- Feb 5, 2002
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All normal human beings want to be happy. Aristotle observed that happiness is the goal of human life.[1] For we Americans, the pursuit of happiness is even enshrined in the Declaration of Independence as a self-evident, unalienable right. We can all agree that we want to be happy, but it’s much harder to find consensus when we ask what happiness is and how we can achieve it.
Despite disagreement on the finer details, for Americans (and most in the West), happiness is closely connected with being true to oneself, following one’s heart, and personal fulfillment. For example, 84% of Americans “believe that the ‘highest goal of life is to enjoy it as much as possible.’ Eighty-six percent believe that to be fulfilled requires you to ‘pursue the things you desire most.’ Ninety-one percent affirm that ‘the best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself.’”[2]
These ideals are part of the cultural air we breathe, and we find them embedded throughout popular culture. One song from Disney’s Mulan soundtrack advises listeners: “You must be true to your heart / That’s when the heavens will part ... / Your heart can tell you no lies.” In the 1994 animation “Thumbelina,” the narrator Jacquimo sings, “When you follow your heart, if you have to journey far, / Here’s a little trick. You don’t need a guiding star. / Trust your ticker, you’ll get there quicker.”
In her hit song “The Voice Within,” Christina Aguilera counsels listeners to “Look inside yourself ... Just trust the voice within.”
As theologian Thaddeus Williams humorously observes, “There are enough tween-targeted self-worship pop songs to fill a year-long playlist. We hear songs about bucking authority, songs about your wildest dreams all coming true, about being a super girl, or some roaring animal goddess who eats people’s expectations for breakfast.”[3]
Along similar lines, television producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes contends that “Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.”[4]
Continued below.
Despite disagreement on the finer details, for Americans (and most in the West), happiness is closely connected with being true to oneself, following one’s heart, and personal fulfillment. For example, 84% of Americans “believe that the ‘highest goal of life is to enjoy it as much as possible.’ Eighty-six percent believe that to be fulfilled requires you to ‘pursue the things you desire most.’ Ninety-one percent affirm that ‘the best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself.’”[2]
These ideals are part of the cultural air we breathe, and we find them embedded throughout popular culture. One song from Disney’s Mulan soundtrack advises listeners: “You must be true to your heart / That’s when the heavens will part ... / Your heart can tell you no lies.” In the 1994 animation “Thumbelina,” the narrator Jacquimo sings, “When you follow your heart, if you have to journey far, / Here’s a little trick. You don’t need a guiding star. / Trust your ticker, you’ll get there quicker.”
In her hit song “The Voice Within,” Christina Aguilera counsels listeners to “Look inside yourself ... Just trust the voice within.”
As theologian Thaddeus Williams humorously observes, “There are enough tween-targeted self-worship pop songs to fill a year-long playlist. We hear songs about bucking authority, songs about your wildest dreams all coming true, about being a super girl, or some roaring animal goddess who eats people’s expectations for breakfast.”[3]
Along similar lines, television producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes contends that “Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.”[4]
Continued below.
