Category: Happiness

When someone asks what the meaning of life is, it might be really easy to answer, “find happiness,” but that answer only poses more questions. What is happiness? Why does everyone strive for it and how does one obtain it? Is it even obtainable? People can be happy one moment and sad the next. Is there a logic behind happiness? How do we prevent these emotional roller coasters? These are all questions people have tried to answer throughout time, but I’ve never been a philosophical person. I’ve always brushed off these topics in favor of more practical ways of thought that had concrete answers. That is until I encountered the topics discussed in this mindfulness class. It was comforting to know that most, if not all, people struggle to wrap their minds around the same concepts of happiness. We all want it, but don’t know how to get it. According to Chodron (2016), “We do not meditate in order to be comfortable. In other words, we don’t meditate in order to always, all the time, feel-good”. The key to feeling happy is mediation, but as everyone probably knows, it is hard to get into the habit of meditating. By thinking about abstract ideas through meditation and mindfulness, we become better acquainted with the ideas themselves, what they mean to us, and how to happiness through this process of meditating.

Literature has shown that meditation, especially a type that encourages mindfulness, can improve many aspects of our lives. One might ask what is mindfulness? Mindfulness is defined as observing your surroundings and being aware of the changes that are happening without judging. It is the act of being in tune with yourself and your surroundings. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, can improve mental health, physical health, and overall well-being. Overall well-being pertains to your happiness, connectedness to others and the world, and clarity in the mind.

These definitions make it abundantly clear why mindful meditation can help us achieve happiness. In order to even start looking for happiness, one should be aware of what makes us sad and how we feel when we encounter different things in the world. This is why I believe that the first step in achieving happiness is to become in tune with the world and to be mindful, even of the seemingly mundane things in our lives. Meditation is so powerful because “meditation gives us the opportunity to have an open, compassionate attentiveness to whatever is going on” (Chodron, 2016, p. 5). Meditation is not only about making you feel good about yourself but also about being aware of your emotions and knowing how to gain control of your emotions. Per Chodron’s words:

Whenever you make time to sit down and practice meditation, you bring something along–you bring your thoughts and joys from the day with you, your disappointments, and your concerns. The idea isn’t to just plunk down and start your timer and block out everything that you’ve brought with you. So first, have some sense of where you’re at. Ask yourself the questions: What am I feeling physical? What is my mood? What is the quality of my mind?

In order to be happy, first, you need to be aware of your feelings and come to terms with those feelings. While I agree with these ideas about mindfulness, the next step to Chodron’s description of mindfulness is being aware of people around you and thinking about other people. It is true that you need to be aware of your surroundings and your feelings, but I think it is also equally important to be aware of the people around you and their feelings. We do not live in a bubble by ourselves; we interact with other people. Just as they have an impact on our feelings, we directly impact their emotions as well. Everyone does things for a reason and we need to try to figure out the intent behind these actions in order to understand other people and ourselves better. Knowing, or just consciously thinking about, the intent behind others’ actions and our own makes us more aware of why we do things and will help limit impulsive actions that may harm ourselves or the people around us. When we act impulsively, sometimes we do things we normally wouldn’t do that are out of character. In addition, it will foster thought on how others will perceive our actions, whether we want people to judge us by our impulsive actions rather than our true self, and how we can correct misconceptions. Mindfulness not just about ourselves but about the people around us will help us understand everyone better and consequently, help us in our ultimate quest for happiness.

For all the hype around it, happiness is nothing more than mere emotion. Chodron describes emotions as “the arising of the natural dynamic energy of life…Emotions don’t have to be so evil and scary; they are just energy. We are the ones who ascribe the labels of “good” and “bad” to our emotions” (2016, p.87). From this description, we see how emotions are universally shared amongst us and more importantly, that we are in control of our own emotions. We are the only ones that can judge what emotions are good and what emotions are bad. We can control how we feel about different situations. By practicing mindfulness meditation, we learn to be more consciously aware of our emotions, what triggers these feelings, and how to act when these emotions arise. Chodron points out that, as people, we know:

How to strengthen the old habits of anger, and everyone knows how to feel resentment and self-pity. We’re very good at it. But at the same time, you’re the only one having that emotion, and even though your friends and relatives might tell you what you’re thinking and feeling, actually you’re the only one who thinks those thoughts and feel those feelings (2016, p. 87)

I agree with Chodron that everyone’s feelings are unique and valid. By meditating, you are making a conscious effort to be aware of your situation. While your feelings are legitimate, you also need to realize that you may be the only one seeing a situation in that way. Being angry or sad may not help the situation and will not benefit you in the long run. Therefore, it is better to use meditation to train yourself to control your emotions and to see things in a different light. However, I disagree with Chodron in that I don’t believe you are the only one that sees your emotions or feeling a certain way. As I mentioned before, I don’t believe that it’s possible to live in an isolated world with just yourself. Your emotions affect the people around you and you are equally affected by the emotions surrounding you. Bad emotions, whether from you or from others, can affect everyone. Shantideva once quoted, “All the suffering there is in this world arises from wishing yourself to be happy. All the happiness there is in this world arises from wishing others to be happy” (Dudley, 2019, Slide 16). The loving-kindness and compassion you spread to others will be the key to attaining your own happiness because it doesn’t rest on bringing others down. Rather, it encourages you to give and build others up, which will, in turn, help you grow as well. Thus, it is important to address all the emotions that you feel or that the people around you feel and work towards channeling it into something positive in this world rather than suppressing it.

