Definition Essay: What Is Happiness?

1503 Words7 Pages
What is happiness? In general, I would say that happiness is that feeling I get when I come home at the end of the day to my dogs jumping, elated to see me. It’s that idealized concept of an an empty, sandy beach on an island in the south pacific. That first slice of a nice, moist chocolate cake. If you go to the dictionary and look up happiness, the definition is “the state of being happy”. While these examples do fit that definition of happiness, these are ephemeral concepts that may be better defined as pleasure. When approaching happiness from a philosophical standpoint, I think the better interpretation of the word are some of its synonyms: contentment, satisfaction, well being. But what does it take to be happy? For some, it…show more content…
One thing is to attend college and further my education. I’ve always considered myself to be a smart person, I possess a lot of knowledge about many different subjects. This knowledge, however, hasn’t come directly from my college education, but from reading in my free time and actual life experience. What my college education has helped develop in me is critical thinking skills. It has helped me think about my thinking, and in turn I am better able to analyze my life and the world around me. Going to college also holds a certain selfish motivation for me, as I know that completing a terminal level degree will enable me to earn more money in my lifetime, as well as endow me with a higher social rank. I found myself longing for companionship late last year, so I rescued a puppy from a shelter and brought her home. She has brought so much joy to my life. Earlier this year, I figured that she could use a companion and rescued another puppy from a different shelter. The two of them give me something to work for, and have been a positive addition to my life. They also help keep me focused on my end goals in life. One other thing I did was move to Hawaii. I did this purely for the thrill of it. I found myself stuck in a rut, and didn’t know what to do to fix it. It gave me instant happiness, the ephemeral kind, but long term, it didn’t stick in a lasting sort of way. I would consider these to be “higher pleasures”. Pursuing a degree at an institution of higher education certainly fits this definition, as it engages my critical thinking skills, thus allowing me to better examine my life and the world around me. Rescuing my pups is also a “higher pleasure”, one that I am privileged enough to be able to participate

More about Definition Essay: What Is Happiness?

Open Document