Buddha was focused on finding a life without suffering. Our culture is obsessed with happiness, but what if there’s a more fulfilling path? Happiness comes and goes, says writer Emily Esfahani Smith, but having meaning in life — serving something beyond yourself and developing the best within you — gives you something to hold onto. Listen to Smith speak about this at: https://www.ted.com/talks/emily_esfahani_smith_there_s_more_to_life_than_being_happy
Is the “best life” a life without suffering, is it a life of happiness, or is it, as Smith argues, a life of meaning?
Write a response of at least one full paragraph and post it to this forum also post a one paragraph response to a classmate it’ll be below:
“Personally I think a life of meaning would lead to the best life. Smith made some really good points when she spoke about people who search for happiness and end up being sad or depressed. I think the reason for that is probably because they’re so focused on finding that perfect something, that the more time that they don’t find it, the more unhappy they get. Living a life that does something to help others can be rewarding. And when someone finds that meaning to their life, that’ll also bring happiness. Suffering will most likely be a part of someone’s life, but that shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing because it’s needed to make a person stronger. It brings more happiness in way, because those who have gone through a lot of hardships will find more happiness in the small things in life.”