What is Happiness?

@Suzianne said
No.

Your error here is the same error people make regarding scripture about "money" being "the root of all evil."

Just as the root of all evil is not money itself, but the LOVE of money, so also it is not "happiness" that is a natural right, but the PURSUIT of happiness.

Big differences.

You are a psychology major? People are after what they want!

Why does anyone pursue things? Is it not for the sake of getting it?

The founding fathers were not as dumb as you want to make them out to be. According to your brand of psychology, they granted the right to pursue happiness, but not to have it?

I see why you have no liking for philosophers... you seem to lack common sense for common rights.

@Suzianne said
Grizabella gets her wish in the end, though.

Cats are said to have 9 lives. And yes, she does get her wish in the end, which, through her memory, gets back into cat heaven.

After all, heaven is said to be a place of perfect happiness even for cats and dogs, where they live in peace and perfect harmony.

I suppose harmony may also be associated with heaven and happiness.

@PettyTalk said
You are a psychology major? People are after what they want!

Why does anyone pursue things? Is it not for the sake of getting it?

The founding fathers were not as dumb as you want to make them out to be. According to your brand of psychology, they granted the right to pursue happiness, but not to have it?

I see why you have no liking for philosophers... you seem to lack common sense for common rights.

And you have no respect for common sayings or teachings.

@Suzianne said
And you have no respect for common sayings or teachings.

Respect is a two way street. Be as it may, can you shed light on my lack of respect for common sayings or teachings?

Come again, and tell us why is the pursuit of happiness, as intended by the founding fathers, not to be possessed after the pursuit results in acquiring it?

It is said that the hunt may be more exiting than the catch. Still, is the US Constitutional right for the pursuit of happiness one of catch and release? Why would anyone in their right mind give up the ownership of happiness once acquired?

What does psychology say about having happiness? Is it something to be sought, but never to have for keeps?

@PettyTalk said
Respect is a two way street. Be as it may, can you shed light on my lack of respect for common sayings or teachings?

Come again, and tell us why is the pursuit of happiness, as intended by the founding fathers, not to be possessed after the pursuit results in acquiring it?

It is said that the hunt may be more exiting than the catch. Still, is the US Constitutional r ...[text shortened]... es psychology say about having happiness? Is it something to be sought, but never to have for keeps?

You are giving this concept lip service.

The concept is too important and touches on so many things that it is impossible to explain just what I mean to someone who doesn't get it. I'm about to get ready for work at this moment and to briefly touch on what I meant right now will not give it justice. Let's just say that the concept of 'the pursuit of happiness' in the Declaration and how this dovetails in with John Locke's concept of 'natural rights' is foundational to the Declaration of Independence, another document on the founding of America that is currently given such short shrift in today's America. I will touch more on this when I have more time.

"The founding fathers were not as dumb as you want to make them out to be. According to your brand of psychology, they granted the right to pursue happiness, but not to have it?"
This is you being rather ham-handed in giving the concept the attention it deserves.

The post that was quoted here has been removed

But constantly making new accounts here is not likely to result in you landing in the good graces of the site owner.

@Suzianne said

"The founding fathers were not as dumb as you want to make them out to be. According to your brand of psychology, they granted the right to pursue happiness, but not to have it?"
This is you being rather ham-handed in giving the concept the attention it deserves.

I think it's even worse than that. It's human nature to seek happiness; everyone does it, yet so many are miserable. For many, it's hard or impossible to find, and this despite many hours of trying many paths to get it. Further, an individual's happiness, or lack thereof, often bears little correlation to their circumstances. For example, there are miserable rich people and happy poor people.

Given that attainment of happiness is such a crapshoot, the founding fathers would indeed have been quite dumb to enshrine a right to happiness in the constitution, because the country could not possibly deliver on that for all citizens.

Mercifully, they were more thoughtful than that.

The only thing dumb here is PT's argument.

@BigDogg said
I think it's even worse than that. It's human nature to seek happiness; everyone does it, yet so many are miserable. For many, it's hard or impossible to find, and this despite many hours of trying many paths to get it. Further, an individual's happiness, or lack thereof, often bears little correlation to their circumstances. For example, there are miserable rich people and h ...[text shortened]... s.

Mercifully, they were more thoughtful than that.

The only thing dumb here is PT's argument.

Exactly.

What IS a "natural right" (or as Jefferson put it, an "inalienable right" ), is the pursuit of happiness, not the obtaining of it. One does not, under any circumstance, have a right to happiness.

@PettyTalk said
Respect is a two way street. Be as it may, can you shed light on my lack of respect for common sayings or teachings?

Come again, and tell us why is the pursuit of happiness, as intended by the founding fathers, not to be possessed after the pursuit results in acquiring it?

It is said that the hunt may be more exiting than the catch. Still, is the US Constitutional r ...[text shortened]... es psychology say about having happiness? Is it something to be sought, but never to have for keeps?

You simply do not understand what psychology is. At all.

@BigDogg said
The only thing dumb here is PT's argument.

There’s a consistency to his dumb arguments through.

@PettyTalk said
Respect is a two way street. Be as it may, can you shed light on my lack of respect for common sayings or teachings?

Come again, and tell us why is the pursuit of happiness, as intended by the founding fathers, not to be possessed after the pursuit results in acquiring it?

It is said that the hunt may be more exiting than the catch. Still, is the US Constitutional r ...[text shortened]... es psychology say about having happiness? Is it something to be sought, but never to have for keeps?

I think we all know what happiness is, all of us having experienced it, but the much talked about 'human condition' and circumstances mitigate against our 'keeping it', life doesn't work like that, we all have to experience the whole gamut of emotions, nothing in this regard lasts forever; we cannot be constantly happy any more than we can be constantly miserable, dealing with the bad times is the trick.

@PettyTalk said
For example, in the preamble to the US Constitution we read: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Here, POLITICALLY, we see that it's believed that happiness is a right granted to all men by the Cre ...[text shortened]... the eyes and touch of "cat people."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdBVJbzkoqo&list=RDMM&index=6

(For example, in the preamble to the US Constitution we read: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Here, POLITICALLY, we see that it's believed that happiness is a right granted to all men by the Creator/God.)

For white males in the USA maybe. This did not apply to Blacks, or Natives, or white Women, at that time. Unless they were wealthy and lived like white males with their wealth. Very few at that time.

(RELIGIOUSLY, St. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and "Catholic" theologian, asserts that true happiness can only be found in the knowledge of God.)
I think true happiness can only be found in the knowledge of the LOVE OF God, My current opinion.

@KingDavid403 said
(For example, in the preamble to the US Constitution we read: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Here, POLITICALLY, we see that it's believed that happiness is a right granted to all men by the Cr ...[text shortened]...
I think true happiness can only be found in the knowledge of the LOVE OF God, My current opinion.

Sorry to bust your chops on this one, but your quote is from the Declaration of Independence.

And again, it is not happiness per se, but the pursuit of happiness that is listed as a "natural right", AKA an "inalienable right". No man can promise another man that he has a right to be happy. We can only make this for ourselves.

@Suzianne said
Sorry to bust your chops on this one, but your quote is from the Declaration of Independence.

And again, it is not happiness per se, but the pursuit of happiness that is listed as a "natural right", AKA an "inalienable right". No man can promise another man that he has a right to be happy. We can only make this for ourselves.

It's not my quote Suzianne; it was petty talk's and I was responding to it. I wrote the response. My chops are still intact.

(We can only make this for ourselves.)
If one has the means and opportunity to do so. I Don't see many opportunities to be happy being someone's slave.