I particularly related to this topic because I feel like everyone talks about “happiness,” but no one has a clear answer on how to be happy. Everyone feels sadness at some point. In fact, depression rates have been steadily rising in the past years. Learning to be aware of our emotions and how to control them is very important so that we can see the world more positively and ultimately, become happier people. There is a Chinese saying that goes. Growing up, my parents would always tell me whenever I wanted something or expected something, that the more we hope, the bigger our disappointment. We should never put all of our eggs in one basket. While it may seem like an odd comparison, I feel like the underlying message of this phrase applies to our never-ending search for happiness as well. We always expect happiness to be some sort of end goal that we will just have; so obviously, when we don’t get there, we are disappointed. And that’s not to say that we can’t feel sadness or other emotions besides happiness. But mindfulness meditation gives us the outlet to learn to be aware of what makes us happy (or sad) and how to channel our emotions in certain ways, which will make us happier overall. Being sad is just another day in the life, and being happy is just another day in life. There is no difference except how we label the day so why not learn to control our minds to make every day a happy day. If we consciously think about what makes us happy and how we can be happier, we can then change our mindset to see the happiness in all the little things we do every day.

Introduction to Wealth and Happiness in “The Great Gatsby”

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the narrator, Nick Carraway, provides insight on the life of the rich during the roaring twenties. Through Carraway, it is revealed to readers how luxuriously the rich live in East and West Egg. He explains Gatsby’s life of parties in the hopes of gaining the affection of Daisy and how it leads to his eventual demise. Fitzgerald uses conspicuous consumption as a means to highlight Gatsby and Daisy’s lavish lifestyles as proof that no amount of money can lead to true happiness. Focusing on consumerism in the roaring twenties, the novel posits the idea that it is not accruing wealth, but building relationships and sharing experiences that makes one happy. In the end, similar ideas resonate in the 21st century: people buy material goods in order to prove to others that they are successful and rich or just to fit in. However, the focus should be less on the amount spent than on what it is spent. While money can help facilitate building experiences with others, it should be a means to attain happiness rather than an end.

Conspicuous Consumption vs. Genuine Relationships

It is not conspicuous consumption designed to show off one’s wealth but targeted consumption designed to create and support relationships with others that has a chance at making people happy. Learning more about Gatsby’s parties, it becomes evident that people “came and went without having met Gatsby at all” (Fitzgerald 45). Gatsby puts a lot of effort into his parties, indicated in part by the fact that “five crates of oranges and lemons” arrive every Friday from New York (Fitzgerald 43). Despite the fact that Gatsby spares no expense for his parties, he does not even appear to spend any time with his guests. Instead, he throws parties every weekend to show off his wealth in the hopes that Daisy will give him another chance. This fails to bring Gatsby happiness because it is a ploy designed to convince someone that he can provide for her financially rather than an attempt to build a healthy relationship with those who actually attend. Using wealth can lead to happiness; however, it must be done in a way that makes it possible to connect with and enjoy the company of others. In a study by Thomas Gilovich and Iñigo Gallo, they state that people “provide for more pleasure” with purchasing “hedonic goods” such as touring New York or a trip to Los Angeles (Gilovich, Gallo). Their purchases allow them to be “grateful for experiential purchases than material ones” (Glaser). Purchasing experience allows people to be happier: experiences provide memories for a lifetime and allow for people to enjoy quality time in the presence of others. As social animals, these opportunities allow humans to thrive. Gatsby’s purchases fail to bring him happiness because they are being used to impress rather than gain experience and connection with others.

The Inability of Wealth to Sustain Emotional Fulfillment

Though capable of demonstrating wealth, conspicuous consumption cannot sustain people emotionally; therefore, it cannot provide happiness. For example, Tom bought Daisy “a string of pearls valued at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars” and yet, on their wedding day, she “had a letter in her hand” explaining that she could not marry him (Fitzgerald 80). By gifting Daisy a string of pearls valued so highly, Tom highlights his wealth, implying that his life with Daisy would be filled with riches and would be very luxurious. However, despite all the money that Tom invests in Daisy, she is still unsatisfied, indicated by the fact that she was holding “a letter.” The letter, from Gatsby, causes Daisy to break down and start crying and at one point, tells Jordan to give back the pearls because she “change’ her mind’ (CITATION). Immediately reacting to Gatsby’s letter brings out Daisy’s underlying feelings for him, and by crying, crying that she could have had a life with Gatsby, she displays a sense of dissatisfaction with her marriage to Tom, despite the fact that he had given her pearls. Additionally, changing her mind in the moment further shows her feelings for Tom, she is willing to immediately change her mind about her marriage to Tom, which further shows a lack of happiness with him. In a study of consumer versus experiential purchases, Gilovich and Gallo concluded that “materialistic people are less happy… and have difficulty establishing nourishing social relationships”(Gilovich, Thomas, Gallo, Iñigo). Materialism refers to the obsession with real-life objects; things that are tangible. Objects such as Tom’s pearls demonstrate the materialism that was especially prevalent during the roaring twenties. Gilovich and Gallo state that this creates “difficulty establishing nourishing social relationships,” making Daisy and Tom’s love a rather shallow one that is “less happy.” On the other hand, Gilovich and Gallo also state that social events are “almost certain to advance their well-being.” Before Gatsby had gone off to the war, he had met Daisy outside her house as a means of saying goodbye. It is revealed that they had a summer fling and before leaving, they could “communicate more profoundly with another” (Fitzgerald 160). Communication is an important aspect of relationships and this social event allowed them to be more happy with each other. From the first chapter, Daisy seems a bit hesitant to talk to Tom about his affair, which is something that people in love should not have nor fear talking about. With Gatsby however, they communicate profoundly, indicating that Daisy is content with Gatsby enjoys his presence. Daisy’s lack of love for Tom, as well as studies detailing what kinds of purchases can have long term effects on people’s emotions, show that no matter how expensive material goods are, in the end, they are not enough to buy emotions as strong as love or happiness.

