Happiness
English 7
2013 September 18
Happiness in Modern Society Most people struggle in their lives because of a common reason: seeking for happiness. Happiness is defined in the Webster dictionary as the state of well-being and satisfaction. Out of this definition, which seems to be too general and comprehensive, people tend to offer their own interpretations. Some people believe that happiness exists wherever there is money. I don’t completely agree with this idea because I think how we use money is more important than how much money we have, in order to get happiness. Moreover, apart from money, there are many other things that can make people happy, too. To find out what really matters to our happiness and why we all struggle for seeking happiness, the book Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton will be the best source. By writing this book, Botton sends a message to everyone: to live in a happy life, we must avoid the causes that make us unhappy, such as lovelessness, expectation, and some other factors; beside that, we also need find the solutions to gain happiness that Botton mentions in the second part of the book such as philosophy, art, polictics, religion and bohemia. In my opinion, in this modern American society, happiness is simply earned by doing three things: first, avoiding the “lovelessness”; second, making as much money as you can and use it right; finally, creating a balance between your expectations and your money. People cannot exist without love and relationships. Just imagine that you live in this world alone by yourself without any connection with other people: you work alone, live alone, and eventually end up dead in an empty funeral. I believe nobody wants to live that way; and of course, it won’t be a happy life at all. The word “lovelessness” basically means a life with no love at all, or it means a person who lives without love from other people. We all seek love from the world and make ourselves miserable by depending on this love and
2013 September 18
Happiness in Modern Society Most people struggle in their lives because of a common reason: seeking for happiness. Happiness is defined in the Webster dictionary as the state of well-being and satisfaction. Out of this definition, which seems to be too general and comprehensive, people tend to offer their own interpretations. Some people believe that happiness exists wherever there is money. I don’t completely agree with this idea because I think how we use money is more important than how much money we have, in order to get happiness. Moreover, apart from money, there are many other things that can make people happy, too. To find out what really matters to our happiness and why we all struggle for seeking happiness, the book Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton will be the best source. By writing this book, Botton sends a message to everyone: to live in a happy life, we must avoid the causes that make us unhappy, such as lovelessness, expectation, and some other factors; beside that, we also need find the solutions to gain happiness that Botton mentions in the second part of the book such as philosophy, art, polictics, religion and bohemia. In my opinion, in this modern American society, happiness is simply earned by doing three things: first, avoiding the “lovelessness”; second, making as much money as you can and use it right; finally, creating a balance between your expectations and your money. People cannot exist without love and relationships. Just imagine that you live in this world alone by yourself without any connection with other people: you work alone, live alone, and eventually end up dead in an empty funeral. I believe nobody wants to live that way; and of course, it won’t be a happy life at all. The word “lovelessness” basically means a life with no love at all, or it means a person who lives without love from other people. We all seek love from the world and make ourselves miserable by depending on this love and