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happiness - noun
The noun happiness has 2
senses (first 2 from tagged
texts)
1. happiness, felicity --
(state of well-being
characterized by emotions
ranging from contentment to
intense joy)
2. happiness -- (emotions
experienced when in a state of
well-being)
Happiness - quotes
I have now reigned about 50
years in victory or peace,
beloved by my subjects,
dreaded by my enemies, and
respected by my allies. Riches
and honors, power and
pleasure, have waited on my
call, nor does any earthly
blessing appear to have been
wanting to my felicity. In
this situation, I have
diligently numbered the days
of pure and genuine happiness
which have fallen to my lot.
They amount to fourteen.
|
Money will buy a bed, but
not sleep;
Books, but not brains;
Food, but not appetite;
Finery, but not beauty;
A house, but not a home;
Medicine, but not health;
Luxuries, but not culture;
Consultant but not a friend;
Amusement, but not
happiness;
Things in this world but
not in the World to come;
A passport to everywhere but
Heaven |
More on Happiness
Happiness is an emotional or
affective state that is
characterized by feelings of
enjoyment, pleasure, and
satisfaction. As a state and a
subject, it has been pursued
and commented on extensively
throughout world history. This
reflects the universal
importance that humans place
on happiness.
States associated with
happiness include well-being,
delight, health, safety,
contentment, and love.
Contrasting states include
suffering, depression, grief,
anxiety, and pain. Happiness
is often associated with the
presence of favorable
circumstances such as a
supportive family life, a
loving marriage, and economic
stability. Unfavorable
circumstances, such as abusive
relationships, accidents, loss
of employment, and conflicts,
diminish the amount of
happiness a person
experiences. However,
according to several ancient
and modern thinkers, happiness
is influenced by the attitude
and perspective taken on such
circumstances.
Philosophical views of
happiness
In the Nicomachean Ethics,
written in 350 B.C.E.,
Aristotle stated that
happiness is the only emotion
that humans desire for its own
sake. He observed that men
sought riches, or honor, or
health, not for their own sake
but in order to be happy. Note
that "eudaimonia", the term we
translate as "happiness", is
for Aristotle an activity
rather than an emotion or a
state. Happiness is
characteristic of a good life,
that is, a life in which a man
or woman fulfills human nature
in an excellent way. The happy
person is virtuous, meaning he
or she has outstanding
abilities and emotional
tendencies which allow him or
her to fulfill our common
human ends. For Aristotle,
then, happiness is "the
virtuous activity of the soul
in accordance with reason":
happiness is the practice of
virtue. Aristotle argues that
happiness depends both on
variables that we can fully
control, especially virtue,
and some variables that we can
only partially control, such
as wealth and social
relationships.
Many ethicists make arguments
for how humans should behave,
either individually or
collectively, based on the
resulting happiness of such
behavior. Utilitarians, such
as John Stuart Mill and Jeremy
Bentham, advocated the
greatest happiness principle
as a guide for ethical
behavior.
----------------
If you are happy -- your
children will be happy. |
