Friday, April 1, 2011

Happiness And All That Comes With It

Please respond to the following prompt: I expect you to to ask an open-ended critical level question at the end of your response that may prompt someone else. I also expect you to react to one other's comment within your own reflection. Make sure you are being thoughtful and discerning. What is true happiness? What do you need to be happy? What should drive and push us?

27 comments:

  1. I think that true happiness is when you are content with everything in your life. There are always going to be the problems but for every problem there is a solution and life goes on. Happiness isn't always about what you have so I don't think you need anything to be happy. Happiness is about the attitude of the person. People who have next to nothing can be truly happy if they are the kind of people with a really good attitude about everything. Reaching the point of true happiness should drive and push us because no matter how successful you are in the end it all comes down to being happy with your life and what your doing.

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  2. When someone is truly happy, it means that they can except their life for exactly what it is. Everyone goes through periods of darkness, but being happy is about realizing that those times are what make us grateful for the good ones. For me, I need to be self-confident to be happy in general. I have gone through periods where I underestimate my self-worth, and it negatively affects all other facets of my life. Also, I make a conscious effort to be grateful for everything that I am given rather than dwell on what I wish I had. Would the world be a happier place if everyone was thankful and content with what they had?

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  3. To me true happiness is being able to enjoy, appreciate, and accept things in life as they come. Also to be able to enjoy the simple things in life that make it worth living. To be happy I need to be around people that I love and who love me for who I am. Happiness to me is being comfortable and accepting who I am and not worrying about what others think of me. I believe everyone should push themselves to achieve personal satisfaction. The greatest motivator is yourself. In my experience many people do not act like who they truly are and feel they need to act like someone others want them to be in order to be accepted. If people would just be themselves how would the world change?
    Rachel: The world would be a happier place if people were content and appreciated what they had. If people are content with what they had they might be more likely to help other people and that would create an upward spiral.

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  4. True happiness is when you enjoy every minute of what you are doing and you don’t have to ever question if you are happy. You could be laughing and soaking in everything since happiness can come in many different forms. The things that you need to be happy are your family and friends. Those are the biggest things since you have those things and if you are content with them and thankful for them you would realize other stuff. You could want other things to make you happy but nothing can replace your family and friends. Family and friends can bring you moments those other things could never bring. It could be that one night that your friend does something funny and you are happy for the rest of the day because of it. If you realized you only needed you’re family and friends it would push all the other distractions away from you because all that stuff you wanted would become useless and it would open up other doors for you to become happy. The things that should drive and push you is you. The biggest thing that can motivate, inspire, and push yourself is you. If you want to be happy you are going to do everything in your power to make yourself happy. You can’t rely on other people or things to push you since the biggest motivator is yourself. If you got rid of all your needs and wants, would those make you a happier person?

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  5. Katy R: How exactly should the point of true happiness drive us?
    It seems that everyone who has responded views happiness by having what you have and being ok with is. It helps also to have people around you that care and know you for you.
    I agree with them. Sure material goods can make you feel happy, but that is only for a little bit, soon what ever you have will be gone and not be the "cool thing" anymore. But what has always been the "cool thing" is being yourself with the people around you and enjoying life. People who are happy enjoy life. Also I would say that people do need to be happy. If you are not happy, what kind of life are you living, but being happy doesn't take too much if you know how to achieve true happiness, which should be our drive. It should drive us to focus more on the stuff that makes us continuously happy.

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  6. I think personally that happiness is when you are absolutely satisfied with everything in your life. Yes there will always be the aspect of want but if you are happy I feel like you should be able to say "this is just an unnecessary want. How will this make my life better than it already is?". For me to be happy I need to be around people who I love and care for and not just that but those are reciprocated for me, I need to be able to be emotionally dependent on people I guess you could say. But what I think should drive us is just the pursuit of a better life and how you can't have a better life without being happy. That's just how I see it. And to answer Jack's question,yes I do think getting rid of the need and want in my life would help me be happier because then I could focus more on others rather than my own need and want and truly be there for them if they need me. One question that this made me think of was: How do you think you affect other people's happiness?

