Reflection Of Augustine On Happiness

1394 Words6 Pages
Augustine believes that human beings all seek happiness and that this happiness can only be achieved through the supreme good, which consists of the enjoyment of God. True happiness can only occur, and is rewarded in the arms of God in the afterlife, when man chooses to be virtuous in this life. Consequently, this virtue is deeply rooted in and founded on a gift from God: love. Man is made to constantly seek happiness, and this constant seeking conveys that there is an emptiness within man. Augustine espouses that in order to attain true happiness, it is required of man to move past the natural and extend to the supernatural. Augustine states that supreme good cannot be found in this world and it can only be found in eternal union with God.…show more content…
She was the only source of mutual affection I had during that trip and my happiness was dependent on her companionship. Through the months after our separation, I grew jaded and wary of people. I could not bring myself to forgive her despite her profuse apologies. Many of our friends attempted to reconcile us but I was stubborn in my conviction that she was no longer deserving of my love and friendship. I replaced her with other things–hobbies that I loved, buying clothes and things that made me temporarily happy. I buried myself in school work and the rewards of good grades and I turned away from her affections. It was only recently that I finally found closure. It was in Theology 131, under Fr. Pojol that I had a revelation on love. I cannot even remember the specific thing he said to our class but I remember feeling bewildered and changed. Because of this, I had the ability to move on and talk to Lisa again. We were able to forgive each other and slowly rebuild our friendship through the grace of God. Her being a Mormon and me being a Catholic did not deter us from our renewed love for each…show more content…
Why does happiness matter so much to humanity? Because there is a certain sense of emptiness that puts it forward. We attempt to find love and joy in finite things: in our material possessions, in pets, in experiences or trips abroad, and countless other limited objects. This manifests in our movies, novels, radio programs, noon time shows, and social media. We are encouraged to find “the one.” To have perfect friends and perfect husbands and perfect families. Loving ends up disordered and untrue. Our society perpetuates the pursuance of finite things in order to fill the void in ourselves but it is only in God that we can fill the void. Unless God enthralls us, we cannot be free. We usually assume that love is easy because it involves loving people we like–the paradox is that it is not. The dignity of love, is not by the repayment of it but by sincerity of the meaning that man draws from the experience. Expecting another to love us back or expecting another to do certain things for our love only serves to dismantle that love. Similar to God’s love for us, unconditional love is a solitary profession; making conditions for it distorts
Show More
Related

  • Aeneid Vs. Augustine's Confessions

    1434 Words  | 6 Pages

    the Confessions, the most important relationship is between Augustine and his mother Monica. In both cases, these relationships emphasize a sense of duty by the child toward their parent. These relationships differ in the wider issue they address; where Aeneas’s relationship with his father represents an emphasis on Roman lineage and national identity, Augustine’s relationship with his mother represents a mutual equality

    Read More

More about Reflection Of Augustine On Happiness

Open Document