Deodanes 1 Christine Deodanes Professor Ditch English 115 _ September 28, 2019 Definin; There a are ur readings in the Pursuing Happiness book by Matthew Parfitt and 5a Dawn Skorezewski, ta touehion ar eee inteally, ‘and how to acl it. External and intemal space are the things cot of us and the forces around us that can bring happiness. The articles: “The Sources of Happiness” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler, “How Happy Are You and Why?” By Sonja Lyubomirsky, and “What ~ Suffering Does” by David Brooks, all focus on the internal space. The fourth article, “Living \ with Less. A Lot Less.” By Graham Hill, focuses on the external space. The Dalai Lama and) Cutler argue that external items will not bring us constant happiness. It is our mindset that carr) | shift our perspective on situations. The second article by Sonja Lyubomirsky, claims that our happiness is genetically preset but that our level of happiness cén fluctuateThe third article by | \ David Brooks, argues that suffering can be a blessing in disguise. You come out of suffering as a\, different person, pethaps, for the better. In the fourth article by Graham Hill, he argues that the more material items you have, the more cluttered your life will be. Owning less items is the way / to go in order to better your life. The book Pursuing Happiness includes many readings that explore both external and internal space when defining what truly brings us happiness. ~/ ( In the first article, “The Sources of Happiness” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler both argue that your mind set is the key to happiness. One of Cutlers friend Jbexplains that she went to go work for a smalll health-care company. The business was lafér bought out and she profited out of the transaction, so she retired young and bought anew home. | \> | (21). She didn’t find herself to be more content than before she had the extra amount of wealth. While one friend has everything that one might consider bringing happiness it clearly doesn't |__| make her any happier. Materialistic items are not everything. The other friend of Cutler was W/o 9 diagnosed with HIV and of course it was very hard to deal with. After comi toterms with his)‘ diagnosis, he has been in a better state of mind saying, “I feel happier than I ever have. I just J seem to appreciate everyday things more...” (21-22). He realizes that life is not forever and that no one is immortal. Instead of viewing the virus as an obstacle, he views it as an opportunity. It’s something that most people would have trouble coping with but in turn, it is something that / { ultimately has made a positive effect on his life. Happiness is determined more than just by oe) possession of materialistic items but more so their mindset and perspective on life. We clearly ive mindset. One / 4 x brings temporary contentment meanwhile the other brings us to be more appreciative and Vy 4 \ see a distinction between the things we think will make us happy and a po: grateful. The Dalai Lama explains that trying to obtain a home, money, cars, etc. will lead us to greed and eventually sink us. We think we will find sfaction through these possessions but |» afterwards we will find ourselves wanting to obtain something we can’t have (26). It’s about s changing your outlook and perspective on things because it is not only about striving for more but rather about reflecting on what you already have. It’s about putting your assets to use and { being aware of your capabilities. Change your perspective, it’s not about what you can’t do but rather what you can do. It’s not what you can’t have but what you already have. With that mindset we can increase our satisfaction with our own life. JMM - Ee WA Deodanes 3 The second articl® “How Happy Are You and Why?” By Sonja Lyubomirsky, claims that our happiness is genetically preset from birth b(t that we could still determine our own happiness levels to an extent, Sheays that happiness ranges on a continuum, numerical scale called the Subjective Happiness scale, The only person who could truly know how happy you are is yourself which is why the scale is completely “defined from the perspective of the person” (184), Our genetic makeup accounts for fifty percent of our happiness. This is known as our set Point, Another ten percent is affected by our ownr circumstances such as money, family and nN friends. Forty percent is defined by intentional activity that, by the end of the day, is left for us tof)\” (\ \ mold (184), It is determined by what we do but it starts internall¥. Lyubomirsky interviewed a thirty-four-year-old woman named Angela, She has been throy¢h some hardshi suchas (Y enduring emotional and physical abuse from her mother, growing up with a neglectful father, suffered with being overweight and bullied. Despite her struggles she continues to live happily we with her child, Ella (180). Angela created another family; a whole community of people who support each other, Not only do her group of friends help her but she finds satisfaction in healing others ax well:Lyubomirsky compares her to another women named Shannon who has hada \ pretty stable and an uneventful upbringing. She grew up in a nice home and had many friends. ¢ Today, Shannon has a stable