The Pursuit of Happiness free essay sample

When I was younger, I would spend every waking minute of daylight that I could outside. I would play in the sun for hours, romping through the woods, catching salamanders in the stream near my house, or spending hours setting up army men for a grand battle, only to be called inside as soon as I finished. I constantly approached my brothers with the phrase â€Å"Wanna Wessel?† still too young to pronounce my â€Å"r’s.† I was a tiny child too, premature by six full weeks and weighing a measly four pounds, six ounces. My parents didn’t even have name for me when I was born. Being the forth and youngest child, I was known as Cuatro for my first few days in the hospital. As my friends grew bigger and I didn’t, it became clear that I probably wouldn’t have a future as a football player or a wrestler. We will write a custom essay sample on The Pursuit of Happiness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page So, I tried baseball, soccer, and ice hockey, and as it turns out, I wasn’t very good at those either. I was not disheartened though because to me, practice was really just a place for me to see my friends and laugh at each other a few times a week. I never understood how my friends would be so upset just because we lost a game, I was just happy to be there doing it! As long as I was outside, playing in grass, I was happy. When I was ten, going into middle school, I moved from flat, no-trees-in-sight Ohio to the back woods of New Jersey. A place with so many streams and salamanders, I couldn’t believe my luck. That summer I explored ever where, naming landmarks and building hideouts all along my underdeveloped neighborhood. Barefoot and outside was how I was suppose to be, it was so clear to me I never had to think about it. For a kid that was just happy to be doing something, I was easy to please. Somewhere between my foray into middle school and learning what curse w ords meant, I began to lose sight of what had made me truly happy, being outside. Like all children my age, I developed a deep interest in video games, and if you weren’t the one on the football field, you were the one inside playing with Legos or on the computer. I actually started playing lacrosse for the first time when I moved, and still enjoy playing it today, but I was always one of the worst on the field. Towards my teenage years, I followed the crowd. I became someone who desperately needed the acceptance of others, like most teenagers. I listened to the cool music (well, I tried, but it was terrible), bought the cool clothes, and even made fun of the less fortunate kids. I had lost sight of what made me a happy person. Now, as a relatively mature high school senior, I like to think I have gained that sight back. I spend time with people who enjoy things I do, not because it is what they’re doing, but because it is what I want to do. I hike in the Adirondacks multiple times every year and find trails around my house. I have followed my father’s advice of being a leader and not a follower and now, just by being myself and doing what makes me happy, I command the respect of nearly all my piers. I have gained sight of the value of a good education and why I am as lucky as I am to be happy. As long as remain in sight of good morals and values, I know I can, and will accomplish whatever I choose to. As long as I am happy, nothing can touch me. The Pursuit of Happiness free essay sample The pursuit of happiness Whats happiness? A feeling? A state? Why is it so hard to define? Is it because no one is really happy ? From what I know, were happy when we have what we are looking for, according to that, happiness can be defined as a feeling of satisfaction that appears once we achieve a goal, and as humans are by definition eternally dissatisfied, theyll always be running after happiness. This reminds me of the story of the Jar full of gold, that is supposed to be at the feet of each rainbow; children have been running for years to each the feet of the rainbow, and no one ever succeeded. Moreover we usually want many different things, money, health, beauty, youth the list is unlimited, Just like our desires, and there are many dreams well never realize, according to this last idea, is happy only the one who accepts that he cannot have everything, in that sense, happiness will have another definition and happy will mean being satisfied with what we have. We will write a custom essay sample on The Pursuit of Happiness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Not to be extremist, I would say that being satisfied with what we have will take away our desire to move ahead, and to get more, or to do better; the reason why I think hat the secret of happiness would be to create a balance between all our desires, not to focus on a single objective to avoid obsession and to accept that there are some things well never have and to learn how to live without them. All of this may seem very positive, but this doesnt mean that sorrow is forgotten in my way to see things, sorrow is very important to happiness, as no one can exist without the other. To sum up, I think that the secret of a happy life can be summarized in two rules, avoiding obsession and accepting defeat.