The Happiness and Well Being

            There can be individuals, who achieve happiness by staying alone, or there can be someone who feels happy by helping others, which means that happiness cannot be defined universally, because each individual can find happiness in different kind of things, activities or places. It also means that happiness is something, which can have different as well as various meanings to every person, because everyone has his/her personality and nature. I remember that when I was a young child, and once I was asked by an old man that helps me to reach the other side of the road, because he was weak and very old, and could not see clearly. I helped him to cross the road. It was my first every good gesture for any other person, and I really felt inner happiness with this act. I was so happy and satisfied that I helped someone. There is a famous quote from Oscar Wilde, which states that “Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.” (Wishingmoon.com). It means that one should always become a reason for the happiness of others, rather becoming part of the trouble, as it will also provide inner satisfaction and happiness to that person as well.

            We have been asked to do an experiment for this particular topic of discussion; happiness and well being. So, I started searching activities or something to do, which can help me to find happiness and wellbeing. I decided that I would go outside to a nearby park for outdoor running early in the morning so that I can see whether it gave me any sense of happiness and well being or not. But important part was to connect with strangers through NIKE+ RUN CLUB APP, and share my running experience with them, as well as getting inspirations from them. This Nike App is very useful one, because it not only helps with coaching and guiding, but it also records & store data for running and one can connect with friends and strangers through this App. So, next day, I went to the nearby park early in the morning, and started finding nearby people through NIKE+ RUN CLUB APP. I found 2 strangers, who connected with me, and for the course of next two weeks, we ran together and motivated each other. Overall outside running experience was a great one, because I think that park was full of life and positive energy. Apparently, this research experiment was a simple one, but it proved a great learning experience for me, we members of the Nike App were able to inspire and motivate each other by competing different challenges. I was feeling fresh as well as happy to breathe fresh air for these two weeks in the park. This experience helped me to understand that you don’t need a big house, a luxury car or something like that to feel happiness, rather it can be found in doing little things and acts. I figured out that even if we can enjoy every moment, then a simple outdoor running experience can also give you happiness and good enough positivity.

            The good thing about happiness and well being is that they inject positive energy in one’s personality, where happiness deals with peace and satisfaction of mind, whereas happiness helps to discover an attitude, which believes in welfare. The life does not come easy for everyone, and people do face so many issues on daily basis, which stops their ability to attain happiness and well being. But still, everyone can found happiness in any given situation, if he/she believes in the positive energy. For instance, if there is a patient dealing with a disease can feel happiness, if he shares smiles with other patients, or feel better just by thinking positive. And if he feels that something is missing for his happiness, and then he/she can makes sure that when someone else gets ill, he/she may give the other happiness the kind of happiness, which was missing for him/her. So, life can be a better thing just by doing little things, and people can feel happiness, if they believe in this concept.

            I mentioned earlier that people can be happy by doing little things in their lives, and it will also spread happiness for others. I was in the park, and when I talked to strangers from the Nike App out there in the park, we shared some common thoughts with positive energy, which increased the level of happiness and satisfaction. It was nice to share thoughts and ideas with others, and reliving by sharing the issues, and injecting positive energy into the conversation. It really boosted my whole day, as one outdoor running experience filled with positivity made my day more beautiful and happy than ever before. I carried that positive vibes and happiness all day long. There was one great benefit for this kind of happiness that I tried to be positive and nice with others by doing fee little things. This kind of concept has been encouraged by many persons as it was stated by Dalai Lama that “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” (Firestone). It means that our own little actions can be bigger collectively to change society and bring more happiness to the lives of people. Moreover, I was also surprised to experience the fact that even a simple running activity can be so fruitful with regards to social terms, as I was able to socialize with others and connect with them.

            Epicurus ideas about happiness and friendship have been very clear that happiness should be achieved through pursuit of pleasure as well as avoiding the pain. So, he believed that friendship is also something, which can provide pleasure. He believed if there are no friends in life, then life is like a solitary. I was lucky enough to find 2 good friends due to my running activity, which certainly gave me so much pleasure. In addition to that, I may share few thoughts that I was able to identify during a conversation with an old man in the park, who was also the member of Nike Run Club (Rist). His age was around 60 years, and he was still looking smart and fresh, and his face was always kind of smiling. I thought I must conduct a little interview from him by starting a conversation. So, I started the conversation by asking that how and why you are looking so happy at this age? He replied because of positive energy and positive thoughts that I carry all day long within my personality. He told that he worked 20 years with an NGO, and helped people to improve their lives to get better with the essence of happiness and well being. He told that he felt so much happiness and well being by helping and improving lives of others, who were dealing with various issues in their lives. He believed that if we seek pleasure in helping others, and can improve life of a single person, it can give you ultimate feeling of happiness and well being. He shared a thought that we often see that a rich person is dealing with depression and anxiety. What makes him/her stressed, whereas he has all luxuries of life? It happens because he must be missing the essence of positive vibe in his attitude, and he may not be doing well to others with his wealth. So, only material things cannot give you happiness and well being, rather it’s your action and inner personality, which achieved happiness.

