Happiness and Meaning
Artist Statement:
The piece of art that I created was a stencil of a close up side view of a girl. Behind the girl or what is shown through the girl on the left is an ocean and on the right is mountains. In between the two girls there is a sun, this represents the happiness coming together between the two different sides of the girl. It is showing where they meet to create the happiness in life. This relates to me because these two specific pictures shows the two sides to me. These two sides of me, that bring the most joy and happiness to my life. I was born and raised in the mountains and that environment will always make me happy and feel at home. The ocean and the water is another place I belive I find happiness and I feel happiest. The quote I used corresponds to my art piece because this piece is showing the idea of letting go of how I am being told to find happiness for myself, but in this poster it is showing I have found what will make me happy and I am emphasizing it. It also shows celebrating the life I have though the sun.
The piece of art that I created was a stencil of a close up side view of a girl. Behind the girl or what is shown through the girl on the left is an ocean and on the right is mountains. In between the two girls there is a sun, this represents the happiness coming together between the two different sides of the girl. It is showing where they meet to create the happiness in life. This relates to me because these two specific pictures shows the two sides to me. These two sides of me, that bring the most joy and happiness to my life. I was born and raised in the mountains and that environment will always make me happy and feel at home. The ocean and the water is another place I belive I find happiness and I feel happiest. The quote I used corresponds to my art piece because this piece is showing the idea of letting go of how I am being told to find happiness for myself, but in this poster it is showing I have found what will make me happy and I am emphasizing it. It also shows celebrating the life I have though the sun.
Happiness Essay
Happiness is very hard to grasp, the comprehension of what makes us happy, and what happiness is in general. Everyone around you wants to be happy and able to have that feeling of happiness in their life. In Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley he introduced the idea of artificial happiness and relying of soma to produce their happiness. Artificial happiness was also shown through the conditioning process. This is an example of false happiness the citizens are being told by a higher power to be who they are and what makes them happy. In reality you have to seek that for yourself. To find happiness as an individual you need to have a reason, able to know your own personal uniqueness and singleness, and the capability to rely less on material and objects to help us achieve happiness.
Each individual needs a reason to be happy, happiness doesn’t come free to us. As stated in the article written by Emily Esfahani Smith There’s More To Life Than Being Happy, “...happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to ‘be happy’” (Emily). Happiness isn’t a feeling that just comes to us we have to have to induce a reason for one to be happy. Happiness will come to you. If you try to “catch” it, you will never get it. You can do things in your life that you enjoy to increase the ability to be happy, but you will never achieve true happiness through that activity. Have you ever noticed the least expected moments lead to great happiness? Leading to appreciation and the production of meaning in your life. This connects to another quote from the article There’s More To Life Than Being Happy, “Having meaning and purpose in life increases overall well being and life satisfaction.” (Emily). I have learned throughout this process everyone has a different trigger to their purpose; everyone finds self purpose in a different way. When you do something that produces this feeling of purpose for you or someone else, your outcome of overall happiness will be a lot more achievable and greater. Overall happiness comes with when we find purpose, in order to be happy you need to actively seek the purpose.
Each individual can achieve happiness in life by finding their own personal uniqueness and singleness. This creates meaning in one's life, creating an important version of happiness. As distinguished in the article written by Emily Esfahani Smith There’s More To Life Than Being Happy, “Uniqueness and singleness which distinguishes each individual and gives meaning to his or her existence…” (Emily). Each member of society has to find their specific uniqueness in life, what sets them apart from everyone else in order to find meaning in oneself and in life. As a society we feel the need to not show our ambience for if we do, we will not fit into the distinct standards. Meaning plays an essential role in our happiness. Meaning keeps a critical balance in our life. If we did not have this balance, our life would be shallow and self absorbed. In order to find meaning you need to exist outside of your ego and live outside of the here and now, compared to an intrinsic existence where each individual focuses on themselves. Many believe you find happiness by living in the present, those who contemplate the past and future tend to be less happy but, they have more meaning in their life. An example of personal uniqueness and singleness is emphasizing a personality trait of you have that another may not. Such as the fact everyone interacts with others very differently, some like to care for their peers but others like to be more lively and be the voice representative. Personally I find happiness in my life through meaning, showing your kindness and another, devotion to another conveys happiness. Seeing the way you can impact or bring joy to someone's life creates meaning for you which will eventually bring happiness to your life knowing another's was caused by you. Happiness and meaning are very similar but at the same time they are very different, it all depends on how you find happiness and meaning in life.
As a nation to achieve a happier society we need to rely less on material and objects to help us achieve the feeling of happiness. A major issue we have in today's society is as individuals we comprehend the information given to us through the media and the system of marketing telling us we need material and objects and that they will bring happiness to our lives. As proclaimed in the documentary directed by Tom Shadyac, “Your job isn’t to be a citizen, it’s to be a consumer.” (Tom). As individuals we have a large desire to find happiness through material and object, which in reality you will never fulfil happiness in your life through consuming. An example of this need for more material and objects is continuous shopping. You see a billiton board or an add and you immediately think to yourself, “I want that too!” This urges us as citizens to contribute to the propaganda of marketing and sales. The happiness we obtain from consuming is much like an EKG, it spikes and dips a few times to represent the happiness you are feeling at the time you purchase or acquire an object. Soon after you will flat line, you will go back to the same feeling you had before you obtained these objects. The more we buy and consume the more we want. Once we buy everything we desire there will not be anything left for us to consume leaving us unhappy as individuals and an even unhappier society.