The Dilemma: Choosing Between Wealth and Emotional Satisfaction

Unfortunately, even when people realize what would bring them happiness, fear of what they may lose can get in the way. In a heated argument between Gatsby and Tom over Daisy, she threatens to leave Tom, but upon Tom calling Gatsby ‘a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring to put on her finger,” she begins to doubt a future with Gatsby by “drawing further and further into herself” (Fitzgerald 142, 144). Though Gatsby lives on the West Egg – a place where the rich reside – compared to Tom’s wealth, he is a “common swindler.” This connotes someone poor and without integrity, as people who swindle others must steal what they do not have. By saying that Gatsby has to “steal the ring” to get Daisy, he further demotes Gatsby’s wealth status, showing how much wealthier he is than Gatsby. After the argument, Tom and Daisy are at home eating dinner and Nick states that they ‘weren’t happy.. yet they weren’t unhappy either” (Fitzgerald 155). After Tom reminds Daisy of the difference between his and Gatsby’s wealth, Daisy realizes that although she may be happier with Gatsby, it is Tom who ultimately is able to support her luxurious life. However, while she will never want for anything with Tom, she will never have the love or happiness that is possible with Gatsby either. In contrast, billionaire Warren Buffet, is easily satisfied as he still lives in his family home that he bought in 1958. For him, “that’s the happiest house in the world… it’s got memories” (Christofferson 172). By saying that his home has “memories,” Buffet indicates the sentimental value that his house has for him. Buffet even said that he could buy a house valued at one hundred million dollars, but he stays in his current house because it is the “happiest house” (Christofferson 172). While buying an expensive house could grant him a temporary feeling of exhilaration, his original house is filled with memories of his past and family, and that it is where his family always returns to for holidays and big events. Over time, monetary value depreciates, but with people and experiences, each memory becomes more and more meaningful over time. Daisy has regrets when deciding to follow Gatsby or Tom; she understands that money is what allows her to live her life of luxury, while with Gatsby she can be truly happy. Unfortunately for her, she chooses safety over happiness. On the other hand, Warren Buffet understands the difference between momentary happiness with an expensive house without memories, versus an older house, filled with memories of a lifetime, showing the value of sentiment over luxury.

Conclusion: The Critique of Conspicuous Consumption in “The Great Gatsby”

In the end, Fitzgerald’s use of conspicuous consumption critiques the self-delusion that the rich displayed during the roaring twenties. He follows its purpose, its impact on emotion, and explains that some people choose consumption over emotion in an attempt to bury their feelings of hopelessness and loneliness, if only for a moment. Unfortunately, without understanding and approaching these emotions in a positive way that emphasizes prosocial behavior, behavior focused on improving the well-being of a group of people, the consumption will always lead back to the loneliness at which it started. Today, conspicuous consumption is as relevant as it was in the roaring twenties, with happiness linked to what kind of purchase is made – material or experiential. Throughout The Great Gatsby, the love triangle between Jay Gatsby, Tom Buchanan, and Daisy Buchanan goes deeper and deeper, revealing Daisy’s real emotions towards the two men. Through Jordan’s flashbacks, readers come to realize that Daisy never had true happiness with Tom despite his lavish expenditures on her. Though conspicuous consumption in The Great Gatsby focuses more on the material value than the experiential, Fitzgerald uses these characters to warn readers about the effects of choosing luxury over happiness. While it may seem to be a better option to have luxury for momentary satisfaction, in the end, it is the people one surrounds oneself with and the experiences one has with them that brings permanent happiness.

Money can give you joy and happiness, but not all happy moments last forever. According to, Gilovich and Leaf Van Boven of the University of Colorado, “Doing things can bring us more joy than having things. Our preoccupation with stuff obscures an important truth: the things that don’t last create the most lasting happiness”. Money can certainly get you a lot of necessities, but money can make you want to get even way more money, so eventually, you feel like you need more and more cash in your life. Although money is nice to have, it doesn’t give us the joy of having true love or true friendship either. Lots of people think that money can make you happy because you can get anything you want, but that is just one thing everyone knows and says. If you try spending money on others to help their life better, then it can make you happier to a bigger level. Personally, money can make you feel more secure and can lead to a stress-free life. On the other hand, you need to be good at your job for you to have enough money, which leads to you feeling hurried and frustrated with the amount of profit you work for. Our happiness occurs through our brain, and it will explain why money can make you happy.

