Elizabeth Garcia

Professor Beadle

Writing 115

21 February 2019

Can Suffrage Lead to Happiness ?

The ​potential ​driving force ​for​ success and fulfillment is achieved through happiness.

This so-called happiness occurs when one becomes satisfied with all the needs that have been

desired and accomplished. At what point does one finalize the search for happiness? Author

Graham Hill a Journalist, Entrepreneur, and founder has remarkable diversified success at

TreeHugger.com and LifeEdited, where he argues that less can really be more. Hill is

contemplating an excessive need for materialism that builds barriers when dealing with the

internal and external environment. David Brooks is a Journalist at the Washington Post and the

Wall Street Journal who has also written five books, taking on controversial topics, where he

takes a stance on the aspect of suffering. Being able to build relationships, Brooks internalizes

the advantage of suffering as a way to reflect. Sonja Lyubomirsky is a professor in Psychology at

U.C.R., author of articles, book chapters, and research on individual happiness.​ Finally,

Lyubomirsky hits on a couple of major points, such as dealing with the environment, studies on

how to present one's internal thoughts. In all, these authors suggest areas of growth in order to

reach happiness and also hint at better relationships that can be formulated as a result.
 Hill begins with an anecdote of his life, made up of a variety of things that have “ended

up running [his] life or a lot of it, the things [he's] consumed ended up consuming [him]”(Hill

308). Hill has become overwhelmed with materialistic things that have come to oversee all his

other needs. When doing this, he has become detached with his sense of self while feeding into

consumerism and now he must face both external and internal problems because they impact

both his life and the natural outside world. This ties back to the concept of “extractions of

resources”(Hill 310), the over-consumed trend has influenced a choice that has generated by

society. Hill asked, “ what exactly are we storing away in the boxes”(Hill 310). At this point in

his journey, he has begun to question the excessive need for the abundance of things. He also

addresses the unnecessary need that “plays a big part in pushing our planet to the brick”(Hill

310), by destroying the planet people are also destroying themselves. The disconnected with the

“relationships, experiences and meaningful works of life”(Hill 311), has created a space for

detachment and isolation and negates the relationships. Being able to have human relationships

with others keep a person moving forward. Just as the relationship with the environment is

essential in order to stay alive. Is it also important to be aware of the choices that are made

because it may hinder the true happiness that is being sought, which may cause one to question

“why aren't I happy”?

Brooks lays out the foundation for happiness by demonstrating the aspect of suffering as

it “drags you deeper into yourself”(Brooks 284). ​Brooks has demonstrated the power of

vulnerability because at point of great harm one is more accepting of the circumstances and seem

more welcoming to this almost forced change because it gives a new and better opportunity to be

able to learn and grow from what the suffering brought. ​At this point, the opportunity for “the
healing process feels as though its part of some natural divine process beyond control”(Brooks

266). The healing part has been applied. the individual control In all, a person can let this absorb

so that they are able to self-reflection and transcendence their self-worth. Then as fuel to an

engine, this is what can bring a person back to a point of redemption. Holiness is put into play.

One can internally live a more forthcoming knowledgeable lifestyle because of the effect that

suffering had. Once a person is able to do this, accepting negative and positive experiences an

individual who has experienced​ both a high point versus vulnerable aspect, "recovering from

suffering [may] come out different"(Brooks) it gives them a better understanding to what they

want to pursue in their lives. in all this creates a space that requires a way to understand and

maintain happiness.

Lyubomirsky has presented the case of three people. The first two of Angela and Randy

have accentuated a true definition of being defined as happy, they each share a post-traumatic

event which has shaped the way they chose to live their lives (Lyubomirsky 180). As a result,

they have seemed to find comfort in another human being. Whether it be with friends, love, or

acquaintance interaction, these relationships seem to make a difference in one's life.

Lyubomirsky stance on suffering creates happiness, to those individuals who have encountered

some sort of trauma in the past. Both Randy and Angela have experienced unwanted events,

though at first, these events may come as burdens, they become necessary for the future and the

ability to truly understand what happiness is and accept it in its fullness.​ “Shannon the final case

has experienced a lack of tragedy or trauma in her life, [she] seems to turn everything into a

crisis”(Lyubomirsky 182). At comparison to Angela and Randy,​ Shannon had been content her

whole life, s​he was never exposed to the second possibility of mishap, isolation, and suffrage. In
all, there can be no telling how she may react to any future traumatic event when the time may

come. The differentiation between these three cases has demonstrated an unfortunate spectrum of

chance and choice. Another case which looks at a pair of fraternal twins case shows the effect of

the difference in the physical environment. These two sets of twins are observed, the first is

observed raised together and the other two are raised separately( Lyubomirsky 188). The

environment in which the two sets of twins are exposed to has become important because being

raised together has forced them to act of total opposite to each other. Though if they are raised

separately there isn't any pressure to have to act differently.​ The environment that had lead to this

has raised questions of genetics, where the genetic factors play a role in the happiness that is

accentuated. Although there are determiners that enhance one's choices of happiness, genetics

can play a role in this as well as a lurking variable that is underseen. Overall, achieving

happiness comes in many forms that cause obstacles to occur, though it may seem impssley far

to reach happinesses, the journey to happiness prepares the person to maintain that happiness.

To put in perspective there are many tendencies in which one becomes consumed by a

controlling society that has laid out the fundamental foundation for happiness. Each author picks

on imperfections and suggests different approaches in order to truly achieve happiness,​ which are

both internalized and externalized. Overall the common pattern is becoming detached from a

social expectation to a more rather self attachment, in order to maintain that self- desire. In future

relations there is a sense of establishment to a more healthier bond to come. Overall

relationships serve as minor simulated of happiness may cause for major, lifetime of an immense

happiness that extends all other needs that seem to be temporary. Though it may not come easy,

happiness is a goal worth reaching, it may seem inevitably far because of lurking variable.
 Works Cited

Brooks, David. “What Suffering Does.” ​Pursuing Happiness,​ Edited by Matthew Parfitt

and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford St. Martins, 2016, pp.284-287

Hill, Graham. “Living With Less. A Lot Less.” ​Pursuing Happiness,​ Edited by Matthew Parfitt and

Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford St. Martins,2016, pp.308-313

Lyubomirsky, Sonja. “How Happy are You and Why?” ​Pursuing Happiness,​ Edited by Matthew

Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski, Bedford St. Martins, 2016 pp.179-197