Notes

Is life really about name brands, having the newest technology, and having an expensive car? Or having a group of loving and caring friends and family? Today everyone defines and looks for happiness in a different way. Many people usually search for happiness in money, material items, and meaningless relationships. None of the things mentioned solely leads to happiness. This is a problem in our society; everyone is on the “pursuit of happiness,” but what if we do not know the correct way on how to pursue it? From early times, philosophers and researchers have questioned the meaning of happiness. Stoicism suggests that the "ideal state of mind was tranquility... [achieved]... by cultivating a kind of 'calm indifference toward's one's circumstances" (Burkeman). Defined differently from person to person, happiness is a subjective ideal state. To achieve happiness, one must dig deep and examine negative emotions and experiences to ultimately gain a tranquil state.