Money is money. Therefore, I truly believe that money does give you security. There are people in the world who have a large amount of cash but never invest and spend much on themselves. The simple reason is that it leaves us feeling more secure. Knowing that if anything or everything could go wrong then at least they still have a big amount of money to survive, and a chance to fix their mistake. The average family in America makes $47,000 as I research. Let’s say 10 years after that they should earn $470,000, but by that time you would lose at least a tenth of thousand dollars you spend to survive, emergency fund and dept on those 10 years. I would hesitate to give a yes and no for the worth wait because when you work for money, not only you have to worry about the job will go or you can get fired, but you also must worry about your day to a daily life situation. Every time in life, we simply agree to add more of our stress in exchange for more money in our lives, but there will always a limit to it. We all should spend the money wisely like all say on the most important to least thing in your lives to prevent stress and feel more secure. Money can give you a lot of freedom to purchase a thing and go anywhere by using them which can lead you to be very happy. Money can give you a chance to have a memorable experience although you need a lot of money to have a certain experience, to travel the world comfortably without worrying, money can help you go a long way. Money can help you make a good memory to look back on. You need to make sure the money you spend on experience must be something you enjoy not something like your friend told you to go on a field trip you don’t like but just go anyway because you feel like you should. Another way to make yourself happy is to help loved one or another. Donate to charity for someone who lost their love can make yourself feel like helping someone with their life. Spent the money on someone you care about like sibling, parent or friend through a tough time will give you a good feeling and even giving other a gift can make you feel happier. You can always up to your reputation by spending your money on someone. Most people in the world use the money to buy them more time for laundry, cooking, driving, and chores by paying others to do them or the technology. Make sure you don’t use the money to make yourself look super-wealthy cause there’s always a possibility that your money gets stolen by people in your surroundings and later you can feel sad, depress, or angry. “Once you get basic human needs, a lot more money doesn’t make a lot more happiness”, said Dan Gilbert, a psychology professor at Harvard University, this means that having a ton of money makes you feel less joy and happy when receiving more money because you’re getting tired of it. To think deep, your brain is what makes you know you happy or not. In my research, scientist says that there are four main chemicals in the brain that make us happy – dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphin, – that release differently. The limbic portion of the brain has three key functions: the emotion, memories, and arousal. This impact our feeling of happiness through our brain. Dopamine happens when we get something we wanted, or we are getting excited about something, like when the parent gifted or buy the toy that their kid wanted. Serotonin starts flowing when feeling important or valued, like when someone spending their money just for you make yourself feel special. Oxytocin release when we have a feeling of trust and intimacy, one example is taking care of an important person to you with your money. Finally, endorphins are our body painkiller and give us pleasure, an example of this is your precious moment like using money to go on honeymoon with our lover or Hawaii to relax and feel pleasure. This brain function affects our happiness in everyday life and money is the main reason that affects it.

Money can get you a lot of things and a lot of great feelings depend on how you spend it. Money is what keeps your life moving forward and keeping alive. You can always use the money for yourself to learn anything like a fitness instructor to get you in shape or instrument. In my opinion, money can give you a lot of happiness for getting what you want, but the downside is that having too many of them can be very dangerous, so don’t show or tell a stranger that you super-rich. Money can only make you happy if you spent it correctly, try spending your money to help others to see for yourself if you be happy or not… always make sure you spent your money very wisely. True happiness is much more important than money.

From my perspective, I think the best philosophy of human nature that I have learned from the class is Immanuel Kant compared to other philosopher such as Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, Karl Marx, and Freud.

Plato was known as the father of idealism and one of the forefathers of philosophy; which is the love of wisdom. Whereas, Kant was known as the father of modern philosophy; and also, his ideas and theories were thought-provoking and complex.

In comparing and contrasting Plato and Kant, I find that they have many similar viewpoints; yet they have different observations as well.

The similarities between the two great minds are quite numerous. Plato believed that there are Forms that exist in an unchanging, unseen world; these Forms never change, they do not perish, or come to an end. It is these ethical Forms that position definite principles for us. While Kant believed that there is an unseen moral law or force that governs us. It is this moral law or force that we must abide by no matter what the circumstance or situation; thus we ought to do what is right, despite the outcome.

The differences that they have goes as follows: Plato did not believe in God, in the sense that God is an omnipotent, omniscient, transcendent being. His view of God is synonymous with the Forms of Goodness within the universe; that is there are Forms of Goodness that are in an unseen world, where the paradigm of goodness is complete; whereas Kant believed in God. Another difference is that Plato believed that learning is a form of recollection; while Kant believed that there are three different forms of knowledge. They are empirical (a posteriori), what is observed; analytical, what is reasoned or logical; and synthetic (a priori), meaning that they cannot be proved. Kant also believed that every event has a source and through every stage or phase, something is preserved.

The modern philosopher Kant is a typical representative of the ethics of Deontological Theories. The ancient great philosopher Aristotle is a typical representative of the ethics of happiness. On the issue of morality and happiness, Kant and Aristotle are more precisely opposite to each other.

To say that the two people are different in morality and happiness, or even opposite each other, does not mean that they have no common ground. They both have a deep mutual agreement on some key details. For example, Aristotle said: ‘Because happiness is a kind of activity in which the soul follows all virtues, we must explore virtues.’ This connection between virtue and human reality is deeply consistent with Kant, and these actions according to virtue are voluntary and based on rational choice, this is also recognized by Kant.

However, the differences that they have are as follows: Firstly, morality and happiness, Aristotle believed that it should be a combination of the two, both are inseparable. However, Kant believed that morality and happiness are two isolated issues. he thinks that it is necessary to be separated due to the perspective of moral legislation. Secondly, Aristotle believed that happiness is the purpose of morality itself. Whereas, Kant believed that morality is not for happiness, it is the purpose itself, it is the root of human beings. Thirdly, speaking of the importance of morality and happiness, Aristotle believes that happiness itself is the most essential thing to human beings, morality is ultimately serving happiness. In other words, happiness comes first then morality. Yet Kant put morality in the first place, and happiness in the second place. He thinks that only if people have morality, they are entitled to happiness.

A comparison between Hobbes and Kant, surely, has a limit that cannot be breached, because they are usually considered to be oriented in opposite directions and represent different political and philosophical trends: While Hobbes is considered to be a classical realist, Kant is usually regarded as a liberal advocate. Nonetheless, Hobbes and Kant share many ideas regarding their social contract theory, which altogether, may reveal that the gap between them is narrower than has previously been considered.

