Ashley Carpenter

Developing Happiness
What does it mean to search for happiness? I believe that one's search should
not be driven by the need to be happy, I find that happiness is something that comes
from beauty in our world and our everyday lives. In the movie Happy a surfer from
Brazil states that Each person has to be what they want to be, this is a very important
message to recognize how to be happy, but this doesnt mean you have to change
yourself to achieve happiness, this means you must find acceptance in who you are.
We should search for understandance in the life surrounding us, instead of searching
for ideas and activities that make us happy, because once the realization that suffering
and pleasure is what life is made of, then one can become peaceful with the life they
live and find acceptance in the hard times that life brings. Perspective on the downs of
life can become gratefulness for the ups, without the downs we would never have the
ups. Finding meaning in life is key to achieving happiness, along with that, changing
your perspective on how you look at even the smallest things will create more positive
energy all around, and as a nation and as the citizens that make up the nation we must
create a society that values beauty and positivity.
Meaning is key when searching for happiness, it lets you understand your life
with a deeper perspective. Written in the article Theres More to Life Than Being
Happy by Emily Esfahani Smith, Viktor Frankl explains what he saw in a Nazi
concentration camp,those who find meaning even in the most horrendous
circumstances were far more resilient to suffering than those who did not(Smith). The
message this quote projects in my eyes is that meaning expands ones view on life and
finding meaning in suffering can make you more grateful for the times in which you are
happy. Taking a look into suffering as well, I believe finding meaning in suffering can
also expand your mindset and take a more positive turn on your thoughts. Suffering is
defined by the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship and although this is true,
if one can find significance in suffering then they will also find significance in being
happy, making an overall more positive outcome and mindset not only from the good
but also from the bad. Taking another approach on meaning, in the article Theres More
to Life than Being Happy Viktor Frankl is quoted from his book Happiness cannot be
pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to be happy(Frankl). Along with the
realization and positive mindset on suffering one must be thankful for the things that
surround them, because becoming grateful and finding meanings in the things life
offers, provides a reason to be happy. Meaning plays a very important role in both
happiness and life in general.
The simplest thing one can do to work towards happiness is change their
mindset. In the article Theres More to Life than Being happy the author Emily
Esfahani Smith quotes the book Mans Search for Meaning written by Viktor Frankl, to
choose ones attitude is to choose ones own way(Frankl). Perspective is one of the
most important things in ones life and the decisions they make. Having a good
perspective on life and the everyday things we do, can do more than it seems.
Personally when I started looking at the littlest things I do in my life in a more positive
way, I instantly became more aware of the good feelings I wasnt finding while having a

negative mindset. Along with that I noticed my positive energy not only affected me but
the people around me as well. Considering humans are and have a social attitude,
putting off positive energy not only affects the happiness in our lives, it also gives off
positive energy to the people you are socializing with. In the article How to Live a Truly
Joyful Life the author Pandit Rajmani Tigunait talks about how when he was growing up
in a tiny village in North India that was frequently visited by Famine, flood, drought, and
epidemics(Tigunait) and that was a region drowning in illiteracy, poverty, and social
injustice(Tigunait) and he explains that although all this what part of their lives, they all
lived in high spirits and were optimistic. This story helped me understand how
perspective really does mean more than material, the citizens of the village valued what
they owned and were grateful for every aspect of their lives, Before taking their first sip
of water in the morning, they watered their plants [...] they offered a bite of their own
food to crows, dogs, or other animals before eating anything themselves(Tigunait). This
resulted and granted them with a truly happy and optimistic life. Perspective changes
the way we live.
As a nation we must work on basing our values off finding beauty in life other
than materialistic greeds. Written in the article How to Live a Truly Joyful Life written
by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait he states that We have lost out sensitivity to the connection
between [...] who we are as individuals and who we are as members of
society(Tigunait). As a nation we tend to conform to the norms and values that we are
told, but stepping away from materialistic wants there is beauty in our life, but it takes
perspective to see that. We are made out of materialistic stuff quoted from the movie I
Am. Consumerism creates a society obsessed with finding happiness in items that can
be purchased. With this norm in our society we block out the way of finding happiness in
our intrinsic lives. Also in the movie I Am they introduce the idea that one can never be
satisfied if they search for happiness in materialistic items, although the amount of
money in your bank account might change, you wont. We as a nation should value the
beauty in life instead of the beauty in price tags.
The search for happiness is different for every person, but it is important that we
examine how to achieve happiness because one must consider the meaning and
beauty behind the things in their life. In the article How to Live a Truly Joyful Life
written by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, he states Only after we have collected the missing
pieces of our private world and arrange them in a harmonious unity will our emptiness
give a way to a sense of deep, lasting fulfillment. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait expresses
this perfectly, once we realize how our perspectives affect our happiness and how we
can change that to create a more joyful life then we will find fulfillment in our lives. Along
with that, one's ideas on happiness can vary and change from person to person so
examining how to achieve happiness for ourselves is one of the most important ideas
when starting your search for happiness. It is critical to understand that happiness
comes from the ways we can change our look on things, and the ways we find
happiness in our surroundings, instead of in materialistic needs and consumerism.
Recognize that happiness is a feeling, not an object.