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Nurah Zauhar

Professor Ditch

English 115

23 September 2018

The Concept of Finding Happiness

​ Happiness perceived throughout society is a manifestation, product of tangible

actions.​ ​We constantly count and measure, base objects and human existence with value. ​The

definition of happiness promotes the idea that it's necessary to understand both internal and

external spaces, in order to obtain and find real happiness​.​ ​The four articles by The Dalai Lama,

and Howard Cutler, David Brooks, Graham Hills, and Sonja Lyubomirsky​ contain different

identifications of happiness.​ In exploring the theories of happiness it is important to examine the

internal and external spaces to help us understand ​what real happiness is​. ​Finding happiness in an

internal space, is transforming yourself from the experiences of grief and suffering .​ ​Finding

happiness externally, is searching for happiness through interpersonal relationships​ and changing

your behavior your actions for the better having a positive mindset. ​The Dalai Lama and Howard

Cutler along with David Brooks argue through an emotional and spiritual experience can

transform your internal space.​ ​While Graham Hill and Sonja Lyubomirsky assert the idea of

transforming the external space through intention of change and goal which can lead to

happiness​.

Exploring internal spaces, Howard Cutler and The Dalai Lama's ​article​ "The Source of

Happiness" discusses how one's' state of mind can dictate your perspective on life and your

emotions. That materialism isn't a source of happiness but a source of distraction from finding
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your true self. Evident at the beginning of the article, Cutler uses the stories of two of his friends.

One who was just bought out by a huge​ business​ for a lot of money and at age thirty-two starts

her early retirement. The other regarding how he manages his HIV. In the first story the woman

who had received a large sum of money soon began to realize after the excitement settled in she

was just as happy as she was before nothing really changed, but with the man with HIV is happy

and living life to its full potential and cherishes life dearly he holds on to the fact that he hasn't

contracted AIDS. The author's purpose is to point out the human psyche, to show that your

outlook, the mindset you have can drastically transform your internal space. Cutler uses the

quote from the Dalai Lama " True happiness relates more to the mind and heart. Happiness that

depends mainly on physical pleasure is unstable; one day it's there, the next day it may not be."

(31). Cutler asserts the idea that in order to find true happiness ​you have to transform your

internal space ​to find something meaningful and long-lasting instead of something fleeting and

insignificant. ​That you have to understand yourself and understand what truly makes you happy,

not something that will stimulate you for a short period of time but to go through experiences

that will mold you to be your best version of yourself.

​ The idea of an internal transformation discussed in the article written​ by David Brooks in

"What Suffering Does" asserts the idea about defining oneself from traumatic experiences and

grief how you can spiritually change and can view the world differently. ​ Brooks says "People

shoot for happiness but feel formed through suffering." (284) meaning transforming your internal

space from the emotions of pain and suffering, offer you an augmented perception of life.

“suffering gives people a more accurate sense of their own limitations, what they can control and

cannot control." (286). ​This argues that people try to escape their emotions by trying to buy
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mediocre happiness or trying to distract themselves from the inevitable emotions you feel with

agony and misery, but inevitably feel formed from those experiences.​ He explains that real living

has a lot of pain, you learn more about yourself that you discover the strength you have. You

become more in tune with yourself and your emotions. Evident in the article Brooks uses the

ideas from "The theologian Paul Tillich wrote that people who endure suffering are taken

beneath the routines of life and find they are not whom they believed themselves to be." (285).

The theologist, drawing your attention to the fact that people go through an internal struggle and

experience a spiritual lesson which comes out a different person from transforming your internal

space making you a more introspective empathetic person.

