Prompt: Happiness is considered very important in life. Why is it difficult to define? What factors are important in achieving happiness?

Over thousands of years before, Aristotle - a renowned Greek philosopher and a great thinker during his time, came to a surprising conclusion that everyone wants to be happy and that being happy is essential for our lives to continue. Ċ As much as our insatiable desire is to be happy; it is a lot more difficult to delineate, since different people have their own definitions of happiness: some link happiness with their relationships, spirituality, religion, accomplishments etc., while others think of happiness on a materialistic level such as increase in wealth, the cars that they own and other valuable items. Happiness is an abstract and a 'normative' concept, hence making it difficult to define. Ċ I think happiness involves having some degree of self-knowledge - knowing our goals and objectives in our lives or what we love to do which by accomplishing would make us happy, for instance, when I was back in high school; I didn't know what career to pursue and the subjects that needs to be chosen according to the different interests in career. I never knew my goals in life and I was depressed. When I went to my counsellor for advice, she guided me and I knew from then on what I wanted to do with my life - the career that I want to pursue. I felt my body with an overwhelming joy and became committed to my studies and passed my exam with more than just the satisfactory grades. Ċ To conclude, happiness is a normative concept and to be happy we need to be wary of what would make us happy, so that we can accomplish the goal and achieve happiness.