The differences that they have are as follows: Firstly, Hobbes did not think that it is important, because morality to him was only a strategy for getting whatever human happens to want. Furthermore, he believed that morality is entirely relative, depending on what ends we are trying to achieve. However, Kant believed that intentions are all that matter because human beings must do their duty, even if the consequences are unpleasant. He believed that human beings should treat reason as an absolute (whether it is or not), and morality is no different. Secondly, speaking of the motivation of a human being, Hobbes believed that as creatures naturally seeking survival, security, and happiness (and trying to avoid war), we will have the desire for selfishness, but we have to live in society. But Kant believed in so far as we are naturally drawn to truth, principle, consistency, and an objective view of behavior. Thirdly, speaking of politics, Hobbes believed that a society is a network of contacts built up over generations. Its vital element is a strong authority to enforce broken contacts, thus making mutual trust possible. Yet Kant believed that a single universal principle of government, based on individual rights and corresponding duties, with all rational citizens receiving due respect.

The similarities between Marx and Kant are they considered that as people are rational they are capable of making free choices and should be treated with respect, ends in their own right, now as means to a capitalist end. Furthermore, people should collectively act as though they were members of law-making the kingdom of ends.

However, they have different opinions about the idea of freedom and religion. Firstly, Marx believed that freedom should not be given to every human being, it can only be given to a selected few (such as a king or queen in the Middle Ages). Kant believed that human beings are born to be free, and they deserve to live in freedom for the rest of their life. He also believed that freedom lies in people’s inner self-determination and acting voluntarily, without being forced and bound by external forces, so freedom transcends causality and determinism. However, there is no freedom in the natural field to be constrained by causality. Only in the field of morality, human beings as moral subjects, by the moral laws they have established for themselves, act by ‘should’, is the real freedom. Secondly, Marx described religion as an “opium of the masses”. He believed that religion served as a function of giving human beings hope or purpose to live in this society and help them to reduce the suffering of living in this world. Yet Kant claimed that even though it is impossible to prove the existence of God from the perspective of epistemology, he believed that only in the assumption of a supreme being, with a basis for harmony with character, the world can achieve the highest good, the assumption of ‘God exists’ is necessary in the field of morality.

The uncertainty of life value and spiritual loneliness have caused troubles for human beings for a long time. Although human beings can never prove the existence of God by their knowledge and senses, human reason has an attempt to explore the infinite, so the hunger for God is an inevitable outcome when exploring infinite connotations with only a limited range of intellectuality. Sometimes, the greater the power of science, the more empty the human mind is. Under the conditions of highly developed modern science and technology, although human beings are more aware that ‘God’ is merely a hypothesis, the vain God cannot truly solve the ‘goodness’ problem of human freedom, equality, and happiness, but in his own Before the great wise men in the same category who could completely solve such problems, ‘God’ is still an irreplaceable choice.

The difference between Freud and Kant goes as follows: Freud believed in Determinism. “The first is his strict application of determinism—the principle that every event has preceding causes—to the realm of the mental.” (Leslie, 209) Freud believed that there’s no accidental event that happens in human behavior such as slips of the tongue, forgetting about something, dreams, and neurotic symptoms. He claimed that every thought or behavior that happens in human beings must have certain hidden mental causes behind it, it also means that he did not believe in free will. Whereas, Kant held an opposite idea with Freud. “Kant was a rock-solid believer in human freedom and moral responsibility. He saw humans as free, rational beings who can make choices that are not predetermined; after all, we are capable of acting on moral reasons, not just on self-interested desires.” (Leslie, 176) He believed that human beings are born to be free, therefore they must have free will in themselves.

Work Cited:

1. Plato Introduction, (PHIL 205 D2L site, spring 2019)
2. Aristotle Introduction, (PHIL 205 D2L site, spring 2019)
3. Leslie, Stevenson, David L. Haberman, and Peter Matthews, Twelve Theories of Human Nature, 2nd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013)

‘Money cannot buy true happiness’. Some people may say that this adage is no longer relevant because in this 21st century, we can’t live without money and without money, we won’t be happy. However, I strongly think, that this adage is indeed valid and relevant. In fact, the predominant reason I choose this topic is that it is food for thought for all of us.

Here is a story of a boy named Tom who was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Being the only child, Tom literally had everything a young child would ever dream of – a humongous mansion, the latest collection of toys and even a mini theme park behind the mansion – you name it, he has it. As his parents were too occupied with their business, they provided Tom with all the material needs, hoping that he would be happy.

One day, Tom texted his father: “Dad, may I know how much money you make in an hour?”.

His perplexed father answered:“Why, son?”.

Tom was very persistent to find out. In the end, his father replied: “About $200 per hour, son”.

Tom rushed to count the savings he had in his piggy bank.

“I have $400 in my piggy bank, Dad. Could you play with me for two hours?”.

His father was speechless and broke into tears. This simple story illustrates how money cannot buy true happiness.

Undeniably, the love and affection from our family is one of the factors which contributes to true happiness. In a family, there will be sweet and bittersweet memories created through the events or experiences the members go through as one unit. These memories are what make the family stronger. The unconditional love from our family members is simply priceless – no amount of money on earth could ever pay for that. On special occasions, aged parents do not hope for a thick red packet or pricey presents to be sent to them. What they want is just a simple meal with all their children. The time spent, the interactions, chats, laughter, and their warm hugs are the ingredients of true happiness within the family. This is certainly something which could not be obtained with money.

