Being Happy

[kaitlinsnapp]

“The Organization Kid”
Brooks’s study on the modern meritocrat is quite interesting and relatable. I’d have to agree with most of what he stated on the subject. The youth of this millennia is overwhelmed, exhausted, and hard working. I have a fairly busy schedule myself. One that my grandparents disprove of because they feel it is an unhealthy way to live. However, I would have to disagree. The busier I am, the more focused I am. All of the activities that I am involved with make me happy even if I struggle to perform how I had hoped. Just working towards a goal makes me feel accomplished and capable.
On the other hand, I agree that our busy lives can sometimes prevent us from truly being happy. I believe many people see the concept of happiness as a destination rather than a journey. They believe reaching certain goals can lead them to that place where they are completely content. However, after the moment of accomplishment passes, the feeling of joy quickly leaves and the students are left setting yet another goal to work toward. An example is given when Brooks stated, “Most kids see their education as a means to an end.” Kids tend to work so hard throughout the process that they rarely take time to enjoy life. Rather they believe they can enjoy life once they reach the end result, the diploma marking their achievements. This view of happiness is extremely misunderstood and only encourages the student to take on a rat racer mentality.
While at the Governor Scholars Program, I took a general studies class all about becoming Happier based upon Harvard professor Tal Ben-Shahar’s book of the same title. In the book, Ben-Shahar analyzed several different lifestyles falling under four main categories: the nihilist, the hedonist, the rat racer, and the happy. The professor argued that one is only truly happy once they learn to balance present pleasure with future meaning. The rat racer mentality is one that is shared by most so-called “future elite”. This lifestyle is built upon climbing the ladder of success. Students set goals hoping that achieving them will bring happiness. Once they realize that the result did not fulfill them, they begin to work towards an even more prestigious goal. Eventually the students fall into a pattern in which they are never fully satisfied.
I agree with Brooks’s and Ben-Shahar’s concepts. I feel it is extremely important for all kids to take pleasure in the pursuit of goals not just the achievement of them. Then they can enjoy both the journey and the end result. Only then can we, the youth of this country, remain in a fairly consistent state of happiness. In my running, for example, I have found that I enjoy it most when I have fun while still working to achieve a goal. It’s not always easy. Sometimes I throw it all of balance by taking myself too seriously, while other times I stress myself out by not focusing as much as I should. Balance isn’t easy, but once you make it all work, it’s completely worth it!

[amandarussell]

I love the use of different types of mentalities in your essay. I agree that life gets pretty stressful under the rat-racer mentality, and I also agree that being happy is a journey and not truly a result. Personally, I tend to find myself leaning toward instant gratification more than the typical student described in "The Organization Kid." It's not really great to be that way, but everyone is different in what makes them happy.

Back on subject with the rat-racer mentality, I see myself more as a person who find relief when a project, essay, or miscellaneous school work is finished and graded well. I only really become happy when I am congratulated on a job well done. So, instead of making myself happy, I find ways to make other people happy for me which in turn makes me happy. So, I guess this could be a driving factor in many striving "future elite" students. While they may not find joy in their work, they may find joy when people are proud of them. Like you said, there are many ways of attempting to be happy. And the only way to find that way is through your own introspection about what you want to come out of your life. After all, you only get one.

[nathanjohnson]

The four different mentalities proposed by Shahar were all very interesting. I had never taken into account the different types of lifestyles which people may take in order to achieve happiness. I did find it odd, however, that “the happy” was one of the lifestyles. Aren’t the other three trying to achieve being happy, through various means? It seems that a person could very well be part of the happy group, and still be a part of the rat-racer group. As Kaitlin pointed out, we need to find the balance between setting high goals for ourselves, and stepping back to enjoy what we do.
As a senior who decided to load on as many AP’s, community service projects and activities as possible, I would definitely consider myself a “rat-racer.” More often than not, I find myself focused on the goal of my task and not focusing on the process of what I do or why I am doing it. We find happiness in the experiences of life – if we move so fast that our experiences blur together we can neither grow as a person nor learn from the very experiences we are having. I love Kaitlin’s point on balancing the two.