-Write an essay using at least 2 connection to the works we read-
(In selfish pursuit, The happy man, The giving tree and etc)
I received the letter grade C for this essay, redoing it hopefull for a higher mark.
The teacher said my logic is flawed but didn't really explain why. Im open to any advice or critisism, thanks you in advance.
What is the best way to pursue happiness?
Most people would say the best way to pursue happiness is to idetifiy just what exactly makes you happy. Understanding what brings you joy and constantly seek it. The problem with this is the action and consequences required for such happiness. "We can be selfish and ruthless in the pursuit of happiness" -In selfish pursuit by xxx. In the author's case, he gave up his family's happiness in exchanged for his, a very selfish act on his accord. People who find the pursuit of happiness difficult and unfilling have a faulted sense of value, placing the benefits of their happiness as priority and thus forgetting about all else in between.
This is no longer happiness they are experiencing, but desires. Desires are loosely associated with happinnes such that we demand too much and struggle to fulfill them hoping to be happy in the long run. This is prooven wrong as the author states " The choice cost me everything and for what?" -Inselfish pursuit by xx. Nothing, all he has is regret and contempt for the pursuit of happiness. Perhaps we can learn from his experience and understand that desires leads to "losses that outweighs the gains" -In selfish pursuit . Remember that happiness lies not in satisfying desires but in appreciation.
Another method to achieve happiness is to find issues with your life that makes you unhappy.
Use a new persepective to solve problems and issues that make you unahppy.
"While we pursue happiness, we flee from contempt" - Hasidic proverb. Why is this? This is because happiness and unhappiness are two sides of the same coin. Asking for one leaves you susceptible to ther other. Unahppiness ties in with desires, the inability to fulfill them leaves us unhappy.
Perhaps happiness eludes us so we can fully appreciate what we have. Because happiness isn't an experience, it's something we remember in hindsight. Material possessions and desires do not bring about happiness, rather, it's the appreciation of what we already have and no longer wanting more that does. The truth is that we take things for graned , if only we could look back and say " I was happy then"- the happy man, and understand why, only then can we feel " delight, pleasure, serenity and peace."- the happy man by xxx
If I were you, I would come up with these ideas:
1. To pursue happiness, do what you really enjoy doing and do it with passion. Yet life is full of trade-offs but it doesn't matter when you put aside things to pursue what you really love doing. You're living a meaningful life.
2. Live positively with a warm and caring hearts. Live a life so that not only you love yourself but also people love you with their hearts.
3. Happiness is a very broad term and vary from people to people. People may gain happiness from little simple things. People also gain happiness from money and other trivial and material things. It depends. But it all boils down to a specific goal. So I say, you set a goal for yourself and after many struggle, difficulties, and efforts you accomplish that goal, then you're happy. You can elaborate on this with examples.
There're many other ways to construct this essay but how concrete and evident your examples are will decides it's a good essay or not. I think your ideas are a little bit abstract and too general in some ways so your teacher was not satisfied with them. You should give some specific ideas that are supported with concrete examples to make this persuasive. My 2 cents !
Here are my views about happiness. Some point you may include in your essay.
Happiness is a state of mind and changing over the time. So the state of happiness in one's mind is not static. Materials bring happiness to the people for a short period. A new bicycle can bring happiness to a child for a few days. The happiness brings to your life if you can satisfy with what you get rather than what you like to have. Over ambitious people rarely achieve happiness. They run one after other for happiness but never satisfied. There are people who lead a happy life because they satisfied what they process and what they get. Cultivate good habits and correct life style one can avoid unhappiness. Good habits and life style one can maintain healthy life. That is very important for a person to be happy. How can a sick person be happy? However, people in this world subject to different situations therefore happiness would not remain through the life.
Asoka
