Week 1 - Post 1

Happiness is a vague concept; I often associate happiness with activities that brings pleasure. However, there are clear distinction between true happiness and pleasure. I believe happiness is events that one can reminisce and still feel content, but pleasure cannot. I believe pleasure is a short term happiness felt during the occurrence of events. I think pleasure is a path that can lead to happiness, but not all pleasure makes me happy. For example, watching television is pleasurable, but I do not feel happy after I turn off the television. When I finally perfected a song on a piano, I feel happy, the sense of accomplishment can be felt even months after I completed the song.

Events such as spending time with friends, going to the beach, or travel to an unfamiliar country for the first time makes me happy, even simple things as sitting on the couch enjoying lovely California sunshine generates happiness. As time progresses, I realize that definition of happiness changes as I experience different stages of life. Watching my baby cousin, playing with her toy dog makes her smile and happy. My sister in elementary school thinks buying a new toy makes her happy. During my high school years I think spending time with friends makes me happy. I see different goals and different dreams at different ages. I recently scored the highest score of the class on a difficult engineering final, which made me very proud of myself and exceedingly happy. The sense of accomplishment of grasping difficult concept is like achieving enlightenment, and is extremely satisfactory.

My future happiness will come when I graduate from university, perhaps get accept into a prestigious graduate school and obtaining masters degree. Hopefully achieve a successful career and able to support my parents, future wife, and future children.

According to Aristotle, goal in life is to search for happiness, our desires and aspirations in life are to search for such happiness. Aristotle also state that happiness must base on human nature, so happiness cannot be found in abstract or ideal notions. Happiness must be achieved through human experience, and must be found in life and works of everyday life. Happiness is also unique to human, because humans have desires and can control those desires; the ability to control desires is called moral virtue, which determines good in life.

Aristotle will agree with my view such that there are clear distinction between pleasure and happiness, and that happiness achieves a greater mean than pleasure. My form of happiness is accomplished through life experiences. Aristotle also coincides with my form of happiness and goals in life, which represents an ultimate end that I pursuit after.