In exploring external spaces, Graham Hill's idea of happiness is constructed by removing

worldly possessions leaving behind unnecessary things. He discusses the distorted concept that

happiness can be bought. Evident in his article "Living with Less. A Lot Less." he describes his

past memories as examples of his effort to transform his external space "For me, it took fifteen

years, a great love and a lot of travel to get rid of all the inessential things I had collected and

lived a bigger, better, richer life with less." (308). He argues transforming your external space

can give you a better perspective and contentment in life. ​Understanding and finding your

passion in life, he argues that there is no meaning in the possessions we own. Asserting that

placing value in materialistic things is a superficial manifestation of happiness it isn't substantial.

Arguing that materialism doesn't mean you'll necessarily be content with yourself. ​"Intuitively,

we know that the best stuff in life isn't stuff at all and that relationships, experiences, and

meaningful work are the staples of a happy life." Hill illustrates that rather material things,

people should help one another and form interpersonal relationships. He argues that having
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people to support you and those to have bonded with can give more joy than possessions. Hill

discredits​ the idea of placing too much importance on the inessential things, and instead find the

significance of experiences and changing for the better.

​ In Sonja Lyubomirsky’s article "What Makes People Happy?" asserts the concept that

people have to have the intent for happiness.​ That you have to set goals for yourself and what

you believe and think you can do. To transform your external space and create a better lifestyle

than before, a better you. Lyubomirsky uses her interviews and experiments to base her theory

that intentional search and action for happiness is the key itself to contentment.​ One of her

interviews, Angela who has been dealt with the harshness of reality from her traumatic

experiences from childhood and her present day life.​ Angela who had an abusive childhood now

a single mother had filed bankruptcy along with being fired unexpectedly from her dream job

still finds happiness in her external space. ​Lyubomirsky describes Angela source of happiness

transforming her external space​ "she finds deep satisfaction in helping others heal from their own

wounds and traumas" (180). She has a created community that is her support system. Angela

finds happiness through interpersonal relationships. ​Sonja Lyubomirsky discusses her genetic

research, she questions the myth of “you either have it or you don’t” she discusses the statistic of

the happiness set point, in which genetically the disposition for happiness (or unhappiness)

between you and everyone else is 50%. She argues the intentional action to find happiness, that

50 percent is a long way to 100 percent. That you can acquire happiness by having the mindset

and goal to achieve it, is in itself satisfying. To look beyond, to look for something more

significant to transform your external space.Sonja Lyubomirsky main argument, is the idea of

transforming your external space with intentional action to find happiness.

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The Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler along with David Brooks argue that grief and

suffering is a gift that is more substantial which has deeper meaning which adds value to your

character that can transform your internal space. Graham Hill's ideas by argues that materialism

doesn't mean you'll necessarily be content with yourself. Urging the external happiness the idea

that downsizing can be liberating and free one's money-driven mentality. Sonja Lyubomirsky

asserts the idea to not look at superficial attributes, but to find meaningful experiences

understanding yourself in order to have lifelong contentment. All of these authors regardless the

argument of the internal manifestations of Happiness Vs. the external manifestations of

happiness, the main purpose of these articles is to find substantial happiness.

 
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​Works Cited

Brooks, David. "What Suffering Does." ​Pursuing Happines​s, edited by Matthew Parfitt,

Dawn Skorczewski Publisher Bedford/ St. Martin's A Macmillan Education

Imprint Boston, New York (284-287)

The Dalai Lama and Cutler, Howard. "The Source Of Happiness." ​Pursuing Happiness​,

edited by Matthew Parfitt, Dawn Skorczewski Publisher Bedford/ St.

Martin's A Macmillan Education Imprint Boston, New York (21-33)

Hill, Graham. "Living With Less. A Lot Less." ​Pursuing Happiness​, edited by Matthew

Parfitt, Dawn Skorczewski Publisher Bedford/ St. Martin's A Macmillan

Education Imprint Boston, New York (308-313)

Lyubomirsky, Sonja. "How Happy Are You and Why?" ​Pursuing Happiness​, edited by

Matthew Parfitt, Dawn Skorczewski Publisher Bedford/ St. Martin's A

Macmillan Education Imprint Boston, New York (179-197)