Notes

The Pursuit of Happiness

Everyone’s lives are dependant upon the goals that they set for themselves. When one attains their goals it gives them pleasure and satisfaction, but so does the pursuit of their desires. While one is pursuing a goal, one is imagining the pleasure of attaining it. Once they achieve the goal, the pleasure may not be as great as they had imagined. The pursuit of happiness is the way of life. It keeps people believing and having dreams and that it keeps people going. Attainment of a goal gives brief pleasure and satisfaction. Once someone has achieved their goal, they may or may not have something else to strive for. Sometimes attaining a goal is only a step in the direction to attain their highest goal. For example, someone who attends college to further their education so they have a background as to the job that they want, will have a goal of graduating from college. This is one step in the direction for them to attain their larger goal of most likely getting a job in the field that they studied in.

One will feel the satisfaction when they attain their desires. Once they have attained their desires, they start to search for the next thing they want to achieve. For example, once they have attained the job in their field of study, they will desire to move up the latter within that job. Each time they achieve that goal to move further along, they acquire their next desire for another, higher position and they will keep trying to do that throughout their lives. During one’s lifetime, one’s desires will always motivate one to do better. The pursuit of one’s desires has never been smooth; however, when you finally attain them after weathering the storm, one will find that the process one went through, makes one happier than the attainment of them. During the process, one will encounter rifts, thorns and struggles, but it will all be worth it in the end. The steps it takes to pursue, will show what one went through to attain their goals. Being able to look back upon what one did to get to where one is, makes the pursuit more pleasurable and satisfactory than the attainment itself.

The joy of success will be more memorable than simply the attainment of them. While one is pursuing their goals, they imagine the pleasure and satisfaction of achieving them and once they achieve their goal, the pleasure may not be as great as they had imagined. Once they have attained their goal, they may have nothing left to strive for. Ergo, one begins to search for something else that they desire because the attainment wasn’t enough to satisfy them. If they were content and happy with the attainment of their goal then they would just stop. This is because searching for something gives one a sense of being and a sense of purpose. The pursuit of happiness is just that, the pursuit of happiness. In my opinion the pursuit of one’s goals and desires is much more pleasurable and satisfactory that the attainment of them. Usually the pursuit of our deepest desires is a lengthy one.

Depending on the goals we set, some may be lengthier than others and others may give more pleasure during the pursuit rather than the attainment and vise versa. We grow so accustomed to the chase, that we know nothing else. We feel the satisfaction when we attain our desires, but the pleasure comes from the pursuit. We feel lost once the chase is over, as it is what fuels us and keeps us going. If we had no desires we would be nothing and we would do nothing. Therefore, once one desire is attained, it will quickly replace another and then another and so on. Once a desire is satisfied we derive no more pleasure from it. The brief moment of self accomplishment deriving from the attainment of one’s goal is just that; brief. That is why the pursuit is what brings the most pleasure and satisfaction.

Ernest Hemingway once said, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” Goals are part of everyone’s life. The pursuit and attainment of those goals is what gives one pleasure and satisfaction. Achievement of one’s desires causes a brief moment of pleasure and satisfaction, while the time and effort it takes to actually achieve those desires, gives a long lasting pleasure and satisfaction. Dreams and desires are what keep people moving forward.