The Pursuit of Happiness

Past vs. present

According to the Easterbrook, Greg. The Progress paradox. New York: random

house, 2003.people in the united states live 99.6% better than ever before. Technology

has made life easier, and health care better. For the most part the U.S is now a equal

opportunity country. Yet like anything else, there is always a down side. An example of that

would be, the major increase in anxiety. Or even the increase of obesity. The world will never be

a completely happy place, and no one is to blame.

Today people are surrounded my shopping malls, fast food, and houses with two cars in each

driveway. Looking back a hundred years age none of these things are even heard of. Does this

mean that people are unhappy a hundred years ago because they don’t have what we do? No it

doesn’t, they wouldn’t even know what those things where. If people today where put back into

the state of a hundred years ago, they would probably be devastated. Does that mean people are

shallower today than a hundred years ago? Or would we just not know what to do with ourselves.

Probable a little bit of both.

The life expectancy has risen intensely over the past hundred years. What was once 30 years of

age is now up to around 70 years of age. The life expectancy hasn’t risen due to better health, but

better health care. Today the flu is no longer as feared as it was before. Getting a cold today does

not make people fear for their lives. Thanks to technology we have things like antibiotics, and

penicillin. Surgery is sterile today. Doctors and dentists do not double as black smiths; they both

requite mass amounts of schooling.

After all of these improvements, depression and anxiety are still a problem for people

today. Mass amounts of people are “clinicly depressed” whatever that means. There are well over

a thousand different types of anti depression medication, with over a thousands different types of

medication people still manage to be depressed. Along with anti depressants there is a large

variety of medications dedicated to preventing anxiety, it still manages to be at an all time high.

According to David G Myers, PD.D., a physically fit and healthy body is one of the

happiness enabling elements. America is known for its obesity problem. Maybe all the

medications are just an attempt for the easier softer way. Maybe Americans are just to lazy to put

in the foot work in order to live a happy life. Of perhaps the fact that there are so many

medications, people don’t feel the need to do any thing else, just take a pill before bed and not

worry about it.

In the entitled Authentic Happiness. By Martin Selisman Ph.D. He explains that there are

“signature strengths” that every person possesses. When each strength is exercised equily

happiness is achievable. There are six core strengths listed on page eleven in his book:

- Wisdom and knowledge

- Courage

- Love and