What is happiness?
AP Language & Comp. Final Essay
Happiness Definition:hap·pi·ness
[hap-ee-nis]
noun
1. the quality or state of being happy.
2. good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy
Happiness is an emotion felt by everyone, how we achieve that emotion is what makes every persons happiness different. To feel happy is what balances out any negative thing in our lives. If there was no happy, most of us would be in a constant fog unable to find a real purpose in life.
The word happy means to be characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment or joy. So what makes each of us happy? I would say endless things can cause happiness, depending on how you look at them. Simple things are the most “cliché”; nature, drawing and writing are all things that can be someones simple pleasure, a form of escape from reality. These things are also forms of happiness that evolve through human appreciation. They’re ¨simple¨ because they bring you happiness based on how much you appreciate them. If you want nothing to do with nature, or drawing, then they don’t bring you much happiness. Then, there is the happiness that comes from outer influences such as other people. If you go on social networking sites, you see people post pictures, status’, tweets, etc., all for fun isn’t it? For some, but not all; occasionally you come across people who only post things for “likes” or “favorites”. These things make them happy, they’re always asking anyone around them to like their picture or favorite their tweet, the more the merrier. Though, why do any of us post things on social networking sites? No one can deny that little spark of happiness inside us when we see that someone liked or favorited something we posted. Maybe we all become happy due to outer influences and what people think about us, though some blatantly more than others, (the ones that straight up ask for likes, trust me, I’ve encountered many). There is also the happiness that comes from not having anything to worry about, even though it is usually for only a brief moment. Long car rides at night in the summer with the windows down blasting music with your best friends is probably one of my favorite kinds of happy. The joy that is brought to me whenever these rare occasions occur is indescribable, I will never understand how just one event can take away all the stress and negatives things in my life. This happiness, is the type of happiness that comes for only a short amount of time, it is caused when you stop caring about all of the responsibilities you have. The minute we relieve our stress, we become the happiest, though this only lasts until a whole new set of responsibilities comes along. Finally, the happiness that most people can relate to, is making others happy. Seeing a smile on someone elses face is contagious, that may be why we enjoy it so much. There are two different reasons that I know of as to why we would try to make someone else happy, there is love, and benevolence. Benevolence is this little part in us that wants to do good to others and make others happy, I believe it is a part of our nature. This little part is what motivates us to do charity work, hold doors open for people, donate money, etc. It is what we believe makes us considered “good people”, it is when we do good deeds to people we do not know who need help or just a little happiness in their lives to balance out the bad, it is that automatic smile on your face when it is clear and visible that whatever you have just done, helps someone that really needed and appreciates it. Love is the other major factor in why we try to make others happy. The people we love, we will do anything for, regardless if it benefits us or puts us down, because love is a powerful thing. If you love someone, family member, friend, spouse, you will always want to keep them happy; parents do it for their kids all the time. Parenthood is a perfect example of how love and happiness work together. Parents give up a lot of what makes their individual selves happy because they want to share their happiness with their kids. They could be getting a new car, but instead pay for their kid to be involved in sports, they could be going on a vacation, but instead save up to buy their kids toys for christmas and birthdays. Though their missing out on that new car and vacation, the love they have for their child allows them to be happy anyway, as long as their child is happy. One thing I will never understand about love and happiness is that when we love someone, making them happy may not always make us happy. For example, friends. Some friends ask for so much out of you to make them happy, and while they’re expecting this because you are friends with them and love them, you are so unhappy pleasing them. You have to train yourself to say or not say certain things around them, give up your own plans to be with them because you know that if you don’t make them happy they will get mad at you. Though, now putting this in words, I’ve discovered that is not what true friendship is, that is immature friendship. Happiness should be balanced in all relationships, if there is no balance, what is the point of the relationship? Why should we hold onto someone that brings us down? That is the first question to living a happy life.
To keep happy throughout life, it is important to not allow material things to control your happiness. This is becoming much more common as new things and technologies are being created. Studies show that this happiness influenced by materials is one of the reasons suicide is becoming more common today opposed to in the past. It is also one of the reasons people get bored so easily. If we are not constantly playing a videogame or on the phone or watching tv, we become bored and unhappy. This is not true happiness. Having a good job with a lot of money and a nice house does bring happiness into our lives, but that can easily be taken away from us, which is why many people become unhappy or depressed when they lose their job or house. I am not saying people shouldn’t become upset about losing those things, but that unhappiness should only last a short while. We should be focusing on the fact that yes you lost your job but you are still alive and capable of doing any job that will make you money, and you can always build your way back up. We need to stop allowing material things to control our happiness, and with that, we will live better lives. I read a quote online the other day from a website called humansofnewyork.com. This man interviews many people each day and asks them what they would like to tell the world. This quote came from one of those people interviewed and I don’t think it could have been said any better, “People confuse the source of their happiness. They become temporarily happy when they get a new car, or a new house, or a new marriage. And they think that they are suddenly happy because of this new thing in their life. In reality, they are happy because for a brief moment, they are without desire. But then soon another desire comes along. And the search continues.” Our society has created a happiness that is controlled by desire. Many people now believe that material things will make you sucessful, which sadly, is becoming true in order to survive in this world, and is also why more and more people are becoming depressed. True happiness does not come from material things, it comes from within. This is why people who desire “simple things” such as like I said before; nature, art, etc, are happy a majority of the time, because their happiness will never go away, it is always there and is there because of our internal appreciation and enjoyment of simple things.
This quote explains how we cannot search for happiness, it does not come from physical things nor other people, we create our own happiness. Our values highly affect our happiness and those come from within, if we can train ourselves to see the beauty in life and keep positive, we can be happy no matter what bad event may happen. Physiological pain is not forever, you may dwell over something or someone but life goes on with or without them, which is why it is not worth it to dwell or be upset because while you are doing that, other amazing things are happening that you are missing out on.
Happiness can be found in anything, it is up to you to allow yourself to see that. Each day we should all try to give ourselves a little push to be happy, even if you are having a horrible day, find people or things that you love and appreciate the fact that you have them and that they make you happy. We should all try to find joy in what we do and what we are surrounded by. It is very important to rid things or people in your life that make you unhappy in order to stay happy. Being open to new thoughts and ideas may greatly allow for a happier life. Though it is easier said than done, once you make those decisions, it will change your life and you will grow from it.
So, what will your first step to a happier life be?