How happy are you? Answer the poll below then answer ONE of the following questions in our class blog's comments.1. Why do you think some countries and cultures are happier than others?
2. What things about your life make you happy and unhappy?
3. Governments try to make their citizens educated, healthy and rich. Do you think they should also have the goal of making them happy?
4. Is it possible to be happy all the time? Why or why not?
Spending time with friends, travelling, eating good food, having fun in my classes - these things make me happy. Cloudy days, boring meetings, crowded trains and violence make me unhappy.
ReplyDeleteMatt
Question #1
ReplyDeleteI think some cultures, because of history or weather or something, have more positive or maybe negative attitude about life. Maybe a cold country with a history of war has unhappy people. A sunny, peaceful country might have happy people.
T1 Junko S.
My answer is for question2. Like Matt says, i'm also happy when I spend time with my friends. Also, going back my hometown makes me happy. So, maybe being whomever I love makes me happy. and I'm unhappy when I have too much assignment especially in the end of a semester...
ReplyDeleteT1 Rina
Q4
ReplyDeleteI think it's impossible to be happy all the time. Because if you were happy all the time, you would get used to it and take it for granted, and eventually wouldn't feel happy anymore.
Kento T1
my answer to #2..
ReplyDeleteI think I feel happy when I'm doing things that I like.
For example, I feel happy when I'm eating chocolates, hanging out with my friends, playing tennis..
I feel unhappy when I have to do something I don't like, like tidying up my room, or when I get involved in something unlucky like seeing a cockroach when there is no one else near me...
Yuri N. T1
To question #4:
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's possible to be happy all the time. We wouldn't know what "happy" means without experiencing an "unhappy" situation to compare against.
Asako T1
Q2:
ReplyDeleteFood in general and music make me happy. Noisy neighbours, cold toilet seats and shopping make me unhappy.
Manabu T1
Q3;I think it should. The government exists for that purpose, doesn't it? Providing good education,health care & social welfare and narrowing the gap between the rich and poor etc...are the premise of our happiness. When they are completely achieved, everyone will be happy, I think. I've heard that people in some Northern European countries feel very happy thanks to their gov's support.
ReplyDeleteTomomi(s)T1
Q2
ReplyDeleteTalking with my friends, reading interesting books, drinking a cup of cafe au lait, and unexpected kindenesses(of course, any kind of kindnesses too) make me happy.
Big toads and vicious behaviors make me unhappy.
Satomi Yoneyama T1
Question #2
ReplyDeleteI'm happy when I spend time with my friends and family talking, shopping and going out for lunch or dinner. On the contrary, I feel unhappy when I'm in a traffic jam or in a bad weather.
T1 Akiko
My answer to #2
ReplyDeleteI feel happy when I'm eating good food, shopping with my parents, playing with my doggies and sleeping.
Im unhappy when there's a trouble in relationships between me and friend or family.
T1 Ayumi
I'll answer question #2.
ReplyDeleteEvaluation from other people makes me happy and unhappy. I do care how others think about me. I think it's not the good way to think, but I can't help thinking about it.
Satomi.K T1
T1 Tkashi
ReplyDeleteit is not possible to be happy all the time, but you can enjoy and appreciate life even when unhappy. On rainy days I kind of enjoy listening to sad music and feeling blue. Then sunny days are even happier
Having good tea, traveling, watching musicals and other performances, and sunny days make me happy.
ReplyDeleteA lot of assignments, crowded places or trains, being nagged at, arrogant and unpleasant manners, and rainy days make me unhappy.
Rie T1
I would like to answer Q4.
ReplyDeleteIt is impossible to be happy all the time, because people live in society, which consists of many kinds of people.
Some people make you happy, while others annoy you.
However, it seems that you can feel happy thanks to those who bother you.
Yusuke T1
#3
ReplyDeleteI believe governments should be responsible for making their people being happy because the nations filled with happy people bring stability to the society. However it is very hard to define what makes people happy. Wealth can bring happiness to a certain number of people but could be a huge disaster to some people. In addition to this it is impossible to make everyone happy. No matter how democratic the society tries to be there are always conflicts of interests.
T1 Megumi
#3
ReplyDeleteI think making citizens happy is the final goal for governments. Although there is no direct way to make citizens happy, governments should assure citizens a standard of living which is high enough for them to live a happy life. Making people educated, healthy and rich does not necessarily make them happy, but it might help them to be happy.
Mika.K T1
My answer to Q4;
ReplyDeleteWe cannot be happy all the time, because "happy" is vague and relative concept. We do not know whether we are happy or not unless we spend unhappy or ordinary time.
