Fatmah Altaleb
Dr. Oliver
Section 6
29 April, 2016
Happiness
I recently heard an AM radio host who talked about how
important it is for people to try and be happy. He said that human beings have
a moral obligation to be happy. Happy people make life better for everybody
else. Unhappy people make life worse for everybody else. Therefore, people
should always try be happy (or at least act happy). This is for the same reason
that people should always be kind to other people and not hurt them.
This idea of happiness—a choice we make—sounds a lot like
Aristotle’s idea of happiness. Aristotle
said happiness comes partly from our circumstances (like being wealthy or
having a good spouse) and partly from the choice we make to be happy. He says
that if we lead a virtuous life, this will bring us happiness. Living a virtuous
life is a matter of choice. If we practice living in a virtuous way
(moderation, courage), we will become virtuous and therefore happy. Therefore,
happiness is a choice we make.
Plato had similar ideas about happiness. In the Republic, he said that living a moral
life is done by following the cardinal virtues—moderation, courage, wisdom,
justice. Live a moral life is necessary to bring us happiness. If we don’t live
by the virtues, we cannot be happy. Therefore, happiness comes from living a
good and moral life.
I think it is interesting that, in all these ideas of
happiness, happiness doesn’t come from having pleasure. Pleasure might make us
feel good for a moment, but it is not deep and lasting. It goes away and then
has to be recreated over and over. This addictive cycle is not the same as
happiness, but actually the opposite—misery. A person has to work hard and live
a life of virtue in order to be happy. It is strange, but it seems like
forgoing short-term pleasure and sacrificing to lead a virtuous life actually
makes you happier. I think Plato and Aristotle understood this truth.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.