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Lonnie Fitch English 102 014 Paul Berg December 1, 2012

The Blue Bird of Happiness Movies are great. They can put you on a distant planet; let you see your favorite superheroes come to life or travel below the ocean to visit new civilizations. The average full length movie runs around one and one half hours long and during that time, if it is a good movie, it immerses you in the story. The summer blockbusters that are being produced today are absolutely amazing. The computer graphics that are used to make movies are becoming extremely realistic, which makes the experience even more fun and brings a great deal of enjoyment. My uncle visited last summer for the fourth of July and when he came to my house he brought a bench that he built for my wifes birthday. He also brought with him some miniatures that he painted. One day my uncle and I were painting outside and were talking. I always ask him if has seen this movie or that movie and the usual answer is no. The reason for it is usually monetary. He started to tell me that he can spend fifty or sixty dollars on a model and have fun building it as well as painting it for a month or longer. The most satisfactory purposes are those that lead on indefinitely from one success to another without ever coming to a dead end; and in this respect it will be found that construction is a greater source of happiness than destruction (Russell). My family has always liked working with their hands. Both my uncles have businesses where they create a product. My uncles work very hard at their jobs and often feel stress but are

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very happy with what they do because they build a product. I have since then started to paint miniatures and find it incredibly fun as well as relaxing. I also realized that with movies Im spending a great deal of money for a relatively short time period; a period when I dont do anything but sit and watch another persons creation. When thinking in terms of what my uncle spoke to me about, I find movies to be kind of like a drug. They are fun and bring happiness for the time they are playing but after the movie ends I want to see another. Movies still make me very happy. I like movies so much that I attended film school in LA. I graduated with my degree in cinematography. I was able to work on a few movie sets but because of student loans and the fact that jobs in the film industry are far and few between, I had to try something new. Even though Im not making movies I still like to shoot photos and am hoping one day to have a business that I can support my family by creating memorable images for others. Another great happiness of mine is books, both comics and novels. I believe movies, like books, are a great way of teaching people. The movie, Woman in the Dunes, is a good example. In the movie a man is kidnapped by a group of villagers and forced to do hard labor in a pit. When The Man is lowered into the pit he cut off from everything he used to know. He lived in the big city with all the lights and sounds as well as the fast paced living that comes with the city. The movie is supposed to show how living a simple life can make a person happy. I completely agree that living a simple life creates an atmosphere for happiness. Not having to worry about keeping up appearances with the rest of the world. Not having to deal with people that only care about themselves. The last two summers my family and I go to Montana get away from the everyday living of city life. Not only being able to escape the craziness of city living but being

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around family is another happiness of mine. As clichd as it sounds, being around family brings me great joy. Having kids is great, because at times I am able to relive my childhood. When my son was old enough I gave him my toys from when I was little. When my daughter was born I went on a search for movies that I watched as a child. The movies that I grew up with had such great messages that I wanted to share them with her. My family life was not the best but I grew up with the idea that family is around to help and comfort. One movie that I wanted to show my kids was Sesame Street: Follow That Bird. The movie has Big Bird leave Sesame Street to find a family that is just birds. While he is moved from one family to another he is begins to be sad. The families judge him and at times tease him. In my family if a person isnt being teased than they have a problem with the person. The movie shows the people of Sesame Street go on a road trip to bring him back. When I watched the movie with my kids I told them that family are the people that will protect them. Being able to count on family and knowing that my kids will be taken care of if something should happen to me or my wife is what brings me great happiness. I like knowing that I have people to talk to and with whom I share common interests. Im not that complicated when it comes to being happy. I like to paint and shoot photographs. I like movies. Most importantly being a dad and having all that comes with the title is what makes me the most happy. I would not trade anything in the world for being able to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with my kids.

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Works Cited Russell, Bertrand. Work. The Conquest of Happiness. S.I.: Allen &Unwin, 1930. 472-477. Print.

Sesame Street presents Follow that bird. Dir. Tony Garnett. Perf. Sandra Bernhard, John Candy, Chevy Chase, Joe Flahtery, Waylon Jennings, Dave Thomas. 1985. Distributed by Warner Home Video, 2002. DVD.

Women in the Dunes. Dir. Hiroshi Teshigahara. Perf. Eiji Okada, Kyoko Kishida, Hiroko Ito.1964. The Criterion Collection, 2007. DVD.