A few old ages back I met an old adult male from Thailand who introduced himself as a philosopher. I was taken aback by his openness. but so once more. I chat with him however. He asked me ‘what is your intent? ’ I didn’t understand good due to his Asiatic speech pattern. He asked once more. ‘why do you populate? ’ And that’s the clip that I felt loss. I was believing to myself. what does this alien wants for an reply and discovered surprisingly that it is rather a difficult inquiry. I told him. ‘I unrecorded because I am alive. ’ He merely smiling at me and said ‘and? Don’t you have a end? ’ That’s when I realized that it is ‘happiness’ . ‘I want to be happy’ . He replied. ‘yes. that is right. everyone wants to be happy and that is why we are alive. ’

Everywhere people seek for things that will do them happy. However their method more than frequently outputs negative consequences. It must be because they expected excessively much or possibly they exerted less attempt. In the long tally. there are merely few people who are genuinely happy. Last Saturday. I attended a voluntary plan ; it is called ‘meals on wheels’ . This plan involves presenting nutrient to aged people following a specific path. On the oncoming it seems I felt sad to see how most of the seniors are being neglected. It made me inquire what will go on to me forty to fifty old ages from now. Then we came across this old lady who looks a spot more beaming than the others. When she speak and recognize us hello there is a sense of affection in her action. I so found myself smiling myself. Towards the terminal of the path I kept recognizing everyone with a smiling and it made me experience lighter. more comfy and satisfied with what I am making. The felicity doubles when they greet me back and demo sincere thankfulness. With this respect I positively agree that the development of “virtue” is an indispensable constituent of one’s personal fulfillment and wellbeing

Benevolence as described by Tal Ben-Shahar’s is connected to happiness. He had shown this connexion through an debut about felicity being something that is based on opportunism. He did non precisely supply a consecutive connexion that links the two together ; instead he gave the thought that felicity is experienced if one does good to other individual. It is non an selfless place since he maintained that making good to others undermine personal felicity. In Tal Ben-Shahar’s perspective opportunism is manifested through making good for other people which promotes personal felicity.

However. most people do non hold with this sort of doctrine. It is inevitable for an thought non to happen an resistance but Tal Ben-Shahar’s thoughts are in great contrast to Immanuel Kant’s impression of moral duty. Consequently moral duty implies that for an act to be moral it shall non be act out of opportunism. The implicit in premise is that selfish actions correspond to sabotaging the involvement of other people. For case. if there is merely one ticket left for a festival and out of self-interest I take the ticket. another individual will non be able to travel to the festival. In this position. opportunism finally wounded and makes other people suffer.

Tal Ben-Shahar’s farther elaborated his point by saying that to be able to assist other people-one does non necessitate to give his ain involvement and frailty versa. Ben-Shahar quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson ‘no adult male can unfeignedly assist other people without assisting himself’ . It is the same manner as stating that in the procedure of assisting other people. one is undeniably in the procedure of assisting himself. Tal Ben-Shahar explained that ‘through other people’s felicity one receives significance and pleasure’ . To farther explain the nature of benevolence and its connexion to happiness. under the context of opportunism. it would be helpful to include the plants of some other philosophers and/or minds like John Stuart Mill and David Brook.

John Stuart Mill asks what desirable is. Indeed. this is a inquiry that can turn everyone to an instant philosopher. It is a inquiry pondered on by different spiritual groups. ideological groups. sociological and psychological surveies and even by creative person and authors. Mill explained in his essay ‘On Virtue and Happiness’ that the desirable is the 1 desired. And Mill’s presupposition is that ‘Happiness is desired by everyone’ . To cite Mill ‘there is no ground that can explicate why and how it is possible for felicity to be desirable aside from the fact that every individual desires something that can do him happy. ’ Mill further explained that although felicity is the ultimate end of adult male. it is non uncommon to happen that adult male besides desire things such as virtuousnesss alternatively of frailties. To back up this statement. Mill besides elucidate that man’s head could non accomplish felicity without the look of virtuousnesss. It must non be taken for granted that while J. S. Mill agrees that adult male desires happiness. he stressed that the ultimate end is the general felicity.