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  7. True happiness is when you are content with your life. You don't need anything, you can want things but you don't need them, you can be having the worst day but you know that it won't take much to make the next better, you are surrounded but the people you love and care about (visa versa), you love everything you do, and most importantly you like who you are, who you've become and everything you stand for. For me to be happy I need my family. I can look at them and know that no matter what they are going to be there, they are going to push me to be better and not judge me for the mistakes I make and choices I choose to make.
    I agree with Garrett when he says... "If you are not happy, what kind of life are you living, but being happy doesn't take too much if you know how to achieve true happiness, which should be our drive." Also, I think our dreams should drive us. Everyone has a dream or a goal they want to reach. And nothing can stop you if that's what you really want. My goal/dream is to make a difference in someone's life; some way, some how. I want them to remember me and say "that girl changed my life!" And I'm going to keep going to matter how long it takes. Lastly, I think our drive should be that no matter what things can only get better and there's always a better day waiting for you.
    Comp Master 2000,,, <3 you!

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  8. I think that happiness is people perfectly satisfied with what you have earned and have been given. I like what Rachel said in her post about “they can except their life for exactly what it is”. That sounds right to me; when someone loves there own life as much as everyone else’s (not in a cocky way) he or she wont feel the need to change for anyone. Now I know that no one can be happy all the time about everything, but if someone is happy about the major things in there life (marriage, kids, friends, school ect.) then they are truly happy. I don’t think you “need” anything to be happy necessarily. Some people can be happy just living in nature all alone, but I think that I need people around me that care about me to be happy. I don’t think anything should push us to be happy, happiness is something that should come to you. Happiness is in the eyes of the beholder, meaning its what you make it. Now I think that a lot of people said that money is not something that makes you happy. But my question would be: CAN money make someone happy?

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  9. I believe true happiness is being completely satisfied with who you are and the life you live. Happiness can't be defined because it is different for every single person. You personally decide if your going to be happy or not. I think one of the key things to being happy though is having family and friends like Jack said. I also think to be truly happy you have to be completely stress free. This would mean you wouldn't have any problems or be sad about anything. I think what should drive and push us is our dreams. The more you want your dreams the more you will push yourself to achieve them. What would life be like if we just stopped dreaming?

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  10. Happiness is something everything wants and I think lots of people think that they always need more and more to make them happy when in reality; true happiness means that you are content with everything in your life even if it isn’t perfect. I like what Mitch said about how no one is going to happy 100% of the time, but if they are happy with the major things in their life, then there shouldn’t be too much to complain about or to be unhappy about. I think that in life, bad things, to an extent, are a good thing. If you never had bad experiences in your life, you would never appreciate the good times. I think a lot of times, bad situations make other situations better. Happiness doesn’t mean that everything in your life is perfect, but it means that you learn to make the best of the good and the bad. Everyone is different and I think that each person needs different things to be happy. For some it is love and friendship and for others it may be to be successful in their own mind. Whatever makes someone happy is to each their own. However no matter what, I think that happiness means that you always look beyond the bad situations and struggles and keep in mind what is really important to you. After all, what makes life worth it, if you don’t have happiness?

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  11. Happiness… some say money is the only way for true happiness, and maybe in their case or in their lives it may be, but it’s definitely not the only way. Happiness to me is when I am having a good time, enjoying life or making someone else smile. True happiness in my life is when I have my family and friends with me and around me, I don’t care about the money because money can’t buy emotion. Love comes without a price tag. What I need to be happy is all the things that come with life, and I do even mean the down times because I think life is too precious to throw it away or spend it wishing for things. Having a house to live in, your family alongside you, the moments that leave a smile on your face as well as the moments that take your breath away are what should drive or push us. Why do we think we need so much materialism to be happy?

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  12. The secret to true happiness is success. Now, before you think this is shallow, let me define this term. This form of success is the type in which you personally are fulfilled by your accomplishment. When you know that you have poured every ounce of yourself into something and you know that it is perfect no matter what others say, then you are truly happy. In order to have this feeling, you need a strong sense of friendship and family. Friends and family are a permanent base, always willing to lend a shoulder to lean on, or take the time and listen. If you where to take everything else away, it is possible to regain them. But if you lose a friend or family member, the loss is a permanent scar on your soul. My question though, is if that if I was to lose everything, I would not be truly happy with just my friends and family. I believe this true for all, so how is it possible to give it all up and still feel happy? I know it true in theory, but what of the real world?