Moving on, true happiness also comes from our friendship. One may argue that money can buy friends for us, but the friendship is certainly not genuine as the foundation of the friendship is built on money. They are like a fair-weather friend which leaves us in times of trouble. On the other hand, a good friend is like a four-leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have. Sometimes, we simply feel happy when we are with our friends. Watching movies, cracking jokes, and playing games are truly welcome in our hectic lifestyle. Hence, true happiness is something free that naturally flourishes in our hearts when we have true friends by our side.

Furthermore, our mindset is also an indicator of true happiness. The easiest key to being happy is just to acquire a contented mindset. Try to appreciate and be grateful for what you have instead of craving for unnecessary material wealth. This is because material assets can only provide you transient pleasure that will soon fade away. Besides, avoid comparing yourself with the rich, as this may cause you to get caught in a rat race to the extent that you may neglect your loved ones and your health. How can a person be happy when he is confined to a wheelchair or bedridden for his entire life?

In conclusion, money may be able to buy a vast number of things but not the love that comes from our hearts, true friends and family. All of these are the most requisite ingredients to being happy and enjoying our lives to the fullest. It is true that happiness is simple when you keep it simple.

With that, I would like to end my essay with a quote from Benjamin Franklin, “Money has never made man happy, nor will it. There is nothing in its nature to produce happiness”. Remember that money can buy you an enormous mansion, but not a home, a watch, but not time and company, but not friendship.

There are regular discussions about how money makes people happier, which is more of a philosophical question, and this discussion topic can be deciphered from several perspectives without yielding a winner in the end, because each contention from both sides will not be correct, but will be a well-considered opinion.

The Notion Behind Happiness

Is happiness a defining moment in our life that arrives to fulfil or satisfy our needs? Is it a predisposition toward a fulfilment that gives us a positive feeling of exhilaration and gratitude, or is it something else entirely?

Similarly, I accept that there is a fascinating study of happiness that stresses how we as people have something in our minds that can be considered a ‘mental insusceptible framework’, a framework that helps people change their perspectives on the world so they can sleep well at night. Thinking about it I believe this to be the case because no matter what is new with a person, if it is going the way they want it to go; or if it does not satisfy us in any way, I believe this to be the case. We try to find the positive aspects of what happened to convince ourselves that it was all meant to be, even if it didn’t turn out the way we had hoped. This can be clarified as happiness, which is what we feel when we don’t obtain what we want.

Natural happiness, on the other hand, is the joy we experience when we have what we require. We won’t be happy if we become reliant on getting every result we require, given that taking note of is unsurprising. We should figure out how to find happiness in any situation, whether lucky or unfortunate because it will help us see things.

Money and Happiness: Understanding the Correlation as an Argument

On the one hand, money brings happiness to people. As far as I’m concerned, this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that money makes people happy. We live in a world where everything we own, including items and services, is purchased with money, whether it’s food, housing, clothing, or even the most insignificant item we own.

You can’t be happy when you wake up in the morning and realize your bank account is empty, especially if you are the father of a family. What good is it if it can’t help you find happiness? Genuine happiness stems from personal connections and circumstances, yet research reveals that those with lower salaries are more helpless in the face of sadness. According to a study, poor people had more medical problems and were also more depressed. In any case, when people have enough money to deal with their problems, they are unlikely to be under a lot of stress.

The Counterargument to Money and Happiness as a Correlative Factor

Money, on the other hand, does not make people happy. Instead, I’ll suggest that money enhances happiness. There are two ways to spend your money that are guaranteed to bring you happiness and prosperity: encounters and presents. When you spend money on an experience, such as an outing or a visit to a gallery, there are a few things that happen that can increase your enjoyment but cannot be bought with money.

To begin with, you are attempting to flee the house and encountering something novel. Oddity appeals to our minds. Then, perhaps, you’ll be joining others who are coming with friends or family to the exhibition hall with your auntie. Furthermore, you create positive memories that you can reflect on later, resulting in more stable prosperity and happiness. When you’re out travelling, you can shoot photos and share them with others, resulting in stronger friendly relationships. The main problem at that moment is that money may be able to bring you happiness, but it all depends on how you use it.

Conclusion

The adage ‘money can’t buy happiness’ is true because there is nothing left to do at this point but acquire materialistic goods, which can’t bring you happiness, so if you’re unhappy, you’ll just make others miserable as well. Overall, we can say that the debate between money and happiness will be endless because everything said is a valid judgement. However, the most important thing to remember is that money and happiness are both possible.

Many people will do everything to get some money even the thing that can harm their lives. Some cannot live without money. It has been said that money makes the world go around. That’s the main reason why people kill someone because they are greedy for money. Even we the students, we study hard so that we can get money in the future to buy our needs and wants. Even so I believe that money can’t buy happiness. It is something that we cannot live without. It is clearly that money cannot buy happiness. Many couples are anger to one another because of money. One of them are using money to get their wants, their luxury to gain more power for their self. Many families do not have much time to each other because they have a lot of worked to do to earn money even though they cannot spend their money because of the heavier workload that they had. They do not have some energy to go to the mall for shopping because they are so tired for the whole day business that they encountered. Thus, people who work hard to get much money does not bring happiness to their live but a misery.

Worst is that money is the main suspect, why many couples and families that are facing difficulty in their relationship. Like the situation that we face sometimes in the Filipino families we sometimes fight over the inheritance that we will get. What else makes sense why we save so much money when every family’s relationship breaks down or ruin.

However, from a different point of view, money is the reason why someone makes happy. For others, earning enough money can pay to their monthly bills, their whole month supply of foods. For other people, it could be the reason to buy things and to travel their dream vacation. Afterall, some persons are not happy because they face financial problems.

