This week in class we read the Declaration of
Independence. The Declaration says that we, as Americans are entitled to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Yesterday, I watched the movie The
Pursuit of Happyness. “It was right then that I started thinking about
Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our
right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…how did he know to put the
pursuit part in there?” This line of the movie made me think about why the
Declaration didn't just say "happiness", but said the "pursuit
of happiness" instead. I believe that Jefferson added "pursuit"
because people are automatically given life when we are born, and we are
automatically given liberty by being Americans, however happiness itself needs
to be earned. We can't sit around waiting to be happy, we need to go out and
find something or do something that will make us happy, even if we don’t
actually achieve it, the process and effort it takes to get there is worth it. Everyone’s
happiness is achieved differently, some people can be happy by themselves;
others need to be social to be happy. Reading, painting, running, watching
movies, twitter, whatever it is that makes you happy, go for it, because as
Americans we are given the right to do so.
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ReplyDeleteGood choice of movie! I agree that you have to work for your happiness and strive to achieve those goals. I was actually thinking about this last night! There's no point in winning when there's no competition; the fact that there is competition and you achieve those goals against all odds gives you the utmost satisfaction and happiness. I think your blog also relates to this weekend's homework of reading Longfellow and Bryant. Everyone is going to die and life goes on even when you die. It's all about what you do while you live out your life and make a difference to the world. Carpe diem.. Seize the moment and do what you want to do!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!! I definitely think that everyone has the chance to be happy, but it's up to them if they want to seize the opportunity or let it go to waste.
ReplyDeletePeople definitely have the choice of being happy or not. No one can give them happiness, it's their choice to be happy or sad. It's up to them to pursue their happiness! Nice post May!
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