The Pursuit of Happiness
HRE-4O
Guiding Questions:
1. Do humans have a desire to be happy?
2. Do we need to pursue happiness?
3. Do you have the power to be happy?
4. Do you think being thankful will increase your happiness?
What the teacher is looking for: (Observation assessment: Thinking and communication)
Thinking: Process/ planning skills
 Actively participating in group discussion
 Completing the task at hand
Communication: expression of ideas
 Contributes accurate information pertaining to the topic
Station # 1 – Stoic Philosophers – Greek philosophers
Watch the quick video 5 Timeless Philosophy Tips for a Happy, Successful Life – Search it on google
Theory
# 1 What is the worst that can happen
# 2 As if principle
# 3 Make it a treat – self control
# 4 Live in the present
# 5 It’s okay to stumble
What do the stoics say about it? Brief summary of what it
means
It will make your situation feel less worse than it is
and can show you that you were making problems for
yourself.
This is basically you should not thing about the bad
things that could happen instead be strong and
confident like instead of saying ohh I’m going to
embarrass myself if I ask them out. just go up to them
the worst they can do is say no and who know maybe
they might like you back, but you will never know
until you take action.
Having self-control will make life much easier when
faced with things like going on a diet or trying to
workout 6 days a week. Plus, when you don’t do it for
a long time it feels good like eating pizza for the first
time in 6 months.
Living in the present puts less stress and worry in
your life. When you think about the future you tend
to become worried when you can’t control what
happens then. Or when you life in the past people
tend to become depressed living in the present makes
you think how I can better myself today.
Everyone will stumble in their life it might happen
more often to some then others, but everyone goes
through it and you should be able to accept the fact
that nobody is perfect and accept your loses but work
hard to get back up.
Rank the 5 Stoic theories from most important to least important to your level of happiness. Which one (1) is
most important? Justify your response
Being able to say ok to stumbling. Some of the people I’ve seen blame god for what has happened to them
like “god why did you let me fail this test” everyone is going to fail at one point in their life don’t blame
god for it you should learn from your mistake and ask god to help you instead of bashing him. It’s your
life your actions god just guides you he doesn’t write the test for you and being able to know that we fall
hurts, but you should be ready. Someone once said “it’s not how hard you get hit. It how hard can you
come back from getting hit.” Is think it’s from rocky but I have no idea.
Station # 2 – Quotes
Read the following quotes on happiness.
1. Write down the two (2) quotes that speak to you the most.
“Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. You got a dream… You gotta
protect it. People can’t do something’ themselves, they wanna tell you that you can’t do it. If you want
something, go get it. Period.”
"Because when I was young, and I'd get an A on a history test or whatever... I'd get this good feeling
about all the things I could be. And then I never became any of them."
2. Choose one (1) of them and explain how you can use it to improve your level of happiness.
The one that spoke to me the most was the 2nd one. When I was younger, I would do the same thing I
would get an A then thing of all the things I could be then become lazy and stop putting in the work. I’ve
learned to stop doing that because it will come back to haunt me like it did to him.
Station # 3 – St. Thomas Aquinas
1. What is the name of the book St. Thomas Aquinas wrote about happiness?
The book St. Thomas Aquinas wrote about happiness is called “Treatise On Happiness”.
2. What is St. Thomas Aquinas’ ultimate answer for perfect happiness?
His ultimate answer for perfect happiness is that the perfect happiness is unobtainable on earth
but and imperfect happiness is. So basically, he is saying we can’t always be happy there will be
times where we feel sad or any other emotion.
3. What did Aristotle believe about happiness?
He says happiness comes from consistently achieving things like good health, lots of money, fame,
and much more.
4. What did St. Augustine believe about happiness?
5. What does St. Thomas Aquinas mean by ‘imperfect happiness’?
6. What are the virtues? Which virtue do you think is most important for happiness?
Station # 4 – Zhuangzi
1. Is laughing important for the key to happiness?
2. What is meant by “go along with things”?
3. What did Confucius believe for happiness?
4. What do Daoist’s believe for happiness?
5. What are the two (2) types of happiness Zhuangzi speaks of.
6. What does “FLOW” mean? Have you ever experienced FLOW in your life?
Station # 5 – Happiness Quiz
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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6. ____
7. ____
8. ____
9. ___
10. ____
1. Fill in the answer you received.
2. How Many total points did you get? ______
a. Which Character are you: TIGGER
11. ____
12. ____
13. ____
14. ____
POOH
EEYORE
3. Do you agree of disagree with the outcome? Justify your response.
After completing all the stations answer the following questions:
1. Why do humans seek happiness? Or to be happier?
2. What would you tell a grade 9 student what the key to happiness is in high school?
3. Is happiness a mindset that everyone can achieve?
4. After completing all the stations what two (2) theories/ philosophies/ ideas resonate most with you?
Justify why