What Does it Mean to Be Happy?

Hello Everyone,

This semester in college, I am taking a philosophy class called "The Meaning of Human Existence." To complete the first few assignments in the course, we had to read Terry Eagleton's "The Meaning of Life." This book discusses the different perspectives of what the meaning of life is, whether there be one specific answer to the question or no answer at all. Life could have an inherent meaning, meaning that humans are to look for the answer, or an ascribed meaning (a "life is what you make of it" perspective). It also looks at the language of the question itself, for the word "life" could have different meanings for different people, and therefore the question would have different answers.
Something I found interesting in the book is the presentation of the different views of happiness, and whether or not happiness is the meaning of life. In Aristotle's point of view, happiness is a state of being. One becomes happy by living his or her life virtuously. They cannot attain it, they can only create it. In philosopher Julian Baggini's viewpoint, happiness is a state of mind. It is attained most likely through material possessions or favorable circumstances. Because life offers unfavorable circumstances, one cannot truly be happy all the time, which is why it is a state of mind, not a lifestyle.
So what does it mean to be truly happy? Eagleton brings up the point that people who live with disabilities aren't necessarily unhappy; the rest of the world may seem their situation as means for negativity, but that doesn't mean they do. I'd like to believe that happiness is a lifestyle: you can choose to be happy, despite the circumstances you're under. I don't want to have to rely on my possessions to define my happiness; sure, a new pair of shoes or perfume can make me happy, but only for a little while. The effect eventually wear's off, and it's this sense of fleeting happiness that constantly leaves us wanting more.
I want to be able to create my own happiness. I don't know if happiness is the meaning of life, but I would like to be able to live the majority of my life with a positive disposition. There are going to be negative situations and times where being happy seems impossible, but that doesn't mean you have to let it control you. If we have the power to choose to be happy, then we should do so.

Happy reading,

Ashley

The Perks of Being a New Englander

See this? This is currently the view from my bedroom window. As I sit here typing this post, thousands of snowflakes are quickly turning the northeast into a winter wonderland. This is the biggest snowstorm I've ever witnessed (and historically the biggest snowstorm since 1978) with 27+ inches of snow piling up in my yard. Classes were thankfully canceled, meaning I could spend my day forever procrastinating on all the work I have to do (let's be serious here).

Even though the winter months are freezing, the weather is almost never stable, and we can't annunciate our "R's" I wouldn't trade living in New England for anything (well, except maybe for Disneyworld, because who wouldn't). I love living in an area with so much history and so much pride. It's the home of a multitude of great schools, including Ivy Leagues Harvard, Yale, and Brown university. It's also home to actors Adam Sandler, Mindy Khaling, Amy Poehler, and Mark Whalberg (to name a few). Boston is one of my favorite places to explore, whether it's attending a Red Sox game at Fenway Park tasting a variety of foods from Faneuil Hall, or just walking down the streets of the city. So as I look out the window at what some people are calling the snowpocalypse, I can't help but take in the beauty of it all. 

So to all you New Englanders who wish you were somewhere sunny and warm, I'm with ya. But don't forget to appreciate all of the great things New England has to offer.

Happy reading,

Ashley 

Why John Mayer is Relevant to my Life

Hi everyone!

So I may be late to the John Mayer bandwagon (if there still is one), but over the past year or so, I've grown to love his music. This mainly stemmed from my attendance to one of his concerts at the end of summer 2013, for his Born and Raised Tour. I originally had not planned to go; a group of my friends had gotten tickets, and when one of them couldn't attend, I took her place. I figured why not? I wasn't a huge John Mayer fan at the time, but my friends and I were all heading off to college a couple of weeks later, so it would be one last hurrah before we went our separate ways. Long story short-I went into the concert knowing three John Mayer songs, and left yearning for more.

Within the next few months, I slowly built up my Itunes library with more and more Mayer songs. Before I knew it, I had downloaded three full albums: Room for Squares, Continuum, and Born and Raised.

Here's the thing I like about Mayer-he doesn't just write love songs. Sure, he has some pretty great ones (Back to You might be the most perfect love song, but that's a discussion for another day), but he also writes about adulthood and trying to find yourself as you get older. No Such Thing, Why Georgia, Stop this Train, Born and Raised-all of these songs are about entering adulthood and trying to make sense of life. 

 (My friends and I wearing our #mayerisback bracelets)

That's why John Mayer is relevant to my life right now. I just turned 20, and it's starting to hit me that one day I'll be a college graduate venturing out into the "real world." To be honest, it's scary thinking about the future and what it holds for me; however, it's also incredibly exciting. I can't spend my time worrying about the future; I can only accept that it's happening and try to make the most out of life.

So to anyone who's worried about getting older and entering the real world, it's okay if you don't have everything figured out now. Just keep living your life, and have faith that everything will fall into place. 

To quote John Mayer, "Act your age in the age of worry, and say worry, get out of here!"

 

Happy reading,

Ashley 

p.s. here are some of the John Mayer songs

Why Georgia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMJk4Edm8rU

The Age of Worry 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0ToibA86zk

No Such Thing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1W2UddURXI

Stop this Train

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHhhTtqWcOM

Born and Raised

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiutMdIeflI