Al-Fābi: The Meaning Of Happiness In Life

If happiness is something that can be purchased, it would be out of stock as soon as it is in stock. Wouldn’t that be nice if it is available for purchase? Unfortunately, happiness cannot be bought; it is something that an individual needs to be able to achieve on his or her own. What is happiness? According to an article written by, Dan Haybron, it is a mental state of mind, or a life that goes well by a person leading it. For some people, happiness is a feeling of choice; the choice to be happy, and be content with what is already in one’s possession.

The fact that happiness is a state of well-being pursued by humans since the beginning of humanity is not new. Since the ancient Greek philosophers, happiness has always been a goal for people. However, the definition of happiness is still subjective and controversial as Mark Kingwell, an award-winning social critic, essayist, and professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, presents in his article “In pursuit of Happiness." The author begins to build his credibility by calling everyday facts and emotions, also by citing philosophers, researchers, and other authors. Using the sources effectively in a persuasive piece, Kingwell demonstrates, through examples and science researches, the difficulty in defining happiness, which can result in unhappiness.

Happiness is associated with the notion of feeling good, the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure. The pursuit of happiness has been an ancient tradition in which we believe that the only way to achieve a good life is to be happy. I personally believe that happiness comes from being kind to one another, having good company, a job that we will enjoy, making others smile and just simply helping out one another. I also believe that happiness is based on how one perceives life. For example, negative people such as people who are close-minded or pessimistic will have a negative outlook on life while people who are more optimistic and open-minded have a more positive attitude towards life. We chase happiness in order to achieve a good life,

They say that you will never truly understand the beauty of life until you experience it yourself. You won’t be able to discover what it is that you love until you have done the things that you have imagined. You would get a large variety of answers if you asked everyone what the definition of happiness was. However, they would most likely be something similar to living a long, healthy, and blissful life. Our own meanings of happiness are bound to be diverse because we’re all so different.

In the movie “Shooting Dogs” there were 3 distinct characters that closely resemble the ways Aristotle, Kant and Levinas lived their lives on a daily basis. In the movie, Father Christopher is a priest that represents Aristotle and his ways of finding happiness in the community. Also, the Belgian Soldier shows human action by doing good just for the sake of his duty, similar to Kant. Finally, Joe is the local elementary school teacher who created strong relationships with many people in Rwanda.

Like Wiener, author of “The Geography of Bliss,” I am a "happiness seeker." I believe that happiness is out there, somewhere and I am determined to find it. Also, like Wiener I don 't believe that all happiness comes from within. Rather, geographic and culture play a role in happiness. Most Americans share the same belief that money, fame, and material items will bring them happiness. While, also maintaining the idea that happiness is something everyone is entitled to and that each person is responsible for their own happiness. However, my definition of happiness differs. I define happiness as a state when life fulfills your needs and you are satisfied with your inner self. Happiness is contentment. It is not joy. Rather it lies somewhere

What is your definition of happiness? My definition of happiness is enjoying all that you. In the book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald thinks the definition of happiness is having a lot of money and high status.some other people think that being loved and loving someone could bring you happiness. Everyone has a different definition of happiness but I think true happiness come from enjoying everything you do, not money and status or even love.

Happiness: a state of well-being and contentment (Mariam Webster dictionary). People pursue wealth trying to find what they believe is happiness, however the story "The Great Gatsby" by F Scott Fitzgerald clearly shows that money cannot buy happiness and if anything leads to people living unfulfilled lives.

To find what happiness is, one must grow and learn. As we see things and think that’s when we find what makes us happy. Everyone at one point has thought about what makes them happy, "Are you happy?" that’s what Clarisse asked Montag in Fahrenheit 451(Bradburg7). We as people need to think what true happiness is for us. No doubt, happiness is not having all the money or everything we want. If we had everything we could ever want "it would only be a matter of time before your expectations change.." (Acacia Parks). What makes us happy, is the work we put in not what we are given, but the journey. In other words, Defining happiness is hard, because there is not a true definition of happiness. If there was one, it would have to say "Happiness is by defining what is not" (Kenneth Benjamin). Pleasure, wants, money, none of that is happiness. Happiness is what we strive to achieve, what we work hard for and we finally have succeed. To watch are selves reach our potential. Overall, happiness is the growth of a person, the journey they take, and final results of all the arduous

Eric Weiner, the author of The Geography of Bliss, has found that happiness can be found in a multitude of ways. In his travels Weiner was exposed to many different cultures; and in his research, opened the possibility of a culture's effect on one's happiness. He explores this in his chapters discussing Qatar and Iceland. What I believe Weiner is telling us here, is that culture does not determine one's happiness, due to what he has found of the people and culture in both Qatar and Iceland.

In Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, the concept of happiness is introduced as the ultimate good one can achieve in life as well as the ultimate goal of human existence. As Aristotle goes on to further define happiness, one can see that his concept is much different from the 21st-century view. Aristotelian happiness can be achieved through choosing to live the contemplative life, which would naturally encompass moralistic virtue. This differs significantly from the modern view of happiness, which is heavily reliant on material goods. To a person in the 21st-century, happiness is simply an emotional byproduct one experiences as a result of acquiring material goods. Understanding Aristotelian happiness is important for the 21st century because

: Definition of happiness is different from person to person. Happiness is a inner feelings or emotions of the person. For some people, happiness is to enjoy their work, social life, but for other it may be money or family. Happiness is an experience in which we can understand more and learn appreciation. Sometimes, happiness is difficult for many to achieve just because of we can not enjoy the moment that we have. Every time we think about some mistakes that we did in past or think about our future. There are some factors which affect it.

Happiness might be in the smallest of the things but sometimes the material things won’t give you permanent feeling of joy, you might be happy with those things for a shorter time but it won’t be long lasting. Just as learning new skills requires effort, you will have to strive and work hard to achieve real, long lasting happiness.

Happiness can be defined in many different ways depending on who you are talking to. To me, it can be found listening to my favorite music with the volume turned all the way up. Through this experience I am able to immerse myself in something I truly love and be a be a better, lighter version of myself. For some, happiness is living in the moment and experiencing life as it passes, but for others it means living a life of virtue. Though happiness may look different for everyone, it is something that everyone is striving for. The definition of happiness incorporates different aspects of religion, science, and philosophy. To me, being happy means that someone has discovered who they truly are and what they believe in.

“We were all humans until, race disconnected us, religion separated us, politics divided us, and wealth classified us.”