Avry Wright English 2A October 10, 2013 Happiness.

What is happiness? The true definition of happiness is the quality or state of being happy or an experience that makes you happy.(Dictionary.com ,Merriam Webster.com) With that information do you have a very deep understanding of what happiness is? I have written this essay to bring your attention to the deeper meaning of happiness. I first want to explain why I chose the topic of happiness. Its a very wide topic to interrupt, considering that each person has a different idea/opinion on happiness, making it a very open minded writing topic. Now think about the things that make you happy and why they make you happy. Is it a person? A favorite hobby? A favorite place? A painting? A book? A song? Even a thought or an idea can cause happiness. Happiness comes in so many forms and its what makes people so unique and the true individuals that they are set out to be. Happiness is a passion, a love, the drive of life. The ancient philosopher, Aristotle, gave his definition on happiness by saying Happiness depends on ourselves. He also believed that it was the ultimate purpose of the human existence was the reach happiness by saying Everywhere we see people seeking pleasure, wealth, and a good reputation. But while each of these has some value, none of them can occupy the place of the chief good for which humanity should aim. To be an ultimate end, an act must be self-sufficient and final, that which is always desirable in itself and never for the sake of something else (Nicomachean Ethics, 1097a30-34), and it must be attainable by man. Aristotle claims that nearly everyone would agree that happiness is the end which meets all these requirements. It is

easy enough to see that we desire money, pleasure, and honor only because we believe that these goods will make us happy. It seems that all other goods are a means towards obtaining happiness, while happiness is always an end in itself.(Pursuit of Happiness). Even hundreds of years ago did people realize what happiness was and what it meant to be happy. True to the fact that even back then each person had a different idea and take on what happiness is and what they set out to find in their own lives. With each individual having something different from others that makes us happy, in life you do come across people that have similar things/ideas that make them happy and you can built many types of relationships with that similarities. Happiness leads to so many great things in life, and finding those things that make life better in the long run. Happiness is doing the things or finding the things in life that make life worth living and making it better. Happiness is also finding people to share that joy with, whether youre teaching them why it makes you happy or learning about others happiness , having that connection with others is one of the greatest experiences in life. Do the things that you love and make feel that happiness, it makes life so much more enjoyable. Next time you experience the feeling of happiness think about why it makes you happy and are you willing to share that happiness with others. You never know the things you find joy in could lead to something even bigger in life. Find your love, your passion, your drive, your happiness in life.

References

Dictionary .com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/happiness?s=t Merriam Webster.com http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happiness The Pursuit of Happiness http://www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-ofhappiness/aristotle/ Ackrill, J. (1981). Aristotle the Philosopher. Oxford: Oxford University Press. A comprehensive introduction to Aristotle. Adler, Mortimer (1978). Aristotle for Everybody. New York: Macmillan. A popular exposition for the general reader. Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics (2004), ed. Hugh Treddenick. London: Penguin. The main source for Aristotles ethics Aristotle, Politics (1992), ed. Trevor Saunders. London: Penguin. Aristotle situates ethics within the discussion of the best constitution. A History of Greek Philosophy, Vol. 6. Cambridge University Press. One of the standard classics of the history of Greek philosophy. Hughes, Gerald J. (2001). Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Aristotle on Ethics. London: Routledge. Ross, Sir David (1995). Aristotle (6th ed.). London: Routledge. A classic overview by one of Aristotles most prominent English translators, in print since 1923.