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¶ … Happiness Means to Others
Happiness seems on the surface like an easy thing to explain and describe. Certainly there are things that make everyone happy, like the return of a loved one from a prolonged absence, or winning a prize that includes substantial amounts of money and other things of value. But there are major differences in how people from different cultures and different geographic locations view happiness.
The first person interviewed for this assignment is Phillip. He is a retired police officer who has moved to this community to enjoy retirement. He lives nearby but we are not close friends at all; we wave at each other when we pass by mornings and evenings. We're neighbors and we respect each other but that's as deep as the relationship goes.
Interview with Phil, a neighbor across the street
Question: "Phil I'm doing a survey on how people view the concept of happiness. What is your idea of happiness, off the top of your head?"
Answer: "There are many things that make me happy. You mean personal things?"
Question: "Personal, or professional, or relating to your family and your life in any way."
Answer: "I was really happy last week when we learned that our grandson in Nebraska made the varsity baseball team at his high school. My wife and I bought him a new glove and mailed it, and just the mailing of that fielder's mitt made me happy."
Question: "Did you play sports when you were a kid?"
Answer: "Oh yes, I played football and baseball and I always hoped our boy would play,...
But our grandson is big on sports and I think that is really good for a young man."
Question: "Are you happy to be retired from law enforcement?"
Answer: "That's interesting because I missed my job for the first couple years. I read about new things happening between the community I used to serve and the police department, and it made me wish I was still there to be part of it."]
Question: "So did it make you happy after the moment of wishing you were there?"
Answer: "At first I was slightly regretful that it took so long to get these reforms in place but on reflection, I'm very happy things are smoother for the community and the cops."
Question: "What makes you and your wife happy as a couple?"
Answer: "You know it took the first couple years of retirement for us to settle in to our new lives. But we get joy just watching our little garden produce snap beans, and we love watching the quail in the yard and the hummingbirds getting nectar from the tulips."
Question: "So, could we say that in your retirement, you are made happy by simple things that maybe you didn't have time for when you were working?"
Answer. "You could say that. Work is stressful. You come home and all you want to do is relax so you maybe don't enjoy the little things that now are very profound."
(P. Anderson, personal communication, April 8, 2013)
Interview with Marcelle, a close friend of the family
Question: "You look happy…
Works Cited
Janaro, R.P., and Altshuler, T.C. (2012). The art of being human: The humanities as a technique for living. (Kaplan University 3rd custom ed.). New York: Pearson Education.
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