Mr.

Happy Man

In the film, a radio host said, “a lot of people couldn’t understand why he would do what he’s doing.”

In your own words, describe the motivation behind Johnny Barnes’ actions. In other words, why did
Mr. Barnes perform his service to others; what qualities did he have that motivated him toward this
service? Respond in 1-2 complete sentences.

I think that Mr. Barnes has learned that all material things in life don’t matter in the end, and that all
that rests once you are dead, is how people remember you. Thanks to him, making people’s lives
better, people will always remember him as someone who made them smile.

Think about your own life. What is something YOU can do to spread happiness in your community?
Respond in 1-2 complete sentences.
Where I live, people don’t care about others that are walking on the street, and that’s a little sad. One
thing I could do, is to say “good morning”, or to smile at people who is walking, to improve their day.

One woman interviewed in the film explains that she did not want to look at Johnny Barnes when she
was driving to work one morning because she wanted to “hold on to my unhappy moments.”

Why might someone want to hold on to unhappy moments? Is happiness a choice? Why or why not?
Respond in a paragraph of 5-8 complete sentences and restate the questions in your answer.
Because when something bad has happened, we need to go through it. We deserve our moment to
feel angry or sad, so we can improve what is happening.
Happiness is a choice because although something bad is happening, we can always be happy and
thankful for something. On the other hand, although everything is going great, we can always feel that
something is missing, and then feel bad.
The only thing that we have to do is to choose if we want to see life from the optimist way or not.

As portrayed in the film, a statue of Johnny Barnes was commissioned and erected at the Hamilton
traffic circle in his honor.

Imagine that you are chosen to write a plaque for the base of the statue. Create a one-sentence
inscription honoring Johnny Barnes.
“This is because we love you, as much as you love us”

Jane Goodall, educator and primatologist, said, “I have many kinds of happiness. I’m completely happy
when I’m alone in nature… I’m really happy when I sit around with friends in the evening, particularly
around a campfire where we can tell stories… I’m totally happy when I’m walking with a dog. Dogs
make me really, really, happy because you can just be yourself with a dog.”
 Mr. Happy Man
When are you happiest? Respond in 2-3 sentences and use the stem, I am happiest when…
I am happiest when I enjoy my time alone, reading or listening to music. I am happiest when I can
laugh with my friends without worrying about anything. I am happiest when I make others happy.