Happiness, "An agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind; the possession of those circumstances or that state of being which is attended enjoyment;
Diego Pérez 9-2 4/9/2002
Essay: Happiness
Happiness, “An agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind; the possession of those circumstances or that state of being which is attended enjoyment; the state of being happy; contentment; joyful satisfaction; felicity; blessedness.” (Random House Webster’s College Dictionary), depends on the mentality of the individuals. The culture, way of living, and ideals of one human being may be different from the ones of another, which can lead to different interpretations towards the meaning of happiness.
There is a contrast between the different ways of interpreting happiness, depending on people’s beliefs. According to the Epicures, happiness consists on the serenity that comes from the domination of the fear, of the Gods, the death, and the future life. Also, happiness consists of the pleasure and the absence of pain, and it is never too late to search for happiness. The Stoics think that happiness is not in the external objects, but consists on the liberation of the passions and desires that disturb the current life. Also, that happiness is the tranquillity of the soul. On the other hand, the Buddhism believes that a dominated mind leads to happiness, and to obtain happiness, it is necessary to fight against the injustices. Another group of people, the Nietzsche, believe that happiness is found when you have control over yourself, and that happiness is the feeling that tells you that an obstacle has been overtaken. It can be seen that these points of view, which come from different beliefs, make it difficult for us to generalize the idea of happiness between the society, since their way to appreciate life are diverse. While some think that your happiness depends on Gods, others think that tranquillity is the personal happiness. Eventhough these points of view are different, and may give another meaning to the word “happiness”, they all mention the supremacy of yourself over your problems as happiness.