Topic A
In chapter five of Mike Martin’s Happiness and the Good Life focuses on how self-deception is a normal and expected behavior when it comes to happiness. However he also claims that we should take precautions with the power that self-deception may have in our happiness, for it might cloud our sense of meaning in life and may lead us away from what we aspire to. I do not agree that self-deception can be a valuable role in our happiness. Martin believes that self-deception is a positive force for survival and mental health however I believe that it promotes delusion. How can a person progress in life if one does not recognize any problems within ourselves? If we say “I am happy, there’s nothing wrong.” How could we address something …show more content…
He says that people refuse to acknowledge the fact that melancholy and stress does exist and is a normal aspect of life. People try escape melancholy through self medication. He calls these people as living half-lives for they only look for the good and not the bad. We need the bad, the stress, the anxiety, and sadness in order to make the adjustments in life. We need the stress and anxiety because that is our motivation. That is how rent is paid, how we fight battles, how we address the issues because stress and anxiety is our mental alarm clock that says that something needs to be done. If we were all just relaxed, and worry free, the world as we know it today would be in shambles. The world, in my opinion would paralyze. However the key to life is to have a balance, know when it is time to be relaxed and enjoy yourself whether it be with family or friends or by yourself. It is very important to know when it is time to “turn off your brain” and relax and reenergize. The best way to accomplish the balance is to accept the reality that the bad does exist. Wilson uses the example of childbirth to show that it is a day filled with joy however it brings the anxiety and sorrow of the realization that one day this child will die. Even though this is the reality of life, we continue to have children, and more than one at times, sometimes nineteen and counting. To find the balance of stress and relaxation is the key to a peaceful state of
In chapter five of Mike Martin’s Happiness and the Good Life focuses on how self-deception is a normal and expected behavior when it comes to happiness. However he also claims that we should take precautions with the power that self-deception may have in our happiness, for it might cloud our sense of meaning in life and may lead us away from what we aspire to. I do not agree that self-deception can be a valuable role in our happiness. Martin believes that self-deception is a positive force for survival and mental health however I believe that it promotes delusion. How can a person progress in life if one does not recognize any problems within ourselves? If we say “I am happy, there’s nothing wrong.” How could we address something …show more content…
He says that people refuse to acknowledge the fact that melancholy and stress does exist and is a normal aspect of life. People try escape melancholy through self medication. He calls these people as living half-lives for they only look for the good and not the bad. We need the bad, the stress, the anxiety, and sadness in order to make the adjustments in life. We need the stress and anxiety because that is our motivation. That is how rent is paid, how we fight battles, how we address the issues because stress and anxiety is our mental alarm clock that says that something needs to be done. If we were all just relaxed, and worry free, the world as we know it today would be in shambles. The world, in my opinion would paralyze. However the key to life is to have a balance, know when it is time to be relaxed and enjoy yourself whether it be with family or friends or by yourself. It is very important to know when it is time to “turn off your brain” and relax and reenergize. The best way to accomplish the balance is to accept the reality that the bad does exist. Wilson uses the example of childbirth to show that it is a day filled with joy however it brings the anxiety and sorrow of the realization that one day this child will die. Even though this is the reality of life, we continue to have children, and more than one at times, sometimes nineteen and counting. To find the balance of stress and relaxation is the key to a peaceful state of