Harrison West

Deby Jizi
UWRT - 1102 (29)
10 February 2016

Double Entry Journal

Citation:
Lyubormisky, Sonja. "How Happy Are You and Why?" 2015. Pursuing Happiness: A
Bedford Spotlight Reader. Place of Publication Not Identified: Bedford Bks St Martin'S, 2015.
267-79. Print.

Source: Quote (Page# or Paragraph #)

Responses

happiness is one of the most important

values guiding individuals lives, if not the
most important. Pg 267

I wouldnt have believed that statement

before taking this class but after I totally
agree. I think the key is that people dont
realize happiness is guiding their life. Its why
they strive for a nice job, the big house; they
think itll bring them happiness.

. Many individuals posses negative views The thought never crossed my mind that
about happiness, and are sometimes averse some people would be adverse to happiness.
to it. Pg 268
Being happy makes it more likely that bad
things will happen to you. Pg 269

I think that if you are able to create your own

synthetic happiness then no matter what life
throws at you, youll always be able to see the
silver lining in everything.

What goes up, must come down pg 269

We all hear this saying growing up but I never

stopped to really think about it. To me it
doesnt mean you should be afraid of the
down, but instead realize that life if is a
rollercoaster with hills and valleys. No one is
certainly happy all their life and the same for
being sad all your life. Just know when your
down things are going to get better.

Happy people are also seen as being

distracted from God. Pg 270

I understand religions and cultures are

different, that being said my own belief
happiness brings upon virtues, which do bring

you closer to God.

.consider happy people to be superficial
intellectual lightweights as apposed to
serious minded people who lament the
hopeless suffering of the world pg 271

I use to think this exactly, I thought people

who said they were the happiest theyve ever
been were some how being fake. I no longer
think that, I believe people who are happy
and intellectually conscious of whom they are
as a people. They understand how things
affect them emotionally and choose to do the
things that make them happy. And being
happy doesnt make you blind to all the
unhappiness, if anything it makes you able to
help others.

members of marginalized groups have had

an important reason to kill joy, avoid
happiness, and cling to unhappiness:
because to be happy in proximity to the
injustice they suffer could make them weak
in the face of oppression. Pg 272

This is the only example so far Ive seen that I

find relatable. If I was oppressed I could see
my unhappiness as fuel to fight against
oppression. Like being a rebel. But couldnt
fighting against your oppressors cause you
happiness?

Expressing happiness is bad for you and

others. Pg 272

I think that as long as your not trying to rub it

in someones face who isnt happy and
instead maybe trying to invoke wisdom on a
person as to why youre happy, its a good
thing.

.adverse to the pursuit of personal

happiness (as opposed to pursuing the
happiness of others) pg 274

I find this statement interesting. I do believe

that a persons ultimate goal should be to
achieve happiness in their life, but if pursuing
the happiness of others brought you
happiness then they are one in the same.
This could be volunteering, building strong
relationships, family. Maybe true happiness
has to be influenced by others.

The direct pursuit of security and happiness Too much of a good thing in the wrong way
seems progressively to erode our capacity
can be a bad thing.
for devotion even to the best modern ideals
of justice and the freedom of all pg 276