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Is Happiness the Proper Goal of Life?
- Thread starter Sunstone
- Start date
Happiness is fleeting and depends on maintenance and reassurance. In life, we are here to experience the full spectrum of emotions and thoughts, not just the ones that make our sensory mechanics go Ping.
Sunstone said:
Most people mean the satisfaction of desires. I suppose I do too, but then I have far-reaching and most unrealistic desires sometimes I'll admit, so I doubt I can ever be completely happy. I am not sure that would be a desirable thing itself...I dunno.
Abdon
Member
No it is not.
The end of a thing is the purpose for which it was made. The end of a watch is to keep time. The end of a pen is to write, etc. A thing is good only in proportion to the way it fulfills the end for which it was made. A watch may be very beautifully made, a very rare ornament, but if it will not keep time it is useless as a watch. The same may be said of the pen, or of anything else. Now for what purpose was man made? If we discover that, we know his end. When we look around us in the world, we see a purpose or end for everything. We see that the soil is made for the plants and trees to grow in; because if there was no need of things growing, it would be better to have a nice clean solid rock to walk upon, and then we would be spared the trouble of making roads, and paving streets. But things must grow, and so we must have soil. Again, the vegetables and plants are made for animals to feed upon; while the animals themselves are made for man, that they may help him in his work or serve him for food. Thus it is evident everything in the world was made to serve something else. What then was man made for? Was it for anything in the world? We see that all classes of beings are created for something higher than themselves. Thus plants are higher than soil, because they, have life and soil has not. Animals are higher than plants, because they not only have life, but they can feel and plants cannot. Man is higher than animals, because he not only has life and can feel, but he has also reason and intelligence, and can understand, while animals cannot. Therefore we must look for something higher than man himself, but there is nothing higher than man in this world, and so we must look beyond it to find that for which he was made. And looking beyond it and considering all things, we find that he was made for God-to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him both in this world and in the next. Again, we read in the Bible (Gen. 1) that at the creation of the world all things were made before man, and that he was created last. Therefore, if all these things could exist without man, we cannot say he was made for them. The world existed before him and can exist after him. The world goes along without any particular man, and the same may be said of all men. Neither was man made to stay here awhile to become rich, or learned, or powerful, because all do not become rich-some are very poor; all are not learned-some are very ignorant; all are not powerful-some are slaves. But since all men are alike and equal in this, that they have all bodies formed in the same way, and all souls that are immortal, they should all be made for the same end. For example, you could not make a pen like a watch if you want it to write. Although pens differ in size, shape, etc., they have all one general form which is essential to them.
So, although men differ in many things, they are all alike in the essential thing, viz., that they are composed of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God. Hence, as pens are made only to write with, so all men must have only one and the same end, namely, to serve God.
I don't believe that happiness is the proper goal in life. No one is happy all the time, not with death, arguments, wars, and other things. I think the true goal would be to be contented or satisfied with one's life.
kdrier
Revolutionist
"I don't believe that happiness is the proper goal in life. No one is happy all the time, not with death, arguments, wars, and other things. I think the true goal would be to be contented or satisfied with one's life."
Well yes, people aim to be content and satisfied. But in my opinion, everything bad that happens in life, only happens so we can appreciate the good things more. For every bad feeling there is an equally good feeling. I think every decision we make will be the one that makes us happiest, so I think being happy is our number one goal, whether it's there is not.
Well yes, people aim to be content and satisfied. But in my opinion, everything bad that happens in life, only happens so we can appreciate the good things more. For every bad feeling there is an equally good feeling. I think every decision we make will be the one that makes us happiest, so I think being happy is our number one goal, whether it's there is not.
Phasmid
Mr Invisible
The meaning of life is Latinum.
sandandfoam
Veteran Member
Happiness is not an appropriate goal because treated as a goal it is unattainable.
Happiness is a by-product.
In my case it is a by-product of forgetting myself, most often with loved ones. With them 'I' vanish, there is nothing in my awarnesss but them and I am happy. I am also often happy outside, on the sea or a mountain. Or when I read or study.
In all these cases I 'forget' myself.
Happiness is a by-product.
In my case it is a by-product of forgetting myself, most often with loved ones. With them 'I' vanish, there is nothing in my awarnesss but them and I am happy. I am also often happy outside, on the sea or a mountain. Or when I read or study.
In all these cases I 'forget' myself.
Starfish
Please no sarcasm
It certainly is MY goal.
But I have to remember what real happiness is and not confuse it with the temporary kind. To me happiness is a sense of optimism and hope, of continued progression, a sense of inner peace, to love and be loved, and a knowledge that my life is acceptable to God.