Ayako T1
To Question 1
ReplyDeleteThat's because they have many opportunities to find what they love or can be crazy about in their life, while others don't.
Haruka T1
Question 2
ReplyDeleteSweets, sushi, melting cheese, and anything good to eat make me happy! If I can share the happiness, or deliciousness with someone, I would be happier.
The amount of money I have in my bank makes me unhappy.
Ayano T1
Friends, family, good food, beautiful scenery, shopping and cute dogs make me happy.
ReplyDeleteTroubles with friends make me unhappy.
Tomomi.A T1
To Question2
ReplyDeleteTalking with my friends, listening to my favorite music, watching good movies and TV programs, cooking in my kitchen, handcrafting things for myself and people around me,spending time with my family,even working part-time...so many things make me happy.
I feel unhappy when I have to give up these things for some assignments or works.
Mana T1
My answer to Q2: I think having a goal in your life is one of the things that makes you feel happy.
ReplyDeleteTo achieve your goal, I think you will try your best and those efforts will make your life a fruitful. As a result, efforts to realize your object lead to happiness.
Takashi Ueno T1
To question2.
ReplyDeleteGood books, good food,thinking about nice people around me make me happy.
Arguments, hangover, packed train make me unhappy.
Nodoka T1
Q2
ReplyDeleteThe time spending with my friends and family is the best way to make me happy. Moreover, I think I am always happy because I'm now living without no pain.
Yumi T1
Q1
ReplyDeleteI think it is because happiness equals satisfaction and it depends on what is regarded as satisfying in a particular country and culture or maybe economical status.
Yurika
Q2
ReplyDeleteGood health condition, fun and productive conversation with friends, any compliment, new excitement or surprise, favorite music (very limited), roller coasters, sip of tea (strong preference for Earl Gray), and my family make me happy.
Any constraint makes me very, very unhappy.
Masaru T1
To #4:
ReplyDeleteI think it's impossible to be happy all the time. Since the notion of "being happy" is rather relative not absolute, I think you'd need to have bad times to recognize the degree of "being less happy" than other occasions.
For example, a small piece of chocolate cake can make you either happy or unhappy. If you are exhausted with work 10-hour straight and having your first break with the cake, you'd feel very happy with it. But if you are with a lot of people having bigger pieces of various good-looking cake, you might feel unsatisfied with your own one.
This suggests, I think, that happiness is relative. It is not really "a mode" which mind could stay forever. You need to compare some things, events or people to others to recognize which is better or worse. Therefore, I believe you can't stay happy all the time.
Kaori
Nice topic! Thinking about happiness makes me happy: )
ReplyDeleteQ2
These are the things that make me happy: yummy food, hot tea and coffee, traveling, spending time with friends and family, my lovely budgie, good movies, reading, dancing, swimming, beautiful scenery, singing and listening to good music.
I feel unhappy when I’m too busy or broke to be able to do the things that make me happy.
Mika I(T1)
Hanging out, talking, shopping with my friends, eating good food,, going back to my hometown make me sooooooo happy.
ReplyDeleteTroubling with my friends and family makes me unhappy.
T1 yuri miyata
I will answer #2. The things which makes my life happy or un happy is personal relationship with my friends. I can get some satisfaction by buying many clothes, eating delicious meals by money or my effort, but I cannot get peaceful conversation by myself. And also, I can overcome many difficulties such as stress of study or some difficult task of part-time-job, but it more difficult to change my friends if they have cold hearts. That is why my friends are key of my happiness and unhappiness.
ReplyDeleteSatomi YOSHI T1
My answer to #3:
ReplyDeleteI once heard that people feel happy when they are having a good time with their family. In that sense, I don't think there is something the government can do.
Natsuki T1
Q1
ReplyDeleteI think because happiness is not about equality and fairness. It's about personal emotion so we cannot define happiness for everyone. For this reason, I also think happiness is strongly related to culture and beliefs (and money, perhaps). Happiness can change from what aspect people see themselves. A change of view can sometimes make unhappy people very happy or vice versa.
I'd like to answer the question #4.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's possible to stay happy all the time. That's because you will never realize how happy you are if you don't know what it is like to be unhappy. But I believe it's important to thank people around you and what you have now so you can understand you're blessed enough and you won't be greedy.
Miki T1
my answer to Q1
ReplyDeletethere're two possibilities why people think some countries and cultures are happier than others. The one is that people compare their culture to others and feel theirs would be better. and the other is that people strongly believe their cluture is the best and happy without comparing to other cultures.
Takako, T1
Can anyone define the word Happiness? What is Happiness we do not know because every single person has its own meaning of happiness. Finding the ways to be happy in life is only a way that can make everyone happy in this world.
ReplyDelete