Mark Twain once said, “The lack of money is the root of evil”. As for me, I agree with this statement, because as I have observed, there are lot of couples, families and friends are not in a good relationship because they have lack of money. Like for an example: to the couple, since they have lack of money so there is a possibility that one of her or his partner use an illegal act like involvement drugs and others are having a mistress in order to get more money. Some of the government employees also are doing graft and corruption in order to get more money to satisfy their needs and wants. While other families, they don’t have a good relationship because of the unequal wealth that they have inherit. Some are committed a crime because of money.

In finally realization, I can say that it is not money, or it is the lack of money, which is the root of all evil. People can cross their moral limits in pursuit of money. Sometimes people forget that money is just one of essential thing not everything. We should not forget the true value of our life. The most important thing that we should always do is to count the blessings that we receive each day and not counting of money because the people who love money can always do an evil act. We should give a great value and have a good relationship to our fellowmen. Love of them is the most important and not the love of money for it bring us into a root of all evil.

Introduction

‘Chi cheng!’ the sound of money passed over my ears again. Do you love this kind of sound? Yes, there is someone purchasing something but there is none of my business again. Everyone said, money is not everything, but you can’t do anything without money. Even though there are some people who feel that there is still something that could not be bought. However, what I wish to ask is, will you be happy without anything even like necessary goods? I believe that your answer may be ‘no’. This is because everything has to be bought with money in this realistic world. In my opinion, money can buy happiness, without money we may not be happy.

First of all, why do we think that money can buy happiness? This is because money could protect us or we could say that it is giving us a guarantee to our life. I believe that there are a great majority of people in this world who love themselves and their family members. Thus, I think that having a healthy and joyful family reunion may be great happiness for us. However, sometimes fortune may change in the blink of an eye, and there are always chances to have diseases that cannot be avoided turn up in people’s bodies especially elders. Therefore, at this moment, buying adequate insurance could be an ideal way to ensure that our family members are being protected. But if we do not have enough money to afford the value of adequate insurance, our life or even our family members’ life may not be guaranteed. This may cause us to be thrown into confusion when accidents come. For example, a family without buying any insurance may miss the best chance to cure a sick family member and this may cause a very big chance to lose their loved one. Hence, I believe that no one may be happy by losing anyone from their life. But if there is a family that could afford the value of insurance, their life and health may be guaranteed by the insurance company. Hence there is a higher chance for a sick family member to be cured as they may have lesser worries about the fees like operation fees. In my opinion, money can indirectly protect us from dangers, if family members reunite, then it brings happiness, that’s why money can buy happiness.

Furthermore, through money, we can enjoy our life better. Enjoyment is nothing but we can get satisfaction after achieving something that we are seeking. There are many ways to describe enjoyment such as achieving or trying something new. To achieve enjoyment, we always need to spend some money for better experiences and safety. For example, we cannot ski without any equipment. We have to buy and wear a complete set of equipment so that we can get a good experience and ensure our safety. Through money, we have more choices to enjoy our life better. Also, travel is many people’s dream that can make them feel happy, relaxed, and enjoy the beauty of life. At the same time, it can also be defined as an unnecessary activity that would only make people spend their money on those people who cannot afford it. In order to cultivate and sustain a happy life and increase the quality of life, money is necessary. Therefore, we think that money can buy happiness.

Opponents may claim that money could not perfectly fulfill people’s needs, especially the most important thing to everyone which is the relationship between one another such as family bonds, friendship, relationships, and even business relationships. Unfortunately, these are those who cannot buy with money. The relationship between one and another is all maintained with the sincere appreciation that shows by an individual to others. For example, we gain trust from others and a feeling of belonging in society through caring for others and matters that we handle. As a result, love and a happy life come when we are having a lovely family, caring friends, and classmates who will always care and think about us. We will not fear anything and we will be getting stronger as they always show their strong back to us. Our life becomes meaningful and happy when we are around loved ones. Through that, we have proved that money could not buy happiness. If the relationship is priceless, then why there are so many families fighting because of the financial problem? This is because they do not have enough money to afford their living cost. For example, from the newspaper, we have known that there are nearly half of the marriages which end in divorce in Malaysia break down due to financial problems. The Community Development Minister Hannah Yeoh said, “Couples never underestimate the impact of financial challenges that a marriage faces. When a couple faces financial issues and are unable to solve it, this leads to a divorce.” (Jay, 2019) So, we can see how much important of have money in our life. If we do have enough money, we might not have to face financial stress. If we don’t have financial stress, then it might lead us to a happier life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, money can buy happiness. We should have money then only my own happiness. This is because money could solve too many of our life problems. Therefore, we should give our best effort to earn money by doing the right things in the right ways in order to have a better life. Lastly, I think that money can buy happiness.

References

1. Jay, B. N. (2019, May 25). Financial issues biggest cause of divorce in Malaysia. Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/05/491331/financial-issues-biggest-cause-divorce-malaysia

Happiness is something essential in our everyday lives. It is a part of the building blocks of living a good life. I find joy in wrestling, family, friends, my phone, and fun activities. I find happiness and joy in these because I am usually spending time with the ones I love and care about. Other people can find happiness in many things whether it’s their car, house, family, and many others. This leads us to the question… can money buy happiness? If money does buy us happiness, do we enjoy working for that money? Are the rich people truly happy? How can I live to have a happy life? I believe that money can buy temporary happiness, but real happiness, real long-lasting joy comes from doing the things you love with the ones you care about.

