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 the April of 1992, Chris McCandless set out from South Dakota to Fairbanks Alaska. Five months later, McCandless's body was found rotting inside an abandoned bus. Chris McCandless had run away from his family and had hoped to survive in the wild with only the bare necessities. McCandless was a fool for what he did, he was a hard working, and vigilant man, yet he embarked without a backup plan, nor the proper supplies to survive out in the wild.…
Because of the optimism he possessed Chris was able to look past all the unfortunate things that were happening and focus on the good progress he was making. " One day he saw a red Ferrari and, intrigued by the beauty of the car, asked the owner what he did for a living. Stockbroker, the man replied. From that moment, Gardner determined to become one too".…
What is “happiness” and how is it obtained? The word “happiness” is defined as ‘a mental or emotional state of well-being defined by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy’. The decisions people make on a day-to-day basis are to reach the ultimate goal of being happy. While everyone strives to obtain happiness, not everyone succeeds. In today’s society, happiness seems to be directly correlated with factors such as wealth or status.…
In Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World, one of the central ideas is the idea of eternal happiness. This is shown many times throughout the novel, and as the story progresses the idea goes from one that seems inherent to those inhabiting the world of the novel, to one that is clearly strictly enforced and required to keep. One time in which this requirement of happiness is shown is during John’s protest of the modern world and, particularly, of soma. When he begins throwing soma out of an open window into a congregation of Deltas, a small-scale riot forms, with Bernard agitating this through his panicked reaction. The police arrive to quell the riot, and do so through soma vapor and a Synthetic Music Box.…
In the article” The Pursuit of Happiness Can Be Lonely” Mauss et al. (2011) discuss that people who search about happiness may they get a negative impact which is making them lonely. The searchers have done two studies about valuing happiness include 206 person to study if there is a relationship between happiness and loneliness. The result found a link between them which means a person who have a high value of happiness or have high level of confident, he feels that he does not need to connect with other which make him wants to stay alone. Mauss et al.…
Charles Spurgeon one said “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.” Happiness is not something that just happens to you. It either comes from you being a giver or a taker. Either way you find happiness by giving things to others or taking things for yourself. The article “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy” uses ethos to tell us how we make ourselves happy.…
In, “The New Science of Happiness,” Claudia Wells discusses 3 great ways to become more happy. By getting more pleasure out of life, becoming more engaged in what you’re doing, and finding ways to make your life more meaningful, Wells explains these actions can greatly influence your happiness levels. Savoring each and every sensory drop from any given moment will increase your gratitude towards life's seemingly mundane interactions. Which brings us to the large topic of gratitude which Wells, in conjunction with studies by psychologist Robert Emmons, explains that “Gratitude exercises can do more than life one’s mood… they improve physical health, raise energy levels, and, for patients with neuromuscular disease, relieve pain and fatigue.”…
In the Article “There is More to Life Than Being Happy”, the Author explains how happiness all depends on the attitude of the person who is in the situation. Smith argues that any people have wrong ideas of happiness and where to find it and that reflects on their current life situations. She uses Viktor Frankl’s, a Jewish psychiatrist, experience inside of a concentration camp and what he found once he released to prove her viewpoint. The author uses Smith writes using rhetorical devices pathos, ethos, and perspective to persuade readers that there is more to life than the pursuit of happiness. Summary…
As stated by Yuuki Asuna, “Life isn’t just doing things for yourself. It’s possible to live in such a way that other people’s happiness, makes you happy too.” Doing something for oneself is selfish and pointless. Happiness has been pursued by the people who come to America, wanting the American dream, to be happy and get what they want. Not being happy even have a negative connotation to it.…
However, what makes this story different is setting the almost impossible goals and the pleasure of achieving them. Showing that ethics, values, leadership and satisfaction still matters in the world of corruption and lies. Almost anybody in his shoes would probably given up after the first rejection, but Chris Gardner is self motivated and keeps trying until he achieve his goals. This is very rare, but important human resource skill. We notice that Chris Gardner is never shown applying for welfare or food stamps, which we are sure he will qualify for .But instead, he is determined to develop his career starting from zero point.…
The Pursuit of Happiness Per Merriam-Webster dictionary, happiness is defined in three ways. Happiness is the state of well-being and contentment, obsolete: good fortune, and a pleasurable or satisfying experience. The word is also correlated with other words such as joy, prosperity, felicity, and aptness. The word “happy” was first recorded in the 15th century. The online etymology dictionary states, from Greek to Irish, a great majority of the European words for “happy” at first meant “lucky.”…
Happiness is something that has plagued Mankind for as long as they first felt it. This feeling off complete Euphoria is what humans strive to feel with every action we take. Love, Laughter, Pride, and etc all play a part in the happiness that we all strive to achieve. Humans try to make happiness out of anything they find they listen to music, watch funny videos, maybe even do drugs. People are addicted to happiness cause it is one hell of a drug and it also is a part of everything we feel good about.…
Chris Gardner experiences many obstacles throughout the plot, but somehow always ends up accomplishing his goals, eventually accomplishing his biggest goal of becoming a stockbroker. As Chris narrates the film, he splits his life up into five stages: riding the bus, being stupid, running, internship, and happiness. Throughout these five stages, Chris encounters many barriers that present difficulties that discourage him from providing for his family. These obstacles eventually lead to his wife leaving him, causing him even more conflict because he now has to care for their son all on his own while still in financial crisis. One day as Chris is on his way to sell another bone density scanner, he comes across a wealthy man in a bright red sports car.…
the most fundamental part of having a happy life is your health. Being healthy allows me to work and make money, and have all of the things I want. On the other hand, when I am not so healthy, I cannot accomplish or achieve my common goals; consequently, I become angry and sad. Also, when my health not allows me from doing things that I want to do, I lose my potential and become a liability to my family members. It becomes a suffering in my whole life.…