After reading the essays in chapter two of America Now I feel the best ways to define happiness with the example essays I have chosen is that happiness is freedom, money, simplicity, and basically just enjoying the little things in life. In the first essay I chose, “If You Are Happy And You Know It, You’re In Third”, the writer explains that happiness is often shown more in athlete’s expressions when he or she places third rather than the athletes who place higher.
It states that studies show the reason for this is that the athletes who place third tend to be very happy they even placed, and the athletes that placed higher tend to have regrets or stress of underachievement. This supports my theory that happiness is simplicity and just enjoying the little things in life such as an athlete performing good enough to place third. In the second essay, “Get Happy”, the writer explains to us that the government is in control of our happiness.
He says that happiness is kept from us by prisonlike schools, meaningless jobs, unemployment and untreated ailments. Also happiness is considered by most to be a subset of wealth, which is not necessarily true. This is why I also say that happiness comes from our amount of freedom and money as well In the first essay the writer seems to be on the more positive side of being happy. The writer seems to be trying to tell us that happiness isn’t hard to find and anyone can be happy if they open their minds and enjoy the smaller accomplishments.
The more complicated we make things out to be the harder it makes us able to be happy. The writer in the second essay seems to lean towards the more negative side that prevent happiness. It seems they think that we are slaves to the government and have no control of our happiness. This is all due our daily routines that we have to perform in order to make it in society. If we have a good financial status and position then we are happy.
Obviously the two essays have completely different theories. One is basically saying that happiness is determined by our amount of freedom and money you own and the other one explains that happiness comes from something simple and not overdoing yourself with accomplishments. I noticed that both writers made really good points and I think they were both true to an extent for each. Overall I feel that happiness really does come from our freedom and just enjoying the little things in life.
