Response

Jordan Rugg

Mr. Dilbeck

English 1100

9-22-13

Happiness; it is the nine letter word that I have spent eighteen years trying to understand. I have always been fascinated with the concept of happiness as it is a term our culture throws around quite frequently. Our world of omnipresent media tries to get people to believe that anyone can experience happiness by completing a very one dimensional equation. That equation is as follows: if you have money, a nice car and good looks, you will be happy. I see more and more holes in this logic the older I get. Regardless of quantity of money, or any of the other things mentioned, your life will never be perfect. Mine is far from it. I have always had some hardship to deal with for as long as I have been mentally aware of my surroundings. This has caused me a great deal of sorrow, and at times I would have labeled myself unhappy. I was able to stay afloat by utilizing strong ties with family and friends coupled with a successful pursuit in creating a better standard of living for myself. That being said, I have never been entirely happy. I have often wondered, is true happiness an achievable reality in life, or is mankind damned to constantly feed a void, which can never be permanently satisfied, in order to direct the mind away from sorrow.

When one carelessly examines the road to happiness, he or she might conclude that having a good time is the best route. This world offers humans many things that are fun and can easily distract the mind from something that is troublesome. Is seeking the pleasures of the world the answer to obtaining happiness? That is dependent on ones definition of happiness. Is filling every possible minute of every day with instances of momentary fun equivalent to being happy? In most cases it is not. While these things are fun and give life excitement and joy, it is not something a person can anchor his or herself to, nor is it something he or she can keep up with forever.

One of my most attempted pathways to happiness is via success. There are few better feelings than the feeling of being successful. Success lets a person know that they are doing well; and he or she is often hoisted into the spotlight of his or her field. The most common and easily measurable form of success is that of financial success. Although I am only eighteen, I have been rather successful in this category for my age. That being said, I am lazy in other aspects of my life partially due to my devotion to financial success. Money brings security, luxury, and even power in our day and age, making it an extremely sought-after resource. However, everyone has heard the expression: money does not buy happiness. I constantly think of the actor Owen Wilson when I hear this. Wilson is worth an estimated forty million dollars, but has tried to kill himself on two different occasions. That example does not bode well for financial success being the key to happiness. I often wonder if I would be happier if I were to reprioritize my life and make a different form of success my focus. Another important thing to keep in mind with success is its alternative, failure. For as good as success can feel, failure often feels equally as bad. Maybe the key to happiness is just to stick to what you are good at, whether it is glamorous, boring or even illegal.

Many people tie happiness in with finding meaning in life. I constantly long for the day when I have a wife and kids to take care of. It is my belief that a family will bring me a great amount of joy, all while filling my life with more meaning than I could ever need. I also carry the goal of being a better father to my kids than mine was to me. I feel that if I can accomplish this, I will have corrected certain things in my life that I was unable to fix as a child. With all that being said, there is the possibility that my family will bring me great sadness. My wife could cheat on me and absolutely destroy the family. My kid could be troubled and go down the wrong path. Both of these occurrences would make me a less happy person than if I had decided to never start a family. These are some things to keep in mind before putting all of your eggs into one basket. It is important to note that a family is not the only way to find meaning in life. Meaning in life can be found in a job position, helping those who are less fortunate, or even owning and taking care of a pet. For many people in our day and age, religion is a great well of happiness. The belief in a more powerful being is not only reassuring to many, but it answers many of the questions of the world. Serving this entity, which most religions require, can give eternal meaning to one’s life. He or she never feels lost or unimportant. While religion works for many, it can be an absolute disaster for people as well. If religion is unsuccessful for a person, they will find themselves to be more lost and unhappy than ever. Finding meaning in one’s life may contribute to happiness, but it is apparent that finding the proper source is critical.

Happiness is difficult to explain, but is even harder to maintain. The fact of life is that things are always going to go wrong, so how does one go about the preservation of happiness through the tough times. Is one supposed to fall back on the things that make his or her life enjoyable, or is that a futile method to maintain emotional homeostasis? The saying: ignorance is bliss is not only well known, but also quite truthful. Does that mean that happiness boils down to choosing to mentally ignore hardships in life? Despite numerous other examples and points that could be made for particular recipes for happiness, the fact remains that happiness is different for everyone and cannot be achieved through a universal set of instructions.