Analysis Of Darrin Mcmahon's Essay In Pursuit Of Happiness

Many people's expectations of happiness is way too high, which is leading individuals to unhappiness. Bill Watterson, illustrator for GOCOMICS, in his comic, “Calvin and Hobbes” claims that happiness is fleeting and it fades away. Watterson is insisting that since happiness is fleeting, it should not be made into a goal that is pursued. Happiness is fleeting, thus making it an unrealistic and unworthy goal to pursue. Society and individuals should be looking for something greater than happiness, such as meaning. Darrin McMahon. A writer for New York Times, in his article, “In Pursuit of Unhappiness” points out that a survey was taken that showed how people are no happier now despite having better living conditions. In other words, McMahon believes
Dan Gilbert, speaker of TED talk, in his speech, “The Surprising Science of Happiness” states that people tend to overrate a horrible situation, but we have the capacity to synthesize happiness. Basically, Gilbert is saying that people can make the best out of a bad situation. Emily E. Smith, writer for the Atlantic, in her article, “There’s More to Life than Being Happy” claims that people who have a purpose in life rate their satisfaction with life higher, even when they were feeling sad. The essence of Smith’s claim is that having purpose in life will lead people into a type of happiness that helps value things more. An unknown author, in their documentary, Happy showed a lady named Melissa Moody, for example, had suffered from a car accident that disfigured her face. Mrs.Moody lived to accept the fact that she looked the way she did and moved on and decided to make her life worth something so she volunteered at a shelter to help others who were not able to help themselves. In other words, the author believes that by accepting ourselves, and the adversity that individuals go through, people can turn their lives around and into something that has a meaningful impact on