It is very critical we examine how to achieve happiness because it will create a pathway for a better future. As individuals, some may know what makes them happy, but many do not. This leaves our past, present, and future uncertain and even more unsteady. If we examine how to achieve happiness for our individual lives the greater good would be happier. This would be creating an even happier society for us to live within. If each individual knew how to find happiness for themselves it would create a balance within our society giving everyone the opportunity to become happy. Even though expressing the knowledge of how as an individual you can obtain happiness for yourself, society as a whole would have to be reshaped to fit the new criteria and the specific standards. This would create a better society for us now and for the future society.
Each individual needs a reason to be happy, happiness doesn’t come free to us. As stated in the article written by Emily Esfahani Smith There’s More To Life Than Being Happy, “...happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue. One must have a reason to ‘be happy’” (Emily). Happiness isn’t a feeling that just comes to us we have to have to induce a reason for one to be happy. Happiness will come to you. If you try to “catch” it, you will never get it. You can do things in your life that you enjoy to increase the ability to be happy, but you will never achieve true happiness through that activity. Have you ever noticed the least expected moments lead to great happiness? Leading to appreciation and the production of meaning in your life. This connects to another quote from the article There’s More To Life Than Being Happy, “Having meaning and purpose in life increases overall well being and life satisfaction.” (Emily). I have learned throughout this process everyone has a different trigger to their purpose; everyone finds self purpose in a different way. When you do something that produces this feeling of purpose for you or someone else, your outcome of overall happiness will be a lot more achievable and greater. Overall happiness comes with when we find purpose, in order to be happy you need to actively seek the purpose.
Each individual can achieve happiness in life by finding their own personal uniqueness and singleness. This creates meaning in one's life, creating an important version of happiness. As distinguished in the article written by Emily Esfahani Smith There’s More To Life Than Being Happy, “Uniqueness and singleness which distinguishes each individual and gives meaning to his or her existence…” (Emily). Each member of society has to find their specific uniqueness in life, what sets them apart from everyone else in order to find meaning in oneself and in life. As a society we feel the need to not show our ambience for if we do, we will not fit into the distinct standards. Meaning plays an essential role in our happiness. Meaning keeps a critical balance in our life. If we did not have this balance, our life would be shallow and self absorbed. In order to find meaning you need to exist outside of your ego and live outside of the here and now, compared to an intrinsic existence where each individual focuses on themselves. Many believe you find happiness by living in the present, those who contemplate the past and future tend to be less happy but, they have more meaning in their life. An example of personal uniqueness and singleness is emphasizing a personality trait of you have that another may not. Such as the fact everyone interacts with others very differently, some like to care for their peers but others like to be more lively and be the voice representative. Personally I find happiness in my life through meaning, showing your kindness and another, devotion to another conveys happiness. Seeing the way you can impact or bring joy to someone's life creates meaning for you which will eventually bring happiness to your life knowing another's was caused by you. Happiness and meaning are very similar but at the same time they are very different, it all depends on how you find happiness and meaning in life.
As a nation to achieve a happier society we need to rely less on material and objects to help us achieve the feeling of happiness. A major issue we have in today's society is as individuals we comprehend the information given to us through the media and the system of marketing telling us we need material and objects and that they will bring happiness to our lives. As proclaimed in the documentary directed by Tom Shadyac, “Your job isn’t to be a citizen, it’s to be a consumer.” (Tom). As individuals we have a large desire to find happiness through material and object, which in reality you will never fulfil happiness in your life through consuming. An example of this need for more material and objects is continuous shopping. You see a billiton board or an add and you immediately think to yourself, “I want that too!” This urges us as citizens to contribute to the propaganda of marketing and sales. The happiness we obtain from consuming is much like an EKG, it spikes and dips a few times to represent the happiness you are feeling at the time you purchase or acquire an object. Soon after you will flat line, you will go back to the same feeling you had before you obtained these objects. The more we buy and consume the more we want. Once we buy everything we desire there will not be anything left for us to consume leaving us unhappy as individuals and an even unhappier society.
It is very critical we examine how to achieve happiness because it will create a pathway for a better future. As individuals, some may know what makes them happy, but many do not. This leaves our past, present, and future uncertain and even more unsteady. If we examine how to achieve happiness for our individual lives the greater good would be happier. This would be creating an even happier society for us to live within. If each individual knew how to find happiness for themselves it would create a balance within our society giving everyone the opportunity to become happy. Even though expressing the knowledge of how as an individual you can obtain happiness for yourself, society as a whole would have to be reshaped to fit the new criteria and the specific standards. This would create a better society for us now and for the future society.