Charlotte Simmons a character in a Tom Wolfe novel. as criticized by David Brooks. is in the same cavity as the other people who falls into what Tal Ben Shahar called the Hedonist original. Charlotte Simmons lived her life making all the things to acquire some award from carry throughing things. She has been so used to this sort of puting that it is what makes her happy. Prosecuting her ain end. making those things that will do her happy. Her felicity merely stems from the esteem she garnered every clip she achieves what was expected from her.

However. when a opportunity showed up that requires her ‘moral judgement and courage’ . she was stupefied. She do non cognize how to confront it because she was non ready for it. moreover. she is unprepared and unfamiliar with such virtuousnesss. Bing a Hedonist original is being a individual who merely pursues immediate ends and felicity without holding any hereafter or long term intent. David Brooks showed the readers that without the proper virtue—happiness could non be achieved.

Virtue is about synonymous to good or being good. However. virtuousness appears to be a character or a trait of a individual while goodness is the quality of being desirable which is a word that can be use non merely in mention to people but besides to objects. phenomenon. etc. The antonym of virtuousness is frailty which includes all that is evil. Virtue besides entails excellence or holding what it takes to be on top. Therefore. virtuousness is a specifying character that means of good value. Virtues include but are non limited to benevolence. caring. charity. honor. subject. piousness. obeisance. moderateness. etc.

Vice is everything antonym of being virtuousness. Vice is that quality that promotes hurting. Nonetheless. frailty are of import for without them there are no criterion for virtuousness. If people have frailties they will experience hurting and hence acknowledge the necessity of virtuousness. It is through the presence of hurting that felicity becomes admirable.

Through the procedure of supplying service to other people. one develops the virtuousness of caring. humbleness and grasp. In my instance. as stated above. it helps developed my character by supplying me with penetrations and through the experience of empathy. Through understanding another person’s place. I gained the cognition of their feelings and state of affairs. In my head is a comprehension and recognition of my ain failing and of the possibility that the same thing may go on to me one twenty-four hours. I am affected by their status and through someway supplying a simple service such as presenting repasts ; I somehow helped relieve their concerns and solitariness. I found the smiling of the old lady affective and it seems to be contagious.

By being able to understand their state of affairs through supplying a simple service. I came to garner adequate premises and thoughts sing how they feel. Supplying service to other people makes me experience of import and needed. Bing able to see them happy creates a satisfaction inside me.

Virtue harmonizing to J. S. Mill is non a agency to an terminal but instead a portion of the terminal itself. As one will repeat. J. S. Mill believes that felicity is the ultimate terminal. With the debut of the above statement. virtuousness shall so be taken as a portion of felicity instead than a agency or a replacement for it. It makes one happy to assist other people. With respects to J. S. Mill’s doctrine. felicity is included in the procedure of assisting other people.

I deliver nutrient because I want to see those aged people happy. And I want to see them happy because that. being the instance. makes me experience better or happier. It makes me happy to see them happy because I know that they liked me and what I am making. I am apprehended and I am being thanked for.

Brooks elaborated that Wolfe’s Charlotte’s felicity lies on her being able to do other people proud of her through her achievements. It is the fact that people do non populate entirely but alternatively interact with others that creates the feeling or the privation to belong or to go recognized. It is the same feeling that sows the hungrinesss for grasp for without grasp from other people a individual is about non-existent.

When a individual about non-existent. his life is hollow and has no way. Mentioning back to Charlotte’s instance. it is now apprehensible why Charlotte feels paralyzed and unprepared for the sudden alterations in her surrounding. Suddenly the regulations are different and her morality is invariably challenged. The signifier of grasp and the standards to be appreciated are different and she is caught without cognizing how to respond to sudden alterations. Her deficiency of the needed virtuousness such as bravery and moral judgement crippled her opportunities of traveling towards her felicity and her whole being.

