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Importance of education and the causes and effects
Importance of education and the causes and effects
The impact of education in our society
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“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” a well-known phrase from the Declaration of Independence puts forth the idea that the United States of America was built, partially, on the idea of “happiness” for all Americans. This idea of happiness, however, has no set definition, to some happiness comes from power, wealth, emotion, helping, to others it comes in the form of achievement of a major or minor goal they have set in their lives. Designed by those who strive for it, happiness takes on the life and purpose that a particular person strives for, provided that it follows lawful means of attainment. Personally, I believe that true happiness stems from contentment, fellowship with others and belief. In life, especially in American culture, our existence revolves around the physical, materialistic possessions and goals. Every commercial, ad and salesman caters to those who need more “stuff” …show more content…
When other people in life work hard and pour out their joy and excitement from their life to your own life then there is nothing else to do but soak up what is available. There is no happiness in loneliness and solitude, sometimes it may be nice to be alone in a quiet place to study or think, but too much of that wears down a person down into a selfish attitude of despair and bitterness. I have never heard of a happy bitter person, it’s just psychologically impossible. Just being around others who share the same interests, or the same faith or both allows you to benefit from their company and them from yours. Happiness comes from giving the overflow of your understanding and positive feelings to others. Helping them through difficult times or just hanging out over a period of time refreshes a person and allows them to forget or to see in another light the troubles that have been going on for so long. Without others around there is no way that a person can be happy and content with their
The first Age of Enlightenment, which started in Europe around the 18th century, spread to the American Colonies where it caused colonists to believe “that all men are created equal [and] that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” (Decl. of Ind. 1). The influence of the first Age of Enlightenment is simply shown in this quote because it refers to John Locke’s, an influential Enlightenment philosopher, work, The Second Treatise of Civil Government, which states that laboring men have a natural or God-given right to “life, liberty, health, and indulgency of body; and the possession of outward things,” (A Letter Concerning Toleration). The phrase “pursuit of happiness” comes from Richard Cumberland’s philosophy from his writings in De legibusnaturae; Richard believed that the pursuit...
This search for freedom and happiness actually goes back to the very beginning of American civilization, to the time of the first settlers. The first settlers were all religious refugees who were driven to the New World by persecution. To these people, America represented a new life of freedom, holding a promise of spiritual and material happiness. For those settlers who were not so religiously inclined, America was still a fairyland, a land of great possibilities. And so the first thirteen colonies came into being, amidst the religious and materialistic hopes of the first settlers. Material prosperity and progress kept pace with religious and spiritual goals because the Puritans and the Quakers alike approved of industry and material advancement. For, whereas physical pleasures were evil, hard work and achievements were regarded as indications of inner goodness.
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most well-known documents in North America, but the version most people know is the final draft. The first, unedited Declaration was changed quite a lot to become the one we know today, and though most of the changes were small-scale, a word here or a phrase there, they were very influential on the tone and meaning of the document as a whole. Small and medium scale changes in the edited Declaration of Independence changed both the large-scale rhetorical and argumentative structure of the document.
“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” (D of I 261). This statement, written by Thomas Jefferson, has to be one of the most controversial statements ever written. It does however agree with one of our earlier authors we read. Epicurus would agree with Jefferson in the manner that everyone should search for happiness. He tells us that “one must practice the things that produce happiness, since if that is present we have everything and if it is absent, we do everything in order to have it” (Letter to Menoeceus). It is apparent to Epicurus that the search for happiness is an absolute goal. Everyone either gets it or spends their life looking for it. Because of this, it is obvious to see how this author would agree with Jefferson by saying that we are given an unalienable right to pursue happiness. Another philosopher of our first semester that would have to agree with Jefferson is Aristotle. Unlike his teacher, Plato, Aristotle believed in the senses and also felt happiness was, what he called, one of the goods. “We think happiness is the most choiceworthy of all goods” (Nicmachean Ethics: Bk1 ch.