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  13. To me truly being happy is being content in what I have been given and try to not always want more. It is often very hard to keep myself away from wanting more and I don’t see how we can be happy if we always want the next best thing and we are never satisfied with what we have and what we have worked for. For me to truly be happy I need my family and my friends around. I think that a lot of people think being happy is having all the money in the world but can that really fill the hole of being happy? What drives me to be happy is just doing the best I can everyday and not worrying about the next day. If we think to far ahead we will worry become overwhelmed.
    In Response to Sam L. question: If people would just be themselves how would the world change? I really don’t think people would be able to come to an agreement to be themselves because people think the world won’t accept them for who they truly are.

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  14. After reading most of the posts I think that we can all agree that true happiness is being content with your life. Like Jack said happiness comes in many forms. No matter if it's the big things or small things it is the experiences that truly make people happy. More specifically I believe In order to be happy you need to share it with someone. Not only can it be the people that are close to you but it can also be someone you don't know. Personally, there hasn't been a time that I was more happy than being with the people that truly matter to me. That is the only thing I believe you need to achieve true happiness. For the last portion of the prompt that talks about what drives us, I didn't really get what Mrs. Comp wanted. However I interpreted it on what should make us want to be happy. For me I would say it is mostly self motivation. I don't know why someone wouldn't want to be happy. That is why I think I took this question the wrong way. To wrap this all up I have few questions for you guys.

    Can you buy Happiness?
    Do small salaries turn people away from the career that they want to pursue?
    Is it better to live life simply or extravagant?
    Why is that people from third world countries seem more happier?
    Do materials or experiences bring happiness?

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  15. "Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get" is a quote from Forrest Gump that came to mind right when I read the prompt for this blog because it sums up life for me in my opinion. I feel like things that make me happy are the every day little things like waking up in house with a family that cares about me, or driving to school with my little brother Jack, seeing my friends at school and many other things along those lines. I feel like happiness is something money can buy, but true happiness is something without a price, its free. For me, the thing that makes me the happiest are making others happy. I love to be with my friends and to make them laugh and have them make me laugh. Going back to the quote from Forest Gump, I feel like you just have to be happy with what you have in life. Not everyone can drive the nicest car or live in the nicest house or have the perfect family but everyone can be happy with the little things in life. No one chooses the lifestyle there born into, they just have to find happiness with what they have. When asked what do I need to be happy, I think of family first. To me, family is everything and that is what makes me happiest. In one of the past blogs I said I would rather have the happiest family in the world and have nothing than being the richest with a family that makes me regret. The thing that pushes me in life is to be successful, and not success with money but success with happiness. Looking at Erin's blog, the moments that put a smile on my face are the ones that I will remember forever. The thing that ultimately pushes me is when I think of myself on my death bed, and I think, am I going to be happy with how I lived my life or am I going to regret it because at that point it is too late. I also think, at my funeral, is there going to be just a few people or is there going to be hundreds? I can only hope there is going to be hundreds based on how many people I made relationships with and how I made an impact on their lives. At this point in my life, I am happy with how I lived because I spent it doing the things that matter most and put a smile on my face and I will remember those moments forever. If you had to choose one thing that matters most and makes you the happiest, what would that one thing be?

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  16. Being truly happy is impossible to define but not impossible to attain. My reasoning for this is because on my mission trip to the Philippines I saw some of the deepest, baddest poverty I had ever seen. People were litterally living on heaps of trash, digging through it looking for something to eat of sell. And what was most surprising to me was how content they were. They were truly happy, in the worst conditions ever there was happiness. Compared to here in the US where we drive our SUVs from our 2-story house to the mall and buy all sorts of things and can't seem to ever be content. So what is needed to be happy? It would seem nothing; just a mindset and a positive attitude. And the driving force behind us is our want for more. Our want for bigger and better. The thought that $10,000 more dollars a year and we'll be happy, but it never happens. So, to your question Jaden: Yes we can give it all up and still find happiness. Now a question of my own: Can you be happy without being content?

