Are you happy?

Perhaps a better question is: What is happy?

Whether or not there is a difference between long-term happiness and short-term happiness is something that people wonder about all of the time.  As for what makes a person happy and, ultimately, whether or not a person is happy are all personal feelings and personal realizations.  However, a closer look at just what makes people “happy” reveals some interesting ideas, interesting criteria, and interesting views.

“The Pursuit of Happiness” is a website about the history of happiness.  On the site, they discuss the Greek philosopher Aristotle’s definition of happiness, which is – in his words – “…happiness is a final end or goal that encompasses the totality of one’s life. It is not something that can be gained or lost in a few hours, like pleasurable sensations. It is more like the ultimate value of your life as lived up to this moment, measuring how well you have lived up to your full potential as a human being.”  Aristotle is saying that, if you live up to your full potential, then you will never have to please or reach for anyone or anything. Being yourself completely and accepting yourself entirely could ultimately lead to your true happiness.

A PB parent says, “A lot of people get lost on what their happiness is and what they want. They let things such as money and the casual things in life serve as their happiness but, in reality, it is not.  [Happiness means] to be happy with others and enjoy the simple and extraordinary things in life.”

In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, philosophers at Stanford University define happiness as something that has a multitude of aspects including theories, levels, and even the science of happiness.  Ultimately, though, they define it as “a state of mind; life that goes well for the person leading it.”

No matter whether the philosopher is ancient like Aristotle or modern like a Stanford researcher, the view of happiness can be viewed as being at complete peace in your mind and making good choices for yourself.

“My definition of happiness, I think, has changed over the years in some respects,” says English teacher Mr. Woodward.  “Now that I have kids, a lot of my happiness centers on if they are happy and content, though I definitely seek my own happiness as well, but that has always been a pretty simple concept as it doesn’t take much to make me happy.”

Happiness is a word that is used quite often without even realizing the importance it has on peoples’ lives. The United Nations finds happiness so essential that it declared an International Day of Happiness on March 20, 2011.  They saw this day as a time for people being conscious of their pursuit of happiness and recognizing its importance for all people. The UN described this day and one’s search for happiness in general as “…the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal.”  If the United Nations determines that happiness is something so important as to create an actual day that focuses on it, then it has to be important.  However, what makes people happy is as diverse as the world itself.

Freshman Kayla Pratt says, “I believe that a day of happiness is a good idea to help people forget all of their worries, but the ending of poverty and everything else will not bring overall happiness; it’ll just relieve some stress.”

While people strive to create their own happiness, one thing they could do is, perhaps, move to certain places in the world that a study has deemed “the happiest countries in the world.”  In 2013, CNN reported on an international report conducted by independent experts for the United Nations, that, according to the report’s authors John F. Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffery D. Sachs, presents “…the widest body of happiness data available.”  The results reveal some places that many Americans may not expect.  The report’s top ten – from first to tenth are: Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Finland, Austria, Iceland and Australia.

Each of these countries had special places that stood out and connected to people and gave them a sense of their own personal happiness. Each features places where people can visit to find a sense of peace and relieve their troubles. They contain places where you can reside with people you hold close to your heart: children, mothers, brothers and loved ones.

These places may be seen as the happiest countries in the world because they have a lot of love from people and no fights over who stands above everyone else.

So, once again, I’ll ask — are you happy?