Also, true happiness is all I want for my children as well.
rajakrsna
Member
Yes. Finding happiness is the goal of life. But there`s always sadness along the way. A death of a loved one can devastate that happiness we have found. It`s best not to be so happy because when death comes to claim a loved one, we wouldn`t be so sad.:no:
Cordoba
Well-Known Member
I would like to add that as a proper goal for life, I suggest it's happiness in this world which leads to happiness in the Hereafter
If there is an eternal life in the Hereafter, it would be very important to do one's best for it to be an eternal happy life, and not just focus on 80 years or so here on earth ...
It's a happy ending which counts more ...
If there is an eternal life in the Hereafter, it would be very important to do one's best for it to be an eternal happy life, and not just focus on 80 years or so here on earth ...
It's a happy ending which counts more ...
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Loving-kindness is one of the Four Immeasurables taught by the Buddha. The other three are sympathetic joy, equanimity (equal spread of feelings) and compassion. Loving-kindness means you want all beings to be well and happy. Not just people you know and like, but all beings including strangers, people that annoy you, even animals. [/FONT]
Godfather89
I am Who I am
1. Happiness in my opinion is not the proper goal in life, its enlightenment and peace of mind... It maybe the source of my happiness but it does not make me happy. Most people look for happiness without realizing what makes them happy, they go through life living in those transient and fleeting moments.
2. True Happiness is what people should seek and some do but most don't. Its those moments that can seem to last forever, its when you have overcome a challenge or an obstacle, its when you are in euphoria of laughter and joy, its when you are you and when the concerns of the world are in that moment non-existent -- Its amazing just how much people are missing when they look at there lives around them, when theres conflict and chaos, just how much there lives are in such unbalance and most regardless of beliefs accept the **** there handed in life as the best it would be... I tend to disagree greatly
Yerda
Veteran Member
What do you mean by proper?
Happiness is a particular feeling. It feels like being happy....
blackout
Violet.
I think it's an excellent idea to persue the things in life that give rise to your most enriched self.
The talents, interests, dreams and predispositions that define our happiest self
are the very things that should be given top priority in our lives.
When we enrich our-selves, our lives become a personal fullfillment.
Happiness is often a by-product of that fullfillment.
The talents, interests, dreams and predispositions that define our happiest self
are the very things that should be given top priority in our lives.
When we enrich our-selves, our lives become a personal fullfillment.
Happiness is often a by-product of that fullfillment.
K.Venugopal
Immobile Wanderer
The idea of having a goal in life presupposes we are not well as we are. That we may feel unwell as we are is because of a trap we have fallen into at a very young age - the like-dislike dichotomy. No one really escapes from falling into this trap unless we have been brought up by gnostics! Nevertheless, we are often fortunate to come across gnostics (gurus?) or their teachings and we realise that the only solution to our "problem" is to wake up to the perfection that we are and is about us. The only prerequisite to awakening is to accept all experiences as simply the golden truth of perfection from all vantage points. Then the search for happiness becomes redundant - only the awe of living remains.
Fluffy
A fool
Aristotle suggests that happiness is the only thing that can be an end in itself. To justify this he asks us to look at any other thing that humans typically treat as an end. For example, lets say that I wish to become a successful businessman. Why do I want this? If that question is asked enough times, the chain will always return to the same reason "in order to be happy" whereas if the same question is asked of the goal of happiness, no reply is possible.
However, Aristotle makes a clear distinction between pleasure and happiness (eudaimonia) where pleasure is derived from activities whereas eudaimonia is derived from acting (specifically, acting virtuously).
I feel that any ethical philosophy (i.e. any philosophy that attempts to answer the question "What is the ultimate goal of life?") that does not have happiness as its ultimate goal has serious trouble with motivating any sense of morality.
However, Aristotle makes a clear distinction between pleasure and happiness (eudaimonia) where pleasure is derived from activities whereas eudaimonia is derived from acting (specifically, acting virtuously).
I feel that any ethical philosophy (i.e. any philosophy that attempts to answer the question "What is the ultimate goal of life?") that does not have happiness as its ultimate goal has serious trouble with motivating any sense of morality.
K.Venugopal
Immobile Wanderer
This is not to dethrone happiness in the scheme of things but I feel happiness is something obtained by a fulfillment of action, either one's own or others'. As all actions have the impact of diminishing returns, our happiness too goes through the sieve of reality and we have again to keep doing one thing or the other or hope for special circumstances to catch on to happiness or generate more happiness. Let's free ourselves from the need for achieving anything at all. Then and then alone would we be able to see life in all its grandeur. When we are thus able to see - all our desires vanish and we become the totality we are. We become free. Then do we live a divine life, an eternal life.