Most people work, go to school, or do something that helps them or their family to make money. So, my question is, if money can buy us happiness, do we enjoy working for that money? Now 60% percent of Americans are employed (). Out of that 60%, only 32% enjoy working. With a bit of math, 19.2% of the United States population enjoy working. So, that means about 80% of Americans are spending more than half their day unhappy working for money, which can maybe buy them happiness depending on how they use it. Is it worth it? Does it make sense to take the job that will earn you a few extra bucks or take the job you enjoy and make just a steady living? Let’s say you do take the unhappy job that earns you a little more money. You work all those years, retire, pay off your house, and have a really nice car, but your relationship with your family is terrible because you spent all your time at the office. You look back at all those years, slaving away at a job that made you upset and angry at times. You have no real friends and your family despises you, but hey, you got a real nice-looking car there… money cannot buy happiness, happiness is found in spending time with the ones you love doing what you love.

The wealthy people live the “perfect” life, with luxury cars, mansions, pools, and endless vacations. They never have to worry about the next time they’re going to eat or if they can provide for their family. Seems like a pretty easy, happy life. Are they truly happy though? Studies show that “at a certain level of wealth, the next million isn’t going to suddenly revolutionize their lifestyle. What drives people, once they’ve reached that point, to keep pursuing more?” (). Basically, saying that once you’ve reached that high point of being rich. People lose that drive to want more in life. They figure that their life should be perfect. But everyone knows no one’s life is perfect it just can’t. So that is saying, whenever a minor problem shows up, the rich are going to act like the world is going to end. They’ll crumble and be very sad, maybe get depression. About 62% of American celebrities suffer from a mental illness of sort (). Even with all that fame, glory, and money, they are not satisfied or happy. True happiness comes from the people you love and care about. Not money nor fame can give you that same happiness.

Works Cited

1. https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/employment-rate
2. https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2018/12/rich-people-happy-money/577231/

Happiness is a difficult phrase to define. Everyone possesses specific perspectives of happiness from their very own experience. Some human beings would say money can purchase you happiness due to the fact they presume money may want to supply them power, whilst others disagree. From my very own perspective, I personally consider that money may want to no longer purchase eternal pleasure into your life. Money is a simple want in our lives to purchase our everyday necessitates. Having a lot of money may want to be used to purchase fancy and steeply-priced goods, however the pride would solely be limited. Furthermore, money can’t purchase you the thoughts you get from love and affection. Money is preferred via everyone, however it can’t purchase you everything, for example: customary know-how or a deceased cherished one and the memories made with them. Happiness is now not decided by means of what your bank account may want to afford, it is certainly appreciating the small matters lifestyles brings you.

Money can’t buy you happiness, even although it is thinking to be one of the most powerful matters in lifestyles due to the fact anybody desires money, however money can’t even buy you life-long buddies or a loveable family. Love is a feeling of deep affection; it is an incredibly effective word. Love is an emotion in life that can’t be tarnished because when you love someone, there is no denying it. Friends and family can deliver pleasure into your existence that money may want to not buy. When you have an actual friendship, they’ll remain by means of your aspect no depend what, but if you pick to purchase your friendship with money, they’ll go away you as soon as you have lost your treasured possessions. Those who are less lucky live in smaller residences with fewer possessions, but some of them are extra satisfied with their lifestyles than the wealthy due to the fact their love can nonetheless be observed in their warm hearts. Bill Gates as soon as stated: “When you have cash in your hand, you forget about who you are. But when you don’t have cash in your hand, everyone forgets who you are”. According to a find out about executed via Huffington Post, human beings with greater cash have a tendency to be more properly revered than these with less. However, you do no longer need money in order to be well respected.

Money can solely be used to purchase cloth goods such as shelter, a bed and many more items. Many people presume that cash can be used to purchase everything in this world, but what it can’t buy you is life training and knowledge. You can use all the cash you choose to get a true education and come to be a splendid musician or something, however you won’t study how to deal with the real world. In reality, you’ll have to deal with many kinds of problematic limitations, and money won’t be capable to help. Another example of what money can’t purchase or convey returned is a deceased loved one and the reminiscences made with them. If you smash something, cash should convey it back. If you lose a precious item, money may want to carry that lower back too. However, no be counted how an awful lot money you have, you could in no way convey again anyone you loved who exceeded away. Money cannot purchase you everything you desire in life.

Money is a basic want in our lives that ought to be used to buy day-to-day necessitates. Having a lot of money can be used to purchase fancy goods, but the pleasure would solely be limited. Many people believe buying life experiences and substances are well worth spending money on. However, according to Ryan Howell, a professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, neither life experiences nor material gadgets will make shoppers happier than they have been before purchasing something. Even with lottery tickets, every person wishes to win large so they could end their job, stay in a lovely mansion, and spend the rest of their days doing whatever they would like. However, in accordance to a find out about made with the aid of BBC News, people who had large wins on the lottery had been extraordinarily excited to hear that they have received a massive amount of money, but later on they ended up no happier than they were before.

In conclusion, I strongly consider that money ought to now not bring everlasting joy into your existence, because buying substances will solely result in a confined quantity of satisfaction, it can’t buy you the thoughts you get from love and affection, and it additionally cannot purchase everything in world such as widespread understanding and a deceased cherished one or the memories made with them. Money can make existence easier, for example, you can buy a fancy vehicle to get you to locations faster, but an average auto will achieve the same thing, however, it may additionally now not be as notably or fast, however it nevertheless achieves its closing goal: to get you to your destination. Money can additionally purchase highly-priced items however they will only supply a limited quantity of happiness due to the fact after its novelty passes you would have to purchase something better. In the lengthy run, money cannot buy happiness due to the fact the most precious things in lifestyles can’t be sold with money; they have to be earned, such as friendship and love.