Happiness
Andrew Hunt Hunt 1
Mrs. Gouveia
ENG 4U
March 11, 2015
The Pursuit of Happiness Money. Power. Fame. We all want it. We all need it. Inside every human being lies a craving buried deep inside for all of these. Is it worth it though? The effort that must be put in to achieve one or all of these values is enormous. What about when we finally achieve these goals? Is it truly as great as we all imagine? Will these things make us happy? Happiness is the ultimate goal of every human being whether it is pursued directly or not. Few people are wise enough to see through the illusion that money, power, and fame will bring happiness. As a wise pastor named Charles Spurgeon once said, “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.
”In today’s society, we all know the phrase “the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.” There is an undeniable truth to this statement, but if this is so, how come the rich aren’t getting happier? According to a new study mentioned in the movie, “Happy”, the happiness level of the average North American isn’t increasing over-time as citizens of these countries continue to grow wealthier and possess more wealth, as society achieves more technological advancements, and as people continue to enjoy an increase in general quality of life. Furthermore, millionaires ranked their contentedness level at an average of 5.8 out of 7, which isn’t bad, but one would expect this value to be much higher if money bought happiness. This value is the same as Inuits in
Hunt 2
Greenland who possess a lot less material wealth, and is not significantly higher than the average citizen of a third world country!
On the other hand, if money truly brings happiness, what explains the plethora of impoverished people who still claim to be not only content, but actually perfectly happy with their lives? Just
Mrs. Gouveia
ENG 4U
March 11, 2015
The Pursuit of Happiness Money. Power. Fame. We all want it. We all need it. Inside every human being lies a craving buried deep inside for all of these. Is it worth it though? The effort that must be put in to achieve one or all of these values is enormous. What about when we finally achieve these goals? Is it truly as great as we all imagine? Will these things make us happy? Happiness is the ultimate goal of every human being whether it is pursued directly or not. Few people are wise enough to see through the illusion that money, power, and fame will bring happiness. As a wise pastor named Charles Spurgeon once said, “It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.
”In today’s society, we all know the phrase “the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.” There is an undeniable truth to this statement, but if this is so, how come the rich aren’t getting happier? According to a new study mentioned in the movie, “Happy”, the happiness level of the average North American isn’t increasing over-time as citizens of these countries continue to grow wealthier and possess more wealth, as society achieves more technological advancements, and as people continue to enjoy an increase in general quality of life. Furthermore, millionaires ranked their contentedness level at an average of 5.8 out of 7, which isn’t bad, but one would expect this value to be much higher if money bought happiness. This value is the same as Inuits in
Hunt 2
Greenland who possess a lot less material wealth, and is not significantly higher than the average citizen of a third world country!
On the other hand, if money truly brings happiness, what explains the plethora of impoverished people who still claim to be not only content, but actually perfectly happy with their lives? Just