Jean Vanier Made For Happiness
Abeera Khan
Sara VanDommelen
HZT 4U
10 November 2014
Made For Happiness For every man and woman, the most fundamental quest is to achieve happiness. In this novel Made for Happiness, Jean Vanier explores our desire for happiness by examining Aristotle and his works as well as applying philosophy to our greatest human needs and desires. The ancient greek philosopher Aristotle believes that the pursuit of each and every human being is to be happy or to know happiness. Aristotle defines happines not as a state but a vital activity proceeding from within each human being. Each of us are the masters of our own destiny and are capable of true happiness upon our wish. Jean Vanier focuses towards Aristotle’s belief that a desire for happiness …show more content…
We each seek pleasure as a means of escaping the battles within our lives. We are not able to bear such difficulties of life and use pleasure to cope. We seek the solutions of many of our problems by instant pleasure to lift us of our sadness for awhile. We are able to indulge in many types of pleasures such as bodily pleasures, relationships, music and food. "Happiness and pleasure are intrinsically linked. Pleasure has a direct effect on the quality of the activity - of the vital activity that is at the heart of happiness" (39). Apart from pleasure, friendship is also a key factor in achieving happiness. In our day to day lives we often face hardships such as work and school stress as well as personal issues. Friends are the ones to alleviate some of these pressures and uplift us. They accepts us as we are and are able to correct us when we are wrong. Having friends has many positive afffects. They boost your happiness and reduce your stress by giving you a sense of belonging and purpose, improve your self-confidence and self-worth and encourage you to be the best version of yourself. We recognize who our true friends are in a time of crisis when we are in need of another human soul, someone to comfort us and care for us. Friends share pain, joy and memories. The most joyful moments in our lives include loved ones we call our friends because they have shared the same experiences and happiness as us. "True love, that of authentic friends, is also a love that is active - a dynamic, enterprising love" (69). Love is the emotion that fills our life with delight, makes us feel connected to others and allows us to feel
Sara VanDommelen
HZT 4U
10 November 2014
Made For Happiness For every man and woman, the most fundamental quest is to achieve happiness. In this novel Made for Happiness, Jean Vanier explores our desire for happiness by examining Aristotle and his works as well as applying philosophy to our greatest human needs and desires. The ancient greek philosopher Aristotle believes that the pursuit of each and every human being is to be happy or to know happiness. Aristotle defines happines not as a state but a vital activity proceeding from within each human being. Each of us are the masters of our own destiny and are capable of true happiness upon our wish. Jean Vanier focuses towards Aristotle’s belief that a desire for happiness …show more content…
We each seek pleasure as a means of escaping the battles within our lives. We are not able to bear such difficulties of life and use pleasure to cope. We seek the solutions of many of our problems by instant pleasure to lift us of our sadness for awhile. We are able to indulge in many types of pleasures such as bodily pleasures, relationships, music and food. "Happiness and pleasure are intrinsically linked. Pleasure has a direct effect on the quality of the activity - of the vital activity that is at the heart of happiness" (39). Apart from pleasure, friendship is also a key factor in achieving happiness. In our day to day lives we often face hardships such as work and school stress as well as personal issues. Friends are the ones to alleviate some of these pressures and uplift us. They accepts us as we are and are able to correct us when we are wrong. Having friends has many positive afffects. They boost your happiness and reduce your stress by giving you a sense of belonging and purpose, improve your self-confidence and self-worth and encourage you to be the best version of yourself. We recognize who our true friends are in a time of crisis when we are in need of another human soul, someone to comfort us and care for us. Friends share pain, joy and memories. The most joyful moments in our lives include loved ones we call our friends because they have shared the same experiences and happiness as us. "True love, that of authentic friends, is also a love that is active - a dynamic, enterprising love" (69). Love is the emotion that fills our life with delight, makes us feel connected to others and allows us to feel