            My running experience with others was so great and I recommend people to follow this activity as a routine in their daily life, as it would not only provide pleasure, happiness, but it will also provide so much positive energy. I also tried to understand the concept of happiness and well being from the writings of other writers like I read the writing and concepts of Aristotle about happiness. The happiness has been defined by Aristotle by saying that “Happiness depends on ourselves.” It clearly indicates that material things and external environment may have a part to play, but real feeling of happiness comes with one’s own personality. If you are a person, who stays away from negative things, and tries to make things better in every aspect as a whole, then life can be more happy and satisfactory (Aristotle). He took the inspiration from the Buddhism, which believed that happiness does not deal with sensations, rather it is something, which deals with the wisdom as well as freedom in life which comes from own personality and nature of a person (Harari). Aristotle also believed that sensual pleasure seeking is not the solution for achieving happiness in life; rather it is something, which comes within your-self with a positive nature.

            It is important for people to understand that life is something, which always go through some issues and challenges. But there are people who deal with these issues and still remain happy, but there are others, who get depression and stress due to these issues in life. It means that two people with same educational, cultural and social background face same kind of issues in their lives, one would still be happy, whereas other gets stress. Why it happens like that two people are equal in their lives in every aspect, but one is happy, and other is not. It happens because of one’s inner personality as it has been said by Aristotle. It shows that if one can develop a personality, which seeks happiness and positive energy from even a bad situation, because he/she possess a positive attitude. If one may unhappy because he has not taken his/her favorite dinner, but at least had a dinner. Then he must feel about those, who deals with hunger, because they are poor and can’t afford good enough food. If you can inject such kind of thoughts in your mind, you will start enjoying your life that there are people who can’t afford two meals a day, and I am so lucky to eat dinner at my home.

            If one has to understand that how he/she can achieve happiness and well being in life, then one can look at the philosophy of happiness described by Aristotle. He believed that one should show an element of statesmanship in his/her personality, which believes in general good. It means that Aristotle has associated happiness with the viewpoint of doing “good”. He believed that every action should be end with the essence of “good”, even it is for others or one’s own self. If one involves in an activity, which is based on the idea of general good, and it ends with the same passion, then such activity can bring the feeling of happiness and well being with a strong aspect. Aristotle also linked happiness of life by relating to the soul, which means that a person must possess a soul, which believes in virtues, which are good for everyone in a given society. The life can be simple and happy, if we can follow some simple steps, which leads to ultimate happiness (Shau)

            It is true that we are living in a modern and technological age, where life is so much better than our ancestors, as they did not enjoy the luxuries of life, which people enjoy these days. But question is that if this modern life filled with the element of technology and various facilities is the guarantee of a happy life, then people back in history without this lifestyle were unhappy? Whether they could not achieve the beauty of happiness and well being, and the answer is “no” because happiness and well being has nothing to do with modern life, modern technology and materialistic things, rather it has always been the essence of one’s own personality. It means that even if someone lived a life few centuries ago, when such facilities and luxuries of life were not available, but still he could have attained a life filled with happiness and well being, because he had that personality, will and attitude to believe in good spirit, and doing actions, which spread happiness amongst whole society (Harari). J.K Rowling described happiness by saying that “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times; if only one remembers to turn on the light.” (Wishingmoon.com)

            In the end, after looking at all the discussion about happiness and well being, it can be said that everyone can achieve happiness and well being by doing certain things regardless of his/her social and financial status in life and such things are based on good spirit. I experienced this feeling of happiness and well being by the running activity. I was able to connect ad socialize with others, and share pleasure moments with them. If one can believe in positive life with positive energy and stays away from disappointment and negativity, then life can be filled with ultimate happiness and well being. The future research can look into lives of people living a modern life that how they can still achieve happiness and well being by injecting certain elements in their personality.

References economy

Aristotle. The Nicomachean Ethics. revised Edition. Penguin Books, 2004.

Firestone, Lisa. The Secret to Happiness and Well-Being. 2019. 29 May 2019. <https://www.psychalive.org/the-secret-to-happiness-and-well-being/>.

Harari, Yuval Noah. Were we happier in the stone age? 2014. 29 May 2019. <https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/05/were-we-happier-in-the-stone-age>.

Rist, John M. "Epicurus on Friendship." Classical Philology 75.2 (1980): 121-129.

Shau, Kevin. Aristotle on Happiness: An Analysis. 2018. 29 May 2019. <https://medium.com/@kevinshau/aristotle-on-happiness-an-analysis-1d5f57dd192>.

Wishingmoon.com. HAPPINESS QUOTES FROM FAMOUS AUTHORS & POETS. 2013. 29 May 2019. <https://www.wishingmoon.com/happiness-quotes-from-famous-authors-poets/>.