Why Pursuing Happiness Is The Greatest Goal By Barry Puff

In regards to the concept of happiness, Barry Shwartz writes that while it is a positive to have happiness as a byproduct of living. However, for happiness to be the ultimate objective of living is “a recipe of disaster.” This is in contrast with the beliefs of Robert Puff in his article “Why Pursuing Happiness Is The Greatest Goal.” Puff writes, “If happiness is what we pursue and only what we pursue, then what will happen is that we’ll end up being happy, if we also have good direction.” As I examine these two perspectives, I find myself in agreement with Shwartz; actively pursuing a happiness as a goal and not receiving it will result in disappointment and in feeling impatient. In Arthur C. Brooks’ article “A Formula for Happiness,” Brooks
In no way can one deliberately work toward this portion of our happiness. I speak from experience when I say that pursuing happiness as the supreme, reigning focus of one’s life--and not receiving that happiness being sought after--leads to disappointment. The result of the all-consuming concentration on obtaining happiness is being disappointed repeatedly by the incessant quest for a remedy for the sadness. For example, I one day decided that being passionate about something would be how I achieve my happiness. And so, I went on the hunt for some hobby. I tried painting; I didn’t like any of my paintings, so I was left unsatisfied. Next, I tried learning the piano, but my failure to become some prodigy in two days made me feel like a failure. Next, I tried learning something simpler: reading books. But my inability to find a book that drew my attention and kept me interested left me feeling bored. So I ended up more unhappy that I was before. This compelled me to realize that 1) jumping from hobby to hobby would not be the way I attain my happiness and 2) attempting to attain my happiness was disastrous. Rather, I should have been happy because I was trying
In another case, during my pursuit of happiness, because working on a hobby required a great deal of time and effort, I listed the things I believed would make me happy in a day. To say the least, my expectations were ridiculous: there were things on my list like finding money on the floor, going to a concert, feeling special on the basis of some compliments I received, etc. Simply put, in the approximately two weeks that I started the list and decided they would make me happy, not one of the desired things had happened. Not only did this idea of mine set ridiculously high expectations for an average day where I knew no one would be having concerts left me not only disappointed (Brooks writes, “Up to an additional 40 percent [of our happiness] comes from the things that have occurred in our recent past — but that won’t last very long”), not only was I fixated on analyzing my average everyday, I was also growing more and more impatient, wondering when I would finally experience happiness. Reality is, according to Brooks, that “the secret to happiness through work is earned success.” Success--like Rome--cannot be built in a day, a lesson I learned too late. Success, like happiness, cannot be thoughtfully planned out with precise, meticulous steps. Instead, happiness just happens; it is a byproduct of the life you live, one of life’s fringe benefits. On the contrary, Puff argues,