It Isn’t Happines

Happiness by today’s standards is an ever changing idea.  People have different ideas and opinion’s about happiness, but who is right?  The truth is that nobody knows.  There is no real formula for happiness, all we can do is what we think is right, and the rest will follow.  Emily Smith wrote an article about how happiness and meaning are not the same thing when it comes to living life.  The evidence behind her article comes from her citations of renowned psychologist Viktor Frankl.  In his life, he chose to choose a more meaningful life by comforting his parents in Nazi concentration camps rather than pursue a happy life with his wife and family in America(Smith).  Throughout the article she attempts to prove the point that lives need more than just happiness.  The truth is that how can people accurately decide that life needs more than happiness.  Millions of people everyday go through their lives leading selfish albeit happy lives.  These people don’t necessarily have feelings of unfulfillment, and the evidence behind what would make them more happy is inconclusive.  The problem with dissecting and proving what makes people happy is incredibly complex due to the simple fact happiness means something different for everyone.  People who lead selfish lives and are happy about it, wouldn’t be more happy or fulfilled if they sacrificed their happiness for meaning.

Works Cited

Smith, Emily E. “There’s More to Life Than Being Happy.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 09 Jan. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.