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  17. Well like I asked in the last blog, is absolute(true) happiness possible? I would like to think it is but I just don't know. I mean I know there are moments where a person is truly and absolutely happy because I have experienced them but the thought of living that happy all the time seems impossible. But maybe that's how it is meant to be. Maybe we aren't meant to be absolutely happy our whole lives, because then when we experience those moments they are that much better. Madison, I completely agree with your thought about how to be truly happy you need to be with someone or share it with someone or however you worded it. I defiantly see where you are coming from because a lot of times the ones we love make us happy. To be loved or to love(in any relationship) is what makes everyone most happy. Just to be around people can make people happy. I would say without anyone else it is most defiantly impossible to be truly happy. In the same way, others are what drive and push us to be be happy. Important people in our lives are what motivate us to keep going in the pursuit of happiness. So even though I have made it clear people are an important factor, i stand by my question; Is absolute happiness even possible?

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  18. I believe true happiness is something that comes from within. True happiness is being able to love and accept myself for who I am; not what others want me to be. True happiness is being able to completely honor myself in a non-selfish way. It is being able to embrace myself, change myself, and be content with the big aspects of my life (even if things aren’t exactly the way I want them). In order to have happiness, I need to live in the, “now”. Too often my mind wanders around to different times in my life (that’s alright occasionally but not constantly). I need to live for today because, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” –Alice Earle. Also, I need to take care of my health because in this life, to truly be happy, I have to take great care of my body. “The body is a Holy Temple.” –Gary Player. I need to get enough sleep, exercise often, and always, always, always eat right. So often society overlooks such simple things like eating right and getting enough sleep; they bring great internal happiness that I didn’t even know existed until I found them in my own life. I agree with Bailey L and how she said it is important to make the best of a situation. I need to have an optimistic viewpoint in life to truly be happy. If I have a pessimistic outlook in life, what is there to smile about? Another thing I need to work on is being open and trying new things. Too often I get stuck in the same pattern so it would be good for me to take a chance, put myself out there, meet a new person, and/or have a new experience. Finally, I am working on moving that guiding force in life from my brain to my faith, my heart, and love. I find life not as satisfying when I am not staying true to my heart. Can true happiness be different for each individual, or, is it the same for everyone once looked at from an internal perspective?

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  19. True happiness to me is loving what I’m doing with my life, the people I have around me, and how I live my life. True happiness can come to anyone at any time no matter how much money they have. However, while money does not buy happiness, money does buy basic comforts from which happiness can develop. Knowing I’m going to be happy if I achieve my dreams can push me to dedicate myself to fulfilling my goals. With Rachel’s question “Would the world be a happier place if everyone was thankful and content with what they had?” I believe yes it would! A lot of people want but cannot accept what they have; they end up having stuff but not being truly happy with it. Do people choose to be happy?

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  20. I think that true happiness is when a person is living their life in a way that makes them happy. True happiness doesn't always mean that you have the best life, it just means that you are happy. To be happy you need people around you that make you happy. Also to be happy you need to do things your way. I think that goals in life and reaching those goals should drive and push us. Do people drive towards true happiness or success?

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  21. I think happiness is a choice. I don;t think it depends on what you have in your life. You can look around and see a very well off person with everything they thought they wanted in life but are still depressed. And you could see a person who has close to nothing but is still satisfied and thankful for their life. I think it takes a very strong person to be happy in any circumstance. It is something that shows . Its like reaching a whole new level above everyone else. Happiness is what separates the good life's from the unsuccessful life's. If you can be truly happy in life, not matter the circumstances, you have lived well and in my opinion reached the main goal in life. My question is is happiness an emotion or a state of mind? Once you reach the state of being happy no matter what, can you lose that?

