An Analysis Of John Stuart Mill's Pursuit Of Happiness

People become genuinely happy if they focus their minds on trying to help others instead of themselves. John Stuart Mill, a British philosopher, is well-known for his work on the topic of happiness in his books. His main idea stated in his book, the Pursuit of Happiness, is that happiness can be easily achieved only when people focus on helping others obtain their happiness instead of, trying to find their own. Another idea he believes in is that happiness is not an intention that one simply aims for. The joy that one strives to accomplish is found at the most unexpected times. People’s expectations in succeeding on spending time to gain their joy, usually result in the opposite of what they hope to gain. To find happiness, one must ignore …show more content…
In fact, Darrin M. McMahon, a history professor at Florida State and an author of the New York Times article “In Pursuit of Happiness” said, ‘Don’t have a happy new year!’ “Have dinner with your family or walk in the park with friends...put in some good hours at the office or at your favorite charity, temple, or church.” In other words, McMahon’s argument shows the other perspective of how important he believes focusing on one’s happiness is. He believes that people are happy when they go to their favorite places and do their favorite activities. It’s simply just that straightforward! However, McMahon did not give any concrete examples that proved his claim was correct, therefore his claim is invalid. However, Roko Belic, the director of the Happy Documentary, interviewed the residents of Okinawa, Japan because he wanted more evidence to prove his claim: people who are happier, live longer. Belic proved that these residents live a happy and stress-free life of working in the fields and helping each other with everyday activities. While visiting the area, he also encountered a preschool class doing a footrace. Belic noticed that several grandmothers that were converging around the finish line, decided to cheer on the preschoolers. He described the action as sweet and thoughtful as the students were being “embraced by these grandmothers” (Happy Documentary). These grandmothers voluntarily used their time to encourage and embrace the preschoolers that weren’t related to them. The grandmotherly affection the preschoolers received brought joy and laughter to the atmosphere. This shows that a simple act of kindness can bring smiles to everyone’s faces. Although it may seem important for one must focus on their happiness, one should focus on helping others because, not only does it make one happy, it makes everyone around