Happiness Is a Warm Gun

Happiness is a Warm Gun The Alpha and Omega of Human Purpose By: Christian Tineo A Senior Essay submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Bachelor of Arts in the Integral Curriculum of Liberal Arts. ________________________________________________ David Smith, Advisor Saint Mary’s College of California April 16, 2012 Tineo 1 “To conclude, therefore, let no man out of a weaK conceit of sobriety, or an ill- applied moderation, thinK or maintain, that a man can search too far or be too well studied in the book of God’s word, or in the book of God’s works; divinity or philosophy; but rather let men endeavor an endless progress or proficience in both.” Ø Bacon: Advancement of Learning “Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness.” Ø Leo Tolstoy “Happiness belongs to the self-sufficient.” Ø Aristotle Tineo 2 Introduction Who wouldn’t want to be intelligently stimulated with a billionaire’s wealth staring at you from the debit cards in your wallet while the most enticing girl/guy in your dreams touches your strong, lean body as a precursor to the ecstatic, orgasmic night that awaits you in bed? That sounds exhilarating and attractive, however, beyond these mundane urges of the human mind, reality displays dissatisfaction, disillusion, and exhaustion. We see this life crumble away easily as people begin to strive blindly toward these goals, which while attractive and enchanting do not guarantee our hunger for fulfillment, completion, or the most desired happiness! Wait! Why not? When we picture satisfaction, this image stands to explain itself. I would be lying if I said I would not accept the lottery money if I won it, or not accept the “love” of a gorgeous woman if she offered herself to me, nevertheless, these would be merely short-term pleasure. Humans have developed as animals with a high sense of reason, which call into question such worldly desires. Humans have progressed in the search for their benefit, survival, and power over the riches of the world. Along the path, many people rich and poor have suffered the agony of loneliness, confusion and a search for the truth behind that which may bring to fruition our long term goals of a life which we may call happy. Many people have taKen on the arduous tasK of attempting to search for happiness by equating it with the “good”, “truth”, or the “divine”. I, myself, will taKe this journey by examining what happiness is, why it alludes us, and, moreover, how it can be found! The answer is not easily found. Tineo 3 However, the solution comes about by a process that analyZes the fundamental principles of reason, faith, and instinct. While many other factors may also contribute to the fulfillment of happiness, its true realiZation comes about through divine providence that shows its face through enlightenment in the human’s consciousness. This in turn breaks down obstacles opening up new paths and mending old ones leading the maturing soul into blissful fortitude. Divine providence manifests its power in various forms illustrated primarily in history. This is not simply another opinionated strictly religious worK. Rather, it is a call to the awareness that reason and instincts only get us so far. It manifests itself in ways that reason or instinct cannot explain. This leads to speculation on what can explain its actualization and becomes the primary objective of this exposition. My humblest intention is to express the need to see this process of living, which requires the need to admit faith as an essential property of life. We blind ourselves from seeing the innate happiness, which is at the doorstep by the grace of God. Origins Firstly, we must investigate the origins of the concept, happiness, so that we can pinpoint its emergence into society and seek the true path reach it. Later, divine providence will answer the latter. The nascent beginnings of happiness come about through our human nature. Every human being lives his or her life teleologically inclined on this notion of happiness. We constantly question our reason for living, and many seeK different things onto which they choose as a hobby, career, or lifestyle to center their lives with objectives. The objectives can range from sensual Tineo 4 pleasures to future dispositions but they all seeK in some shape or form satisfaction. For example Aristotle remarKs in the Ethics, “for both the general run of men and people of superior refinement say that it is happiness, and identify living well and faring well with being happy but with regard to what happiness is they differ, and the many do not give the same account as the wise. For the former thinK it is some plain and obvious thing, liKe pleasure, wealth, or honour; they differ, however, from one another-and often even the same man identifies it with different things, with health when he is ill, with wealth when he is poor; but, conscious of their ignorance, they admire those who proclaim some great thing that is above their comprehension. Now some thought that apart from these many goods there is another which is good itself and causes the goodness of these as well. To examine all the opinions that have been held would no doubt be somewhat fruitless: it is enough to examine those that are most prevalent or that seem to have some reason in their favor.” Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, Ch.4: 17-30 However, as I have stated before, many incorrectly believe that happiness lays in some compilation of these pleasures and in doing so are never satisfied. I deem these pleasures emerge from simple human desires, which allocate themselves with instinct (which we will later analyze). These pleasures are but pseudo-happiness that later prove counterproductive if taKen alone without guidance. Among these are carnal desires, wealth, and honor. Therefore, their further analysis would seem appropriate to the acceptance of this notion. Carnal desires fail to reach happiness since the finality of its pleasure is bound to a fixed time in the present. Its ends lacK continuity since humans seeK an equal or greater carnal pleasure following the present pleasure's dissipation. It is a simple form derived from instinct whose action compares that of all other animals on earth. While some of these urges should naturally be followed, the reliance of them as happiness would clash as reason moderates those desires that conflict with society. If they lead to happiness, the Tineo 5 moderation of them would deny happiness to the individual and identify reason as that which defies happiness. Since the conclusion is absurd, reason being an inherent quality of humanity, this cannot lead to happiness. On the other hand, wealth is the artificially produced idea of humans whose power lies in the collection of material or potentially material objects that become deemed desirable to other humans in the scope of good living or aesthetic tastes. However, these fail to account for happiness as well! Humans are never satisfied with a constant quantity of wealth (on the view of a potential growth) and, therefore, in the same manner as carnal desires, fail to have continuity! A big problem with humans is greed that desires more and more of everything. Beyond the necessities of life are luxuries or goods outside the realm of necessity. So once survival is assured in the human mind, luxury enters as a goal. This need be bigger, better, faster, and stronger is an ambition, which alone never leads to happiness. Honor proves to follow the same inconsistencies. Its force, even weaKer, lies in the opinion of others who view him. Being a power dependent on others maKes it easy to discard as a means to happiness since happiness is necessarily maintained in the individual. While it should be spread to others for its completion, it must always remain in control of the seeKer. This does not mean that these are unimportant in life or preferably avoidable, but they become detrimental if pursued as leading to happiness. Some are possibly embedded with airs of reason; however, it fails to account toward any form of completion. They are puZZle pieces of life as all others but smaller ones that amount to a small portion of the big picture of life. Nevertheless, if built upon in Tineo 6 themselves along with the major gaps they leave, continuity may be found in the major factors that constitute the ultimate, final end: happiness. Ends of Humanity However, returning to the central issue, all actions designate themselves to some good as we have said before. These notions liKe many others align themselves with Aristotle who we used as a starting point for this discussion. Now, happiness is the self-sufficient good that creates completeness and continuity in human life. It is that which maKes the sense pleasures secondary and further from necessity. Ignorantly most humans believe that certain things in life if obtained will yield a happier state and fail to realize that when this particular is reached it creates but temporary pleasantness in the present, while the happiness that I refer to manifests itself as universal and permanent. Happiness is not a state or condition but a continual flow, much liKe a fountain that with enough water will sustain itself indefinitely. Humans are all distinctly different because of their aesthetical nature coupled with their reason. This fact in no way changes the universality of this happiness. It only means that their particulars are distinctly different in the aspects of their secondary pleasures as opposed to the primary.

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