Article Summary:
The concept of happiness has evolved dramatically throughout history, from a communal and philosophical ideal to a personal, commodified experience. In classical times, philosophers like Aristotle viewed happiness (eudaemonia) as a complex pursuit involving virtue, external goods, and community well-being. The Enlightenment expanded this notion, framing happiness as a universal right and public good.
However, the meaning of happiness gradually contracted. Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarian approach transformed it into a measurable quantity of pleasure, while industrial capitalism and economics further reduced happiness to individual consumer choices. By the late 20th century, happiness became a personal branding exercise, driven by self-help culture, optimization strategies, and social media aesthetics.
The article suggests that this narrow understanding of happiness is inadequate. True happiness is not merely about personal gratification but about connection, responsibility, and contributing to something larger than oneself. The author illustrates this through fictional characters like Julia, Daniel, and Casey, who find meaning through community engagement, care for others, and commitment beyond individual desires.
In our complex, fractured world, happiness requires a more expansive perspective. It’s not about optimizing personal experiences but about creating a society that allows diverse individuals to flourish. The pursuit of happiness should be a collective endeavor that recognizes individual differences while maintaining shared commitments.
Ultimately, happiness is a challenging, dynamic process of making a world that can sustain multiple ways of living and keep people connected, transcending narrow self-interest and embracing a broader, more meaningful existence.
Article Excerpt:
“Getting what you want in life — that’s happiness, bro,” Saxon Ratliff tells his younger brother in the latest season of “The White Lotus” on HBO. Helpfully, he lists his essentials: sex, money, freedom, respect (in that order). A jacked dude-bro, constantly slamming foul-tasting protein shakes, Saxon is determined to steer his brother away from their sister Piper’s budding interest in Buddhism. It’s a creed for people afraid of life, he scoffs.
Piper, meanwhile, is demurely rebelling against a life that’s all privilege, no purpose. “Lately, it’s felt like everything is pointless,” she tells the head monk at a Buddhist monastery near the lavish Thai resort where the Ratliffs are staying. “And the things my family cares about, I just don’t care about.” When she tries to explain this existential ache to her mother — a woman seemingly made out of exfoliating serum and oblivious narcissism — Piper puts it as simply as she can: “I need to figure out what makes me happy, OK?”