Happiness

Happiness

HU 300

Kaplan University

Happiness what does it mean? Is there a definition that fits everyone? No, happiness means differently to anyone you speak to. Happiness can mean a lot more to people than others. Some people will say money, marriage, or even achieving a career goal is happiness to them.

Interviewing two different people, different age group shows that two people cannot give the same answer to any question you ask except one and that is do you think happiness will ever find you? Now, to begin with I will be contrasting the answers that were given to me by these two different people.

The 32 year old female says happiness means to her money, health, and having everything that you ever may want or need (personal communication, October 7, 2011). The 23 year old male says that happiness does not mean anything to him. He also adds in he does not believe in happiness. He believes happiness is for people whom know what they will do with their lives and he is not one of those. (Personal, communication October 6, 2001). These two answers are completely different from each other. The females answer is actually considered hedonism. This is when happiness is equivalent to physical pleasure, and possession of things that you want (Janaro, R. P., & Altshuler, T. C. 2009). Happiness does this truly deal with health? In a way it can. There is something called Epicureanism. This is something to do with pain and the body. So, Jessica actually has this also as a part of her answer. This is when people also try and get rid of pain so they can believe they are happy.

Now, both of my subjects did not mention something called stoicism. This is another form of happiness, and this form is basically to be able to survive on your own. I myself do not consider this to be part of happiness. My question how does this fit in with happiness? According to the philsopher named Zeno, it is not the part of being happy to what happens to us, it is how we respond to what...