C. S. Lewis Essay: The Pursuit Of Happiness

The Pursuit of Happiness I believe that we are entitled to happiness and are responsible for it also. In the Declaration of Independence it states that we have the right to pursue happiness, however I believe that it is not only something that it “legal” but it is a right we are born with. We are responsible for making ourselves happy but like C.S Lewis said that don't throw away happiness for a moment of pleasure. Even though we have a right to pursue it there are certain limits like trampling over someone else's happiness to help yourself or committing crimes. There is certainly a limit when it comes to pursuing happiness because to someone, they might be happy committing a crime which is immoral. To many people, crimes satisfy them. Lewis said, “What did the writers of the august declaration mean? It is quite certain what they did not mean. They did not mean that man was entitled to pursue happiness by any and every means-including, say, murder, rape, robbery, treason and fraud. No society could be built on such basis.” The author explains how there is no exception to committing a crime just so

In the sources of happiness the author had an example of a man who learned to live with the situation he was in. the article said, “ Just around the time that my friend was cashing in on her windfall profits, I had another friend of the same age who found out his HIV status was positive.”(Dalai Lama and Cutler 21)The man continues by saying that first he was devastated but later he was able to regain happiness and is even happier than he was before. This shows how as bad as the situation you should always just be happy to be alive and that no one has bad luck, everyone goes through hardships.(Dalai Lama and cutler 21) Also, comparing yourself to a different situation can help make yourself feel