John Stuart Mill On Happiness Essay

The proper route to obtain eternal happiness is a controversial subject for many. Should one constantly focus on his own personal happiness, or should one make the happiness of others his priority? What if the individual who endeavors never-ending euphoria is indeed the most broken inside? This concept was the chief issue in the autobiography of John Stuart Mill, a 19th century English philosopher. Mill's reasoning of just 'going with the flow' by concentrating less about personal happiness is unmistakably the most supreme path to increased satisfaction in anyone's lifestyle. Mill's principle belief is that happiness is nonviable when one directs his behavior solely to his own wellbeing. How is that possible, though, to not centralize happiness for ourselves? In such a stressful and demanding society, it is apparent that addressing on an undeviating path to personal mental satisfaction is rpime. The answer, however, is straightfoward: focus on an activity that achieves happiness in bursts and chunks that gradually magnitudes in size. As Mill put it, "Those only are happy (I thought) who have their minds fixed on some object than their own happiness." Come across happiness by the by through the art of increasing skill in the playing of a musical instrument, taking part in a community service project, or perhaps proposing a blueprint for an invention that could possibly benefit the human race. The ambition here is not complete perfection, though for some it may be, but the joy of experincing pride and observing how your actions positively affect those around the world. Creative, intriguing, and/or selfless activities provide the doer with a sense of self worth and accomplishment while assisting those in need and inspiring others to do the same. In addition, when pursuing these kinds of projects, one will realize that his mind does not have to question itself if it is fully content. Even Mill has come to terms that it should not be burdensome …show more content…
Many popular children's books encourage the virtue of generosity. The well-known tale of The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister, features a fish who possesses traits that contrasts Mill's mindset. The rainbow fish has bright beautiful scales that the other dull-colored fish in the sea swoon and beg for. His scales are his only source of pride and joy though, so he wants to keep them all for himself. Gradually, the other fish begin to back away from him. Soon, the the rainbow fish realizes how egotistic he is, so he decides to alter his attitude. He begins to gift pieces of his vivid scales to the other fish, and realizing how overjoyed they became, he felt extremely happy as well. It is noticeable that happiness is impossible when it is not shared with others. Happiness is a big, repetitive cycle: you give to others, they give to you back, and so on. What you get back could be materials or money, but what's greater than all that is what you feel mentally. A deed as simple as donating used books to a local library has the capacity to remind oneself that he is the origin of all the smiles that will be brought to the faces of new readers. Offering happiness transforms the planet into a more meaningful world, making you a more meaningful individual. On the other hand, performing selfish acts puts one at a dead end, for then the ability to appreciate the values of the beauty of the universe can never be