Peoples attempts to do them egos happy but seldom find true felicity because they lack contentment. Without this. a person’s hungriness or lecherousness for felicity will go on which will wholly impact his wellbeing. This frailty ( lust for more felicity ) causes non lone dissatisfaction but besides uneasiness and changeless fright. Having this in head through benevolence and empathy towards other people. one can happen himself hold oning the margins of life and being able to appreciate what he already has. Appreciation of oneself is greater than grasp from other people for it gives assurance and unfastened one’s head to the different possibilities and situated-ness of the individual himself and the others.

Sharing one’s clip. cognition. resources and self to the improvement of other people make one feels needed. The individual discovers in himself that he/ she has something that the other does non hold. When one understand and sympathize to what other people feel they advance their opportunism for they are able to derive entree to an experience that they do non hold themselves. In a sense they gather up a necessity to populate because aside from being appreciated they are besides able to asseverate their ain being and go recognized. It makes them happy and that entirely is a self-interest that is satisfied.

It is however difficult to incorporate or to exhibit all types of virtuousnesss. Some are easier to make than others depending on state of affairs or what is required. Virtues and its look might besides differ from one topographic point to another. In Charlotte’s state of affairs the morality of the state side differs a batch from those of the urban societal elites. Thus although virtuousnesss are desirable some may non be appropriate to the present fortunes. It is a good thing to posses most if non all the virtuousnesss because as deliberated by J. S. Mill ‘virtue is contributing to pleasure and at the same clip a protection from pain’ .

This leads to the thought that a individual will go on to make something every bit long as it gives him/her pleasance while a individual will come to detest or dislike something if it produces hurting. Since virtuousness is something that protects one from hurting and culminates pleasance. it is merely logical for a individual to want it. As explained above. virtuousness and felicity are both ends. They are non two distinguishable terminals but are qualities that exist in the same plane at the same clip.

To be fulfilled is merely to develop a sense of satisfaction or satisfaction which can non be achieved through the presence of hurting. Wellbeing or the good province of a person’s life can be accomplished through holding virtuousnesss because it helps a individual find contentment which is indispensable to carry through and/or bound one’s end.

Happiness is when you are non in hurting. To be able to minimise hurting it must be understood. Helping other people is one manner that will assist a individual minimise the hurting for it minimizes the hurting of another individual and increase the opportunities of being appreciated. If another person’s hurting is minimise it gives a feeling of comfort and joy. It somehow relieves strife and promotes benevolence. Virtues are those that make a person’s life excellent because it makes him closer to happiness. Frailties are by and large those that cause hurting to the individual. to the other people or both. J. S. Mill is right in asseverating that man’s desire is happiness. As Tal Ben-Shahar implied felicity is a merchandise of man’s selfishness but selfishness is non in itself a bad thing and is really compatible with virtuous act. Brook’s stressed on grasp provides the model for believing that adult male needs other people to go happy and that virtuousnesss can impact a person’s happiness—its definition every bit good as its attainment. With the experience at the ‘meals on wheels’ last hebdomad terminal and with the presentation of the above explication and definition of virtuousness and frailty with their relation to happiness it is apparent that the development of “virtue” is an indispensable constituent of one’s personal fulfillment and wellbeing.

Mentions:

Ben-Shahar. T. ( 2007 ) . Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment. McGraw-Hill Professional.

Brooks. D. ( 2004 ) . Moral Suicide ala Wolfe. The New York Times. Retrieved on September 9. 2008. Retrieved from the World Wide Web: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. nytimes. com/2004/11/16/opinion/16brooks. hypertext markup language

Mill. J. S. . Bentham. J. and Ryan. A. ( 1987 ) . Utilitarianism and Other Essaies: And Other Essays. Penguin Classics.