Everyone has a different interpretation of happiness. Most of us know what fills us with joy, however at times we end up living our lives day by day like a to-do list, and we forget what makes us tick. We simply do what we have to instead of doing what we want to. Oftentimes we live our lives as check-off lists, instead of living each day to the fullest. For example, when we embark on our quests after college, do we truly know what we want, or are we influenced too heavily by what our parents or others want for us? For some of us the monetary gain that comes with some jobs affects what we want. Instead of choosing to do something that we love, we sometimes find ourselves picking the occupation that will earn us more money. At times we take into account what our parents want, more than what we want. If our parents want us to be doctors, for example, some of us decide to follow that course instead of charting our own paths. However in the end, will we really be happy? In order to be happy, we need to decide for ourselves what we truly want out of life.
True happiness is a balance of knowing yourself and sharing moments with important people around you. It is a combination of internal bliss and finding happiness through different activities, places, and even people. We can find happiness when we are with those who we love and who love us, or in places where we love to be. When I’m stressed out and my mind is running in circles, I love the peace and quiet. Nature calms me and puts me at ease. The sound of cold water trickling through a creek, or the crunch of pine needles under my feet satisfies me. The crashing of waves against the warm sand on a beach, or simply the sound of silence refreshes my mind and makes me feel content. One of my favorite things to do during summer or winter is watching fireworks in the night sky. However, it’s only enjoyable when I am gazing up into the night with the people who I love. Whatever makes us happy in life is what we should focus on. Not everything in life is easy or enjoyable, but we need to learn to take advantage of the moments when we are happiest. We shouldn’t choose the job that will earn us the most money, but rather the job that satisfies us and makes us happy at the end of each day. Whether we find joy from within ourselves, or from something external such as people or places, it’s important that we don’t lose sight of our bliss.
I'm agree with you on the meaning of happiness. Parents always teach us to become more pratical instead of ideal. Most of the time, we need courage to pursue our true hapiness because some of our activities or choices against other people's will. We all want to be liked, and we care about others' feeling. In this case, we ignore our own feeling, and we build others happiness on our suffering.If we want to pursue our hapiness, the most important thing is that we have to love and care our ourself.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good definition of what it is to be happy because you start of by saying that the word has different definitions to different people. But can one know happiness if one has not known unhappiness? Can one know comfort if one has never felt discomfort? Some individuals see life as more than simply the here and now, they are looking for a happier tomorrow. You say we shouldn’t chose a job because it will make us the most money, but what if our dreams require that money? Would we deny ourselves our own dreams? I will concede that money should not be your goal but rather the means. You fail to see that for some getting a high paying job is so that they can do what they love and be happy. Take me for example, I want to get I high paying job so I can support my family (because I want to not because they want me to) and so that I can become a social worker. I realize that my dreams will not be fulfilled tomorrow but rather I must wait, delayed gratification. What I work for today will pay me tomorrow. If I were to become a social worker now, I would not have enough money to support myself and my family. Sure, I would be helping people but I would be hurting my family. This idea of doing what your love is bull. Life isn’t perfect, very few people can make a living and do the thing they love the most. The truth is that there must be concessions. We must be flexible and realize that not everything that makes us happy now will do so in the long run.
ReplyDeleteRonan said what I was going to say, which is that sometimes people carry burdens that make them unable to pursue the happiness they seek. Not everyone is fortunate enough that they can just concentrate on what they really want to do any not worry about other things that might going on.
ReplyDeleteBut I like the notion that both of you point out that happiness is a balance of many things. Life will not be perfect, we will have to do stuff we don't want to do, but in order to achieve happiness, something must be sacrificed.
I agree with you that we should choose to do what we enjoy doing and not to become what our parents want us to be. Before going to college, it was hard for me to choose what major I should take. My parent always want me to major in biochem because they want me to be a doctor or something. And I choose wnat I am interested in which is a engineering major.
ReplyDelete