career, boyfriend, family and dog; things that most people would consider an ideal life (182). Although, she seems to be relatively unsatisfied with her life. Despite her being unable to change her happiness set point, she is still able to determine her happiness level by first, changing her outlook. Only then will she be able to change her / ‘events. Angela formed that support group and chose to help others, that was her age v He ch activity’ that helped her through the distraught childhood she lived through, 92ue Deodanes - ( ‘The third article,}*What Suffering Does” by David Brooks focuses on the internal space. Brooks claims-that Suffering is not as detrimental to us as we think. In fact, out of our own suffering can be something positive to ourselves and others. Brooks mentions that we all strive to be happy but really, we should consider the effects suffering has on our life and how it is just as important. Sometimes suffering could be destructive and harmful to us but other times it could J ( \ \. carve a pavement for change. He gave this example, “Think of the way Franklin Roosevelt came : back deeper and more empathetic afier being struck with polio” (284). Roosevelt gained this awareness of suffering that other people are enduring by experiencing it himself. Suffering can ‘encourage us to be better by placing us in a difficult situation. We, as humans, are very ee and when we suffer, we realize just how many layers there are to ourselves. The more pain we \ a") experience, the more we start to understand our own limitations. We are so complex that we start\ y ~ to realize just how much power we have over our own suffering, sometimes we have none. It's \ this unpredictable and uncontrollable feeling of pain that also leads to this unknown and random / sense of tranquility. So even though we sometimes can’t control our suffering, we still act out ef ¢ phy \ |_ it and some people respond to it positively. Brook mentions, “Parents who've losta child start) te Y soundations, Lincoln sarficed himself for the Union” (286). Suffering doesn’t necessarily heal v y/ us, but it changes us and sometimes for the better. It makes us more vulnerable, which isn’t ZN J always a bad thing and moves us deeper into what we love. In other words, suffering is a blessing in disguise (287). There's a gift n suffeying gnd out of your suffering can be something yy - y/ Cy a Corre SAC - yofe \ J 1g with Less. A Lot Less.” By Graham Hill focuses on the if 5) yw as the title suggests, that having less materialistic items in your life is x" yw" great, The fourth article, “ a key asset to happiness because the less you have, the less exhausting your life will be a ryDeodanes 5 physically and mentally. Hill lives a very minimalistic life today; he lives in a studio with barely any items. He used to own a huge house that he bought in Seattle that was full of things like 4 expensive cars, new electronics and gadgets. He explains, “Somehow ths suff ended up running hy my life, or a lot of it; the things I consumed ended up consuming me” (308). His lifeywas } ie cluttered with stuff that he didn’t need, and this was making him discontent with his life. To hill, i) his wealth didn’t bring long lasting happiness, none of his purchases did. He bad eventually | grown numb to purchasing new items that once brought him excitement and instant happiness u \\” G09). The items and appliances that he was buying took more time and energy to upkeep and : i aes asec owning more is a contributing factor to someone's stress. The } reason why people buy more is because they feel obligated to. The average square feet of an American home more than doubles from 1950 to 2011. Also, the average amount of people living in each home decreased from those years. Not only has the space increased but the amount cof people living in these homes have decreased, leaving alot more room for items. We live ina {//V aX consumerism society that not only harms us but our environment as well. Less is more and in _/ Hill’s case, the less he has the more content he is with his choices and lifestyle. 5H Wh? / V jw ia n° Each author ad their own interpretation of defining what truly brings one happitiess. In ( A 4. hatte to achieve happiness, externally, a person has to declutter their life. Having less items a J ¢ t UXO Se : Sa 3 Nog around would statistically make a person happier. tmerly ome it mentionéd that a person’ V happiness is pre-determined genetically, but that they still have control over their own happiness 4, ( and that it is subjective to the person, Internally, having a positive mindset is really the key to becoming content before anything. Even if there are certain external factors that we want to change, the real change has to begin inside. It starts with a person’s mindset and perspective on their ownDeodanes 6 Works Cited Brooks, David. “What Suffering Does.” Pursuing Happiness: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, Bedford/St. Martins, a Macmillan Education Imprint, 2016, pp. 284-287. Hill, Graham. “ Living with Less. A Lot Less.” Pursuing Happiness: a Bedford Spotlight Reader, Bedford/St. Martins, a Macmillan Education Imprint, 2016, pp. 308-309. Lyubomirsky, Sonja. 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