The Importance Of Happiness In Life In The Great Gatsby

“And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
The context of this quote by Abraham Lincoln, says to me that it’s not how long you live, but how happy and fulfilled you are in life. Lincoln had the opportunity to provide freedoms and liberties to African American citizens. His care and concern for others and what he was able to accomplish in life must have left him a very fulfilled man. Happiness in life is different for everyone, however, some people look for happiness in all the wrong places. What does it mean to really live a happy and fulfilled life and what values are important? The answer to this may depend on who you ask, however, there are many studies that show that positive relationships

Is it the tangible items a person acquires that adds joy and fulfillment to their life, or is it the relationships they form? According to a Huffington Post article, love is all that really matters. A man can have it all, the money, cars, power, whatever, but if he can’t have a good relationship he isn 't truly happy (Gregorie). An example of this would be the “The Great Gatsby”. In this book and subsequent movie, the main character, Gatsby has it all. The story is set in the early 20’s. Gatsby is a millionaire who lives a very elaborate lifestyle, with cars a giant house and lots of parties. The reason behind all these parties and house, is that he is looking for his love, Daisy, who he hasn 't seen in a very long time. With all these riches, Gatsby still feels empty without Daisy. This is a perfect example that money cannot buy happiness and that love conquers all. In a study performed at Harvard University, known as the Harvard Grant Study, they explain that while

One trait is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings with one another. It is natural for humans to want to express emotions and feel comforted when upset or scared. The idea of empathy is strongly used in some professions. Yes, some jobs require an empathetic caring person such as doctors and nurses who care for the sick and elderly. A profession where one expresses empathy for others on a regular basis would have many rewards. It is hard to imagine the challenges a pediatric nurse who works with terminally ill kids would face. One would assume at first that being around kids nearly on their death bed would be a tough job, but these nurses get to experience some really rewarding moments. The nurses grant their patients a wish. The wish can be any request, big or small, from going to Disney World, to getting a pinball machine. The nurses who grant these wishes are often as excited or more excited than the children receiving them. The purpose of these wishes are to make the family and child feel a sense of future. These experiences are a nice change of pace from the grueling aspect of hospitals and treatments. Granting a wish lets them feel the thought of being something more (Ewing). Jobs in the medical field are rewarding because acts like this can set a positive impact on a kid’s life and could