Is Happiness Worth Pursuing Essay - 1240 Words

Is happiness worth pursuing? - Accepting the fact of not being permanent convinces me that a collection of various happy moments might be the only thing that matters. However, happiness is not the top of the mountain as me and Sisyphus from Albert Camus’s philosophical essay initially assumed. Projecting happiness in the future prevents us from experiencing happiness of the present. We tend to waste time longing for the mountain while happiness hides in each corner. Nonetheless, there is one trouble with happiness: it is often invisible and needs to be seized. I believe that an appropriate perception can be recognize covered happiness. Mind and thought play a more important role in creating happiness than the empirical behavior and life circumstances. Perception determines the way we reflect the world and life and therefore, influences our attention and ability to detect happiness. I had a different perspective before taking the course concerned with happiness. According to the survey I completed in the beginning of the semester, I considered the possibility that happiness is in fact a fallacy: â€Å"Is it an illusion we keep believing to give meaning to our lives?† I also argued that prolonged happiness is unattainable, and defined happiness as a unique and temporary feeling I experienced only twice in my life. I remember lying on the grass, admiring the sky full of bright stars and feeling the excitement of just â€Å"being†. The emotion I call excitement is hard to describe. As ifShow MoreRelatedUtilitarianism vs. Individualism1366 Words   |  6 PagesUtilitarianism vs. Individualism Arguments for utilitarianism and individualism will never end. The essence of utilitarianism, pleasure is the chief end of life and the greatest happiness for the greatest number should be the ultimate goal of human beings, has always been a crucial matter of concern and controversy. It is regarded as an exploit of people’s freedom and individualism. However, individualism is deemed as an ignorance of teamwork. We cannot simply tell which one is superior to theRead MoreThe Frustrating Pursuit of Happiness1299 Words   |  5 Pagesconstantly striving towards happiness. People will work their entire life chasing something and in the end still be unhappy. Continually pursuing this idealistic goal of happiness and never feeling as though they have accomplished it, leaving people wondering if it is even worth it. It often makes people question what happiness is even considered anymore in today’s society and curious as to how they can achieve such a thing. Devoting oneâ€⠄¢s entire life to achieving happiness in our 21st century societyRead MoreLiving A True, Good And Happy Life897 Words   |  4 Pagescertainly worth living. Now, there are some people who would argue that pursuing a life based on the standards of â€Å"wanting what the universe wants†. I can argue plentily that as humans, we have individual, diverse needs. The universe will not accommodate to all those nitpicky needs of ours. This, is precisely what the Stoics have settled to say that this is the way to obtain the happiest of lives. However, the former, Epicureans, more of a peaceful, natural atmosphere to the pursuit of happiness. HenceRead MoreThe American Dream823 Words   |  4 Pages(read:rich) if they just work hard enough (Wulick). The American Dream is also influenced by those that have money and are successful. These people are looked up to as a goal when it comes to a better life. The American dream also includes overall happiness that stems from a successful lif e and career. People still believe that they can enjoy happy, comfortable, and successful in America through the hard work (10 Facts about American Dream). The American dream has existed for centuries. It is theRead MoreEpicurus : The Purpose Of Life1041 Words   |  5 Pageswhat makes life worth living.† However, I will also argue that Epicurus and Mill would disagree with Peter because he states, â€Å"So I am going to eat, drink, and have sex all day, every day!† Their disagreement is due to their different beliefs on how to achieve pleasure. I will also explain that the extent to which Mill disagrees is more severe than that of Epicurus. I am going to explain why Epicurus agrees with Peter’s statement that pleasure is the only thing that makes life worth living. EpicurusRead MoreTransformational Leadership Is The Pursuit Of Happiness893 Words   |  4 Pagesthey are moral exemplars who works towards the benefit of the people and their followers. Transactional leadership, on the other hand, is based on â€Å"give and take† selfish needs. Further, the core idea for transforming leadership is the pursuit of happiness. A pursuit toward the ultimate destination of the journey (the goal). Even if a leader does not reach that goal, the journey and pursuit is still an important dynamic. A leader must have transforming values and empowering values. They must declareRead MoreAristotle And Heidegger s Theories About Ethics1525 Words   |  7 PagesAristotle makes a distinction between pursuing ends to a mean. As Schwab (2016, April 26) states, â€Å"To be worthy of choice requires that something either be an e nd, or serve an end.† He then discusses that we decide what we care about about is meaningful to us individually but overall makes us happy. For example, Aristotle states, â€Å"Hence its end will include the ends of the other sciences, and so will be the human good.† (Aristotle, 1094b5) Two ways of pursuing this is through good means and good endsRead MoreEssay on Summer Reading756 Words   |  4 Pagesof success, happiness, and fulfillment will always begin by observing ourselves, from finding inner peace, figuring out your purpose, and pursuing it through hard work with the passion to commit in to our goal that will shape up our life. Without persistence and hard work it is impossible to succeed. A life without direction could lead to a path of uncertainty and without contentment. Also a life without inner peace is a life without true happiness. To follow a life of success, happiness, and fulfillmentRead MoreThe Pursuit Of Happiness By Aristotle1156 Words   |  5 Pages The pursuit of happiness is the reason for our existence (Aristotle, 2004) The Greek word that usually gets translated as happiness is eudaimonia, and like most translations from ancient languages, there is a loss of deeper meaning in translation. According to Aristotle happiness (eudaimonia) is the central purpose of human life and a goal in itself (Aristotle, 2004) (Creed, Wardman 1963). Because of this ideology, Aristotle devoted much of his time discussing and explaining this philosophy (HughesRead MoreReview of Against Work Essay examples1267 Words   |  6 Pagesthe different opinions from the four famous authorities, some believe that people should work in order to get the food while others always put their attentions on the habits rather than the official work; it brings a idea that people can prove their worth not by their accomplishes but by long hours (Clausen 121). What’s more, the author explained the transformation of the meaning in the term â€Å"workaholism† and poses the different working attitude between Americans and Europeans again (Clausen 121)