Using philosopher John Mills’s meaning, “Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others,"(McMahon P.11;S.1) which means that the only way one can be happy is by putting forth their attention to the happiness of others, and not themselves. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Compassion makes people contented. Giving to others could increase our prosperity more than spending money on ourselves. Giving is the key to
Although it stands out, many fail to realize the true meaning of it all. This portion of the Declaration of Independence shows that everyone has the right to ultimately be happy. But, as time progresses, the standard of happiness evolves. People cannot be contained with the same thing each day, so they analyte the old. If society can bond over new ways of life being brought to the table, it will give them a motive to work together. Andrew Sullivan puts it in plain sight as to how the Declaration of independence should relate to everyone's happiness. It is like a base to a newly constructed building. You can add on what you are in agreeance upon, and demolish what you're not fond
No other few words in American history are more well-known and iconic than the phrase from the Declaration of Independence: “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” (492). Recognized by some as one of the most eloquent and influential sentences in the history American text, Thomas Jefferson’s words have stuck with us for more than two centuries and we still don’t have a clear definition of what these “unalienable rights” truly mean. While many usually can agree on the meanings of life and liberty, happiness on the other hand has long been a matter of discourse. As Americans embark into a new ideal of American life, it's worth contemplating about what this indefinable phrase really means. Though our nation’s founding document states that we are given these rights, what did Jefferson really mean by the pursuit of happiness? Is happiness truly attainable? And more importantly what is the meaning for us today?
For many around the world, the United States have become known as the country of opportunity and success. Consequently, many believe in the idea of the American dream, a life abundant with opportunities and with success coming from hard work. The Declaration of Independence further confirms this idea, stating 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.”(Declaration of Independence)
Our place in the economy is the basis for our place in society. In America, we know that not all men are created equal. The belief that everyone can reach the American Dream with the right attitude is not rational. The wages in America are not as high as they are portrayed. Some people’s beliefs and life choices can affect their place in society. What can we do to change the inequality issues of America?
The reconstruction Era is the time after the civil war when we started to form ourselves as a complete united country. The civil war ended in April of 1865, and Abraham Lincoln was sadly assassinated less than a week later. Reconstruction was Lincoln’s idea, and he was largely anti-slavery, so his plan for reconstruction involved all states to draft new state constitutions that completely abolished slavery. It was his ultimate goal to reunited our nation after the war. Unfortunately, after his death, Lincoln’s vice president, Andrew Johnson, took over, and introduced a different plan for reconstruction. He said that states had to take a vow to abolish slavery before they could be readmitted into the nation, but after that, horrible black codes
The philosophy of rights has been a perennial subject of discussion not only because it is embedded in the intellectual tradition and political practices of many countries but also because it exhibits deep divisions of opinion on fundamental matters. Even a cursory survey of the literature on rights since, say, the time of the Second World War would turn up a number of perplexing questions to which widely divergent answers have been given: What are rights? Are rights morally fundamental? Are there any natural rights? Do human rights exist? Are all the things listed in the UN's Universal Declaration (of 1948) truly rights? What are moral rights? Legal rights? Are basic moral rights compatible with utilitarianism? How are rights to be justified? What is the value of rights? Can infants have rights, can fetuses have them, or future generations, or animals? And so on.
The idea of justice although obvious for philosophers like Locke, Rousseau, and John Rawls, proves itself to be a labyrinthine issue for Americans; nevertheless, ones thing is clear: the people are guaranteed the ability to pursue happiness. Sometimes searching for American equity juxtaposes the American Dream to the pursuit of happiness with a paralytic justice. However, justice in all forms plays a part through the governments duty; who does the government serve and protect? Despite this, opportunity continues to play a major role in correlation to the hopes and aspirations of many Americans; what freedoms to pursue happiness would Americans receive if they were striped of their rights?
Munday Jr., Dr. John C. "Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness." Avantrex - Ideas and Systems for Tomorrow. Web. 10 May 2011. .
America the Country of the people, the land of the free where everyone is entitled rights and responsibilities that are vital in order to preserve their nations democratic government. The freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness, Respect the rights, beliefs, and opinions of others, and also the freedom to express oneself. Those are just to name a few. Each of these has an importance in their government in order to maintain a vigorous nation.
We live in a materialistic culture that thrives on having "things." Yes, we must have things in order to live (shelter, food, water, etc.), but the word is misused. Our culture has become so materialistic that we forget what is really important. The "have" mode has almost become the norm, especially with our generation. Even though we subconsciously practice the mode of “being,” many people do not realize it which makes it difficult to appreciate life and all the aspects of “being.” “Because the society we live in is devoted to acquiring property and making a profit, we rarely see any evidence of the being mode of existence and most people see the having mode as the most natural mode of existence, even the only acceptable way of life” (Fromm 25). Majority of people want to be as successful and rich as possible that this idea takes over their mind and eventually lives. Every young person is obsessed with “fitting in” and having the latest and greatest items. This attitude causes adolescents to lose sight of what is important and lose touch with their emotions. Our culture needs to begin to think less about material items and being rich and more about his/her emotions and what it means to be truly happy. It is important to focus on the “bigger picture” and how one must become the best person he/she can be to benefit