The US Declaration of Independence enshrines ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ as ‘inalienable rights’ of the US citizen. To suggest that the pursuit of happiness in itself is a ‘goal’ is firstly taking the concept out of context, and secondly illogical as a ‘pursuit’ means that a goal is still in the process of being accomplished. Regardless, in considering the concept of a human being’s most important goal, we might assess how the pursuit of happiness contributes to that end.
From the US perspective, the right to pursue happiness suggests that being happy in itself is not a guarantee. What is important is that the person possesses the lifetime opportunity to develop themselves in the manner they deem fit as they seek out whatever makes them happy. It is a recognition that every individual seeks happiness in different ways, and has the right and the freedom to tailor their lives as they wish. It is a paradox that US citizens unite and even pride themselves around their ability to express their individual differences.
Given this freedom, a person could seek happiness in personal accomplishments, maintaining mental and physical health and well-being, and building strong, supportive relationships – all very positive end goals in life. But these goals also require much work to build, develop and maintain over a lifetime. Most people are prepared to settle instead for a life of indulging in addictive substances, mindless entertainment, and avoiding effort in work and in relationships, which is an easier way of pursuing happiness but is ultimately self-destructive, leading to psychological issues, feeling a loss of self-worth, (largely self-inflicted) chronic diseases, and a sense that life was ultimately meaningless.
In fact, whole industries are built to cater to this demand for self-indulgence. Sugar, salt and fat, the staples of the multimillion dollar fast-food industry, are just as addictive as alcohol, pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs, which combined is causing a massive health crisis of debilitating and fatal diseases which increase in risk as people age. The entertainment industry encourages the consumption of vicarious experiences – from binge-watching of TV shows and movies to video games, making people indolent and passive while they watch lives of adventure, romance, and excitement of people on screen, instead of living their own lives for themselves. Thus having little to offer of themselves, people turn to cheap, temporary relationships, some even being based on financial transactions rather than a lifetime of shared experiences, good and bad. Others choose to abstain from relationships altogether to keep their lives ‘uncomplicated’. As such, many people use their right to pursue happiness just to be happy today, even if they face the prospect of regretting tomorrow.
Perhaps what human beings primarily aim for as a goal is to live a meaningful life. As we are mortal, we have a limited time to build a life that others can remember fondly, as a means of extending our existence beyond our inevitable demise. While most of us live our lives without the ambition to be recorded in the history books, we at least hope that our loved ones will pass on our memory for perhaps a few generations. Preferably good memories, such as having worked hard to accumulate resources so that our progeny can live better lives than we did; or having contributed in significant ways to our community or nation resulting in better living conditions and opportunities for our fellow human beings.
The founding fathers of the United States probably considered such a goal, but it was difficult for every citizen to accomplish unless they approached their political situation differently from the monarchist rule prevalent in Europe at the time. Under monarchy, most people had neither freedom nor opportunity to seek their own happiness, but instead struggled to provide for themselves after taxes. By choosing democracy, the US ensured that every citizen could decide for themselves their relationships, their professions, their educational development, and to exploit their own opportunities to their personal satisfaction. Subsequently, no citizen needed to face the prospect of being mentioned in a mass of anonymous serfs in the history books, but each could potentially be named as an individual who made their mark in history, regardless of their initial background. Each person could therefore pursue their happiness in making a meaningful and long-remembered life for themselves.
In conclusion, while the pursuit of happiness is not a life goal in itself, it is a crucial factor in accomplishing one’s most important life goals. However, how one chooses to pursue happiness will be a determining factor in how happy one will be with their life, looking back.
(766 words)
Inspired by Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ Level General Paper (Paper 1) 2021 Question #1
If you would like access to my annotated Google Doc, please drop me a line at thegprebel@gmail.com for notes on my thought process!
Disclaimer: Video script has been modified from the above essay to better suit the video medium.