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I. Warm-up Questions
Directions: discuss and answer the following questions.
1. Are you happy with your college life? Why or why not?
2. What was the happiest moment in your life as far as you can remember?
3. Can money alone bring happiness? Why or why not?
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II. Quotes
Directions: Study the following quotes about happiness. Which quote(s) do you like best? Why?
1. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.
—— Aristotle
2. We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it.
—— George Bernard Shaw
3. Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.
—— Franklin D. Roosevelt
4. The surest way to happiness is to lose yourself in a cause greater than yourself. The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.
—— James M. Barrie
Interpretation:
1. This quotation reveals the important role of happiness in human life. It is human nature to seek and enjoy happiness. Otherwise, human existence would be aimless and meaningless.
2. Shaw reminds us that we have two identities both as producer and as consumer. We should produce wealth first and then enjoy it. It is also true of happiness.
3. According to Roosevelt, money alone does not mean happiness. True happiness comes when one has succeeded in doing something or when one has done something that has not been done before. The sense of achievement and job satisfaction will bring you immense happiness.
4. Barrie believes that we should indulge ourselves in aright cause — a cause that is greater than ourselves. Once we have chosen the right cause, we should learn to love it and pursue it resolutely. If we are dedicated to what we feel obliged to do, we will surely do it well and the resulting sense of fulfillment will bring about true happiness.
