in her own life to relate to the reader; for example, that she is able to find value through the mundane task of brushing her teeth or consuming leftover food. As a whole people, God created each individual person to experience life in an exciting context in order to better seek Him; along the same line, Warren agrees that we are made to be embodied - to experience life, pleasure, and limits in our bodies (Warren 39).…
True happiness comes from being able to accept oneself and stand up for yourself, not letting other’s thoughts and opinions deter your from what you enjoy. My personal struggle with identity and the pressure to live up to expectations have created divisions in myself that have shaped who I am as a person. In Jonathan Haidt’s The Happiness Hypothesis, he discusses the causes for the way humans act and introduce methods to improve their satisfaction. Reflecting on my experiences through the lenses presented by Haidt in his novel, I have utilized some of his ideas as a springboard in developing my own happiness hypothesis.…
The characters are not completely happy, although they think they are. In the society of the novel, the idea of happiness is to be thin, to stare at television in a mindless stupor, and to be without conflicts. People go through life fast, never slowing down to think and feel at any point. This is how they want it, and this is how they like it. Although their society is quite overstated, our own society defines happiness in the same way.…
Happiness is a trait possessed by those who truly feel contentment or intense joy. Even in the darkest of times, if a person remains optimistic and does not give way to negative thoughts, then happiness is attainable. The rags-to-riches tale The Pursuit of Happiness, a memoir written by Chris Gardner, explores the importance of recognizing and seizing opportunities. Even though, both the novel and film adaptation, The Pursuit of Happiness portray recognizing and seizing opportunities through time management, character development and dialogue of the novel make a powerful impact on the reader. To begin with, film adaptations have strict parameters in terms of how long the film may be.…
Many intellectual people have tried to define happiness and also find the roots. In A Balanced Psychology and a Full Life Martin…