The Happiness Project (Sem 2)
The Happiness project was a project that was a project that was digging deep at the roots of true happiness and self discovery. We were trying to find what happiness really was, and how we can find it. Also, we looked at meaning, and what role meaning takes in finding happiness. Some discoveries we made were really mind blowing, and will stick with me throughout my life. Overall, happiness is key, but meaning might just be even more important.
My Happiness Essay
Happily Ever After
Happiness is extremely important because without it, we may not feel like there is a meaning for us in life. We can only be happy if we choose to do so, and if we choose to live a life full of simplicity to pursue this happiness we want. To find our own happiness, we need to show true compassion, participate in physical activities, understand the importance of meaning and contentment, and realize that there should be no cost to others to fulfill this happiness we experience. If we can do all of these things, a life full of joy and exhilaration is ahead.
Showing compassion to the people around you can be one of the many things in life that can cause great joy and happiness to ourselves. This includes having sympathy and concern for the sufferings of others. Just having the want to help others and have compassion can create intrinsic happiness. The movie Happy shows many ways that we can be happy in life and it specifically said that the more compassion you have for others, the more happiness you will experience. Not only can helping others make them happy, but it also will make you happy. Also, the movie Happy explains that seeking your own happiness can be selfish, and we should start focusing on trying to make others happy. Only focusing on your own happiness can come off as greedy, and you could send the wrong message to others. Compassion is important to have and to show, and is one of the key factors to living a balanced and joyous life.
Another key aspect to finding happiness includes participating in physical activities. Physical activities are not only good for your body, but can actually create happiness. The movie Happy explained that dopamine, a chemical inside of our brains, is released whenever we are in these activities. Dopamine is the “happy chemical” and is what we feel when we are delighted. The more physical activities you are in, the more dopamine is released, causing more and more happiness. Studies that are found in the movie Happy have shown that about 40% of your internal happiness is caused from intentional activities, meaning the things you do that make you happy. These include sports or anything that you enjoy doing. Actions that release dopamine will have you feeling content and peaceful in your mind and body. To conclude, it is crucial to have activities that you favor frequently in your life, and much happiness will follow your way.
Love and cooperation can not only bring us happiness, but also true meaning in life. Meaning plays a very key role in happiness, and this meaning can be found by simply loving others. The article “There is More to Life than Happiness” said “meaning is focused on others, on human love.” Experiencing love can bring contentment to yourself, but sharing this love with others will bring joy to them, and also you. Another aspect that can bring meaning and happiness to you is cooperation. Cooperation instead of competition will bring simplicity and ease to you. A movie about finding meaning in life called I Am stated, “Cooperation is in our nature, and sets up apart to find our own purpose.” By following what is already inside of ourselves, we can stop focusing on just trying to pursue a happy life, but focus on pursuing a meaningful life. Ultimately, meaning plays a big role in happiness, but by seeking love and cooperation, you may just be able to encounter both.
To find our own happiness, we must look to see if this pleasure is coming at the cost of the suffering of others. All around us, we may not even know, people are are in agony just to please ourselves. An example of this is from the article called “Children of the Congo Who Risk their Lives to Supply our Mobile Phones” that talks about how every day, children are mining underground to get minerals we have in our phones. The article shows that many things that our in our daily lives come from the hardships of others, even though we still decide to use these things every day. Another example of the suffering of others is from a short story called “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” expressing “To exchange the goodness and grace of every life, one must suffer.” The quote is trying to explain that happiness does come at a cost, and we need to find a way to eliminate the suffering of others while trying to find our way to elation. In essence, even if there is a cost for happiness, there shouldn’t be, as we may just be creating this cost to others ourselves.
In the final analysis, I think it is important to not only teach happiness but ensure that our society focusses on it. To create happiness, you cannot be afraid of anything that comes your way. You cannot be afraid of the outcome, what others will think of you, or what will happen to you, you just simply need to follow wherever life takes you, and that is where your true happiness will come from. Making others happy along the way is a bonus, and will even bring greater joy to you. In short, happiness is everywhere and in order to truly experience it we must grab onto in ourselves, and focus on holding on to this our whole lives.
Happiness is extremely important because without it, we may not feel like there is a meaning for us in life. We can only be happy if we choose to do so, and if we choose to live a life full of simplicity to pursue this happiness we want. To find our own happiness, we need to show true compassion, participate in physical activities, understand the importance of meaning and contentment, and realize that there should be no cost to others to fulfill this happiness we experience. If we can do all of these things, a life full of joy and exhilaration is ahead.
Showing compassion to the people around you can be one of the many things in life that can cause great joy and happiness to ourselves. This includes having sympathy and concern for the sufferings of others. Just having the want to help others and have compassion can create intrinsic happiness. The movie Happy shows many ways that we can be happy in life and it specifically said that the more compassion you have for others, the more happiness you will experience. Not only can helping others make them happy, but it also will make you happy. Also, the movie Happy explains that seeking your own happiness can be selfish, and we should start focusing on trying to make others happy. Only focusing on your own happiness can come off as greedy, and you could send the wrong message to others. Compassion is important to have and to show, and is one of the key factors to living a balanced and joyous life.
Another key aspect to finding happiness includes participating in physical activities. Physical activities are not only good for your body, but can actually create happiness. The movie Happy explained that dopamine, a chemical inside of our brains, is released whenever we are in these activities. Dopamine is the “happy chemical” and is what we feel when we are delighted. The more physical activities you are in, the more dopamine is released, causing more and more happiness. Studies that are found in the movie Happy have shown that about 40% of your internal happiness is caused from intentional activities, meaning the things you do that make you happy. These include sports or anything that you enjoy doing. Actions that release dopamine will have you feeling content and peaceful in your mind and body. To conclude, it is crucial to have activities that you favor frequently in your life, and much happiness will follow your way.