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  22. 1.True happiness is the absence of loneliness, desire, pain, heartbreak, or daily worries. It's not whether you are in need of something but whether you can put yourself in a place where that need is just a thing on the side of the road, unimportant compared to the people in the car with you as you pass. Not many people, i would think, could reach THIS level of happiness. Perhaps through meditation, someone could reach this PEACE of mind.
    2.To be happy, I would need people; friends and family, my loved and my treasured. Without them I would be lost; I wouldn't be able to stay grounded, my feet planted on green earth. No I'd probably blow away with the wind, as it is blowing the trees over in my back yard.
    3.What should drive and push us is the want to improve ourselves, or the want of new knowledge. There is so many things out there that no one knows or has been taught. The want to learn has driven women to fight for their education. In effect, that knowledge made them more aware, and gave them cause to fight for more rights. Similar situation is when slaves were released they had to fight for edu, and rights.

    However, what SHOULD drive us and what DOES drive us doesn't always coincide with one another.

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  23. I believe that tru happiness isnt all about having everything and being wealthy. i mean yes you are happy when you buy a new car but true happines come from the little things in life.
    For example, my aunt was diagnosed with terminal cancer. she knew that she had little days left so she made them count. She had a great amount of money but she didnt go out and but a new pair of shoes everyday. Because that didnt make her happy. what made her happy, were the little things in life such as walking her dog or spending time with her kids. She dealt with alot of pain but she was strong and made it through the day. And knowing that she did that is the sence of true happiness.
    So i guess what im getting at is that its not all about having the best new car or the latest ipad. You have to find the little things in life that truely make you happy. And to me thats what happiness is all about.

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  24. I think that true happiness is being happy with what you have in life and enjoying everyday you have to live by yourself along with all those memories with your family and friends that make you happy as well. I think that all we need for happiness is just the basics that you need to live, like food, water, and shelter. I also think that you need family, friends and a social life to, to be happy because being around others makes everyone happy. I personally don't think that we NEED materialistic goods in our life to be happy or at least not the materialistic goods that we have in our modern world today. People in the 1700s didn't have an ipad or laptop to be happy, and most weren't living the life in a castle either. They were average and most were probably happy with that too. So yes, materialistic things are nice to have and fun and do make people happy, however I don't think that we need them to make us happy. Because the question then arises, in a situation like say xbox kinetic, is it playing the actual game, or playing the game with your friends or family that truly make you happy? Lastly, I think that goals, ambitions, success, moral values, family and friends, and their support and your own "individual" want to be successful at something should be what drive us and push us. I think that these are what help us keep going when we are down and drive us to do what is good and do what is successful and in that case push us to do what we want as well. Do we follow the norm of what is considered "happiness" or what "drives us?" Also, can that feeling of true happiness or that good feeling be putting others happiness before yours?

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  25. True happiness is different for everyone. I believe that true happiness is defined by how happy you can be with the least amount of possesions. I think that the more things you have, the more dissapointed you will be when nothing is there. Sure everyone is really excited when they get something new but that toy just becomes another toy; not that special one that you had a while ago. Now to prove my point further, look at the monks who live in India and all sorts of places. They are taught to have the lowest amount of possesions and they are happy with simplicity. Now here is a question in a really good quote I've heard. "If you are not happy with what you have, how can you be happy with more?"

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  26. True happiness, when your complety and utterly content with what your doing, who you are, what you have, and who's by your side. To be happy I think you need to be a little light hearted at times, you have to go with the flow and look at the brighter side of things. Others success, others goals, it depends on others, what pushes me for soccer is what pushes me in life, someone who is better and you want to show people you have a fire in you also. Katy R said that she thinks that you dont have to have anything to be happy. But to me other people and some material goods, such as a trampoline, a slinky, and bubbles, are what make my life, to me, the happiest person ever. Is life about all emotions; happy angry, sad, etc. or is it about what makes you feel happiness, doesnt all those emotions make us human?

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  27. Being happy does not have to be all about having the most things and being the best. To me, happiness is about being content with yourself and what you have. It is about overcoming obstacles, and the having the feeling of success when you accomplish goals. I tend to be happy most of the time and that is because I have a easy going well rounded attitude about everything. I get the sense of happiness when i see others happy. For example, when I was around my aunt who haad been diagnosed with cancer, she was always happy no matter what because she knew what was good in life and that life is worth living. And knowing that she knew she was going to pass away, she still lived every day to the fullest and was happy about it. Happiness comes from the heart.It shouldn't be about having the best car or having the money to go along with it.

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