| Happiness Essay

“Happiness is the whole aim and end of human existence” (Cohen, 1).

Happiness is an emotional feeling characterized by contentment which brings joy, pleasure and satisfaction in someone’s life. Happiness is essential for a good healthy living. In fact, “life without happiness is not worth living” (Beck, Para. 10). Happiness is not just as a result of accomplishing something in life but it should be found in the journey of life.

Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, is the happiest man I know of. This is evident from his ever-smiling countenance. Some of the qualities, which make him a happy man, include:

Loving

The greatest happiness of existence is to love and to be loved (Cohen, p. 1). Mandela demonstrated love for his fellow compatriots by being an anti- apartheid activist. His fellow citizens, for spearheading the fight for their rights, do not only love him, but also adore him. Surrounded by the love of millions of people from his country, and billions from the world, Mandela must be a happy man.

Peace

Peace is born when an individual lives amidst united people, in the spirit of brotherhood. During his presidency, Nelson Mandela managed to unite successfully the white and the black people in his country. As long as he lives, Mandela will continue to celebrate the peace of his nation that he facilitated in its establishment.

Purpose

Cohen (p. 1) has argued that one can never be happy until they realize why they were born and why they live. Mandela realized his true happiness when he understood that he was born is such a time of apartheid to provide salvation of his nation. For this reason, he has lived and even today, he continues with making life better for the social disadvantaged.

Integrity

Integrity is the ability to remain truthful or honest with yourself and others regardless of the situation. It gives one an inner peace, which makes an individual happy. Mandela never compromised what he believed and never gave up fighting for what was right. After achieving such, he had all reasons to celebrate his victory as long as he lived.

Freedom

When a person’s freedom is interfered with, his happiness is compromised. That is why Nelson Mandela once said that South Africans were yet to be happy, as they still had no freedom. When he and his country acquired the ever-awaited freedom, he became a happy man since (Smith pg 14).