Love and cooperation can not only bring us happiness, but also true meaning in life. Meaning plays a very key role in happiness, and this meaning can be found by simply loving others. The article “There is More to Life than Happiness” said “meaning is focused on others, on human love.” Experiencing love can bring contentment to yourself, but sharing this love with others will bring joy to them, and also you. Another aspect that can bring meaning and happiness to you is cooperation. Cooperation instead of competition will bring simplicity and ease to you. A movie about finding meaning in life called I Am stated, “Cooperation is in our nature, and sets up apart to find our own purpose.” By following what is already inside of ourselves, we can stop focusing on just trying to pursue a happy life, but focus on pursuing a meaningful life. Ultimately, meaning plays a big role in happiness, but by seeking love and cooperation, you may just be able to encounter both.
To find our own happiness, we must look to see if this pleasure is coming at the cost of the suffering of others. All around us, we may not even know, people are are in agony just to please ourselves. An example of this is from the article called “Children of the Congo Who Risk their Lives to Supply our Mobile Phones” that talks about how every day, children are mining underground to get minerals we have in our phones. The article shows that many things that our in our daily lives come from the hardships of others, even though we still decide to use these things every day. Another example of the suffering of others is from a short story called “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” expressing “To exchange the goodness and grace of every life, one must suffer.” The quote is trying to explain that happiness does come at a cost, and we need to find a way to eliminate the suffering of others while trying to find our way to elation. In essence, even if there is a cost for happiness, there shouldn’t be, as we may just be creating this cost to others ourselves.
In the final analysis, I think it is important to not only teach happiness but ensure that our society focusses on it. To create happiness, you cannot be afraid of anything that comes your way. You cannot be afraid of the outcome, what others will think of you, or what will happen to you, you just simply need to follow wherever life takes you, and that is where your true happiness will come from. Making others happy along the way is a bonus, and will even bring greater joy to you. In short, happiness is everywhere and in order to truly experience it we must grab onto in ourselves, and focus on holding on to this our whole lives.
Happiness Art Piece
Project Reflection
1. If you were going to advise someone on how to find happiness what would you tell them?
To find happiness, I would first tell them to look around themselves, and be happy with where you are and who you are in the moment. To find true happiness, I think it is especially important to realize that we are very fortunate, and things could be a lot worse. I would also tell them that it is more important to find their own meaning in life, and then focus on happiness. Finding happiness can also be a bit selfish, so I would advise to show true compassion and help others by making them happy too. By helping others and finding this meaning in life, happiness is sure to follow.
2. Generate a plan for your summer that incorporates your understanding of happiness and meaning. Outline the plan below. Connect what you plan to do with what you learned. Use the directions below as well.
For a summer full of happiness and meaning, I am going to try to get out of Durango as much as possible. In the beginning I will be catching up with friends and hiking the beautiful trails in Colorado, and then I am going to travel. Traveling is one thing that makes me very happy, and makes me feel as though I do have meaning. I am staying inside the country, but traveling from coast to coast. During these trips I want to relax and enjoy where I am in the moment, which I think can bring contentment to anyone. This summer I will make sure to savor each place that I end up, but never forget where my true home is.
3. Looking back over this project, how will what you learned in this project impact your life?
One of the most interesting things I learned was that most of the time, happiness does not mean anything unless you have true meaning in your life as well. Meaning is important to have because on the outside we may show that we are happy, but deep down inside we many feel shallow and empty. With meaning, we can feel like we have a place in life, and happiness is even easier to find. I also learned that the “Pursuit of Happiness” is quite selfish in a way, and that we should also focus on others well being. If we can focus on not only ourselves, more happiness will come. These two things I feel will have a big impact on my life.
To find happiness, I would first tell them to look around themselves, and be happy with where you are and who you are in the moment. To find true happiness, I think it is especially important to realize that we are very fortunate, and things could be a lot worse. I would also tell them that it is more important to find their own meaning in life, and then focus on happiness. Finding happiness can also be a bit selfish, so I would advise to show true compassion and help others by making them happy too. By helping others and finding this meaning in life, happiness is sure to follow.
2. Generate a plan for your summer that incorporates your understanding of happiness and meaning. Outline the plan below. Connect what you plan to do with what you learned. Use the directions below as well.
For a summer full of happiness and meaning, I am going to try to get out of Durango as much as possible. In the beginning I will be catching up with friends and hiking the beautiful trails in Colorado, and then I am going to travel. Traveling is one thing that makes me very happy, and makes me feel as though I do have meaning. I am staying inside the country, but traveling from coast to coast. During these trips I want to relax and enjoy where I am in the moment, which I think can bring contentment to anyone. This summer I will make sure to savor each place that I end up, but never forget where my true home is.
3. Looking back over this project, how will what you learned in this project impact your life?
One of the most interesting things I learned was that most of the time, happiness does not mean anything unless you have true meaning in your life as well. Meaning is important to have because on the outside we may show that we are happy, but deep down inside we many feel shallow and empty. With meaning, we can feel like we have a place in life, and happiness is even easier to find. I also learned that the “Pursuit of Happiness” is quite selfish in a way, and that we should also focus on others well being. If we can focus on not only ourselves, more happiness will come. These two things I feel will have a big impact on my life.