A Common Thread

"[Aristotle] says that we can all agree that there is such an end, and that we call it ‘happiness,’but we may disagree about what happiness actually is”(98) but is there a common thread in peoples’ definition of happiness? We could say that people can be happy when surround by friends and loved ones. At the same time we could claim that an addict could be happy when they feed their addiction. Ultimately we are usually happy doing something that we see as pleasurable. However Aristotle argues that in order to be truly happy they need to be doing something that is fulfilling, that exercises the abilities that that person has learned and enjoy. This is perhaps why the people who claim to be the happiest are those whop were able to get a job that they can truly enjoy and feel as if they are doing something in. Perhaps then the common thread to true happiness is that not only does something bring some one a sort of pleasure but a sense of fulfillment as well.