Post 1

What makes me happy? The simple things in life make me happy. I loveto be around my family, friends, and boyfriend. I also love my petsand all animals. The thing that makes me the most happy is seeingother people happy. When I have the ability to do something to makesomeone, especially those that I love, happy I will do it, even whenthat means not doing something that I would rather do. I know thatdoesn't sound like it would make me happy, but it truly does.Knowing that I made someone else happy makes me feel like I am beingthe person I strive to be. I want to be able to be a successfulperson in everything I do. Achieving my goals of graduating fromUCSD in the near future as well as going to a graduate school andbecoming a pharmacist will make me happy. I know that having ahusband and children of my own will make me very happy. When Ipicture my future, I cannot picture myself without a family.However, if life brings me other things I know that it will not takeaway my happiness. I guess for me, happiness comes from therelationships I have with people and the idea of my future beingopen to God's will and not my own.Aristotle views happiness as being the "chief end or highest good"in our lives. He believes that ethics is merely what people use totry to find their happiness. Happiness can be different to manypeople. Each person believes that different things will make themachieve happiness. Because of this, Aristotle defines what happinessis. Aristotle believes that happiness can not be something abstractand it must be from something only humans can have, do, orexperience. Aristotle's main argument is that living a life abidingto moral virtues will bring a person happiness. Abiding by virtuesis not as simple as it seems. The virtue of "courage" is used in thereading as an example of virtues lying on this balanced medium. Fora person to be viewed as courageous they must not be "rash" orcowardly. Humans have the ability to use reason and logic tounderstand where the boundary between courage and rashness orcourage and cowardliness lie. Aristotle argues that human happinesscannot be felt through animals. This means that it is not in thematerial things, or in our immediate emotions. It must be from howwell we live according to our morals and virtues. Aristotle believesthat, "Our chief end is the perfect development of our true nature."This is saying that with using our reason and understanding orvirtues, morals, and ourselves, we can find our true personality andlive accordingly. Aristotle speaks about the importance offriendships. Friends are present and influential in all aspects ofpeople's lives. With this in mind people should strive to havefriends that will live by their virtues and morals in order to showthem and influence others to live in a similar manner. Politics,according to Aristotle, is "a genuine moral organization foradvancing the development of humans." He believed that governmentsshould help teach its people morals and the laws should reflect suchmorals.After reading about Aristotle's views on happiness, I find that myown idea of happiness falls partially under his ideas. Living avirtuous life full of morals will ultimatley make me happy. I findthat most people would not instinctively say that living a virtuouslife would make them happy. Our consumer society has strayed fromthis idea and has put the idea that material things and money makepeople happy. When in reality, I agree with Aristotle, people usingtheir reason to find morals and live by them will be happy.