Analysis Of Darrin M. Mcmahon's Article 'Pursuit Of Unhappiness'
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The Meaning of Happiness
In Darrin M. McMahon’s article entitled, “The Pursuit of Unhappiness“, he supports his argument by using John Stuart Mill’s quotation which states, "Those are only happy, who have their minds fixed on some object other their own happiness, on the happiness of others, on the improvement of mankind, even on some art of pursuit, followed not as a means, but at itself an ideal end.” (McMahon 2) I agree with this statement because it demonstrates that even though everyone is trying to pursue their own happiness, they should put that energy towards doing something productive to improve the world. If we focus only on our own happiness, we will not be able to be truly happy.
In his essay, Mill suggests that pursuing personal happiness is by improving the world around oneself. Mill develops his argument by writing about Americans becoming depressed by pursuing happiness, and not focusing on something actually important like spending time with their family. The purpose of Mill’s essay is to convince his audience (depressed Americans) to pursue matters that are highly valuable for society so that the term happiness is more meaningful. His intended audience are depressed Americans trying to achieve their goal of happiness. People can change their experience with depression by changing their way of pursuing happiness.
In addition,…show more content… This makes it seem as if the world is one big utopia where everyone gets along. However, the reality is that the world is filled with war, violence, drugs, and many other problems that can be changed by the goodness of the people who live in