Guys, what is the meaning of persuit of happiness?

Answer 1

In the context of the Declaration of Independence, the complete phrase is:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

It means that the pursuit of happiness, along with life and liberty, is a right guaranteed in principle to every American.

If you feel like the phrase 'pursuit of happiness' is kinda vague, you are right -- but it is deliberately vague, as it is outlining a principle, not a law. Laws change and adapt over time, in keeping with our stated principles as a nation (which do not change).

Yes, there are inconsistencies between principle and law. The US was a nation that still allowed slavery at the time it wrote so eloquently about 'life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness', even though in other places like England people already recognized the inhumanity of the practice. In fact, it was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address that exhorted people to remember the principles of freedom, and forsake the practice of slavery.

And it was as recently as 1967 that the US Supreme Court ended some states' race-based statutes limiting marriage, on the reasoning that freedom of choice in marriage is a fundamental part of a person's pursuit of happiness.

So, what limits and protections government may provide on any citizen's pursuit of happiness (and life and liberty) is still being shaped today.

Although the right is inalienable, the protection of that right takes work!

Answer 2

It means working toward your personal goals. I said working because it is usually a long process. The goals are personal goals because that is what would make an individual happy. Salesmen, bosses, and family can make suggestions or explain what makes them happy, but the pursuit of happiness is up to each individual. Also, personal goals is plural because you can have more than one personal goal. Some examples of personal goals are: raising children to become successful adults, playing around with the best high-tech gear, saving for a comfortable retirement, and giving time or money to charity. Goals could change when the old goal is reached or is replaced because of a new focus.

Answer 3

To be a little less long winded, the "pursuit of happiness" is the ideal that we have the right to try and manage our lives in the way we want to, not be told how to manage our lives. We are not told we have the right to be happy, which is what so many seem to think we have. If some people aren't happy, they believe the government owes them something to make them happy.

Those people have it wrong. The PURSUIT is for us to give it our best shot, if we want to. If we succeed, great. If we fail, we get to try again. That is what is wonderful about this country. The founder of Domino's Pizza went bankrupt as a young adult. That is failure. But in America, you have the right to fail and try again. He then became a multi-millionaire. To many, that is success.

But in his post bankruptcy life, he was free to still pursue his dreams. In some totalitarian nations, you are told what is going to make you happy. If it doesn't, tough. In America, YOU are responsible for your life. I like that.

Answer 4

some human beings have faith that a fetus isn't "somebody else's life," a minimum of no longer till a definite age, inclusive of a few religions. You your self admit that they have innovations function at 8 weeks - does that mean that because they don't have innovations function till now then, it could be ok to abort till now 8 weeks?

Answer 5

The movie or the actual phrase in the Constitution?

Answer 6

This question is as old as time.
It is about finding your true nature- which is-each and everyone is part of the Oneness of All Things

Answer 7

To begin with -- two warnings:

1) we need to beware of simply interjecting out own modern ideas about "doing my own thing", "my personal goals" and "what make ME happy" (I'm not saying those things might not fit, but we can't assume that's what was meant... or certainly not that this was ALL that was meant)

2) though we nowadays often use the word "happy" or "happiness" to refer to our emotions, feeling fulfilled, etc. its FIRST meaning has more to do with good CIRCUMSTANCES (the sort that might then make one 'feel happy'). It refers to "well-being" or "good fortune".
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/happiness

(The root word is "hap", meaning "luck", found also in "mishap" and "happenstance".)
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Now, to determine what this expression means in the Declaration of Independence, we need to see how such language was being used at that time, and esp. in connection with the OTHER "inalienable rights" the Declaration groups it with.

Specifically, the expression "the pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration must be understood in light of the document's background in British political and legal history [the Declaration itself draws on the structure and arguments of the "English Bill or Rights" of 1689] and in the theories of government of John Locke.

Based on Locke the most common way to refer to 'basic human rights' was "life, liberty and PROPERTY", and it is this expression that appears in many other political writings in the colonies at the time of the Declaration.

But the term "happiness" was also used, and generally CONNECTED with "property".
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A quick look at Locke -- note esp. the last paragraph**:

"[LIFE] Locke believed that the most basic human law of nature is the preservation of mankind. To serve that purpose, he reasoned, individuals have both a right and a duty to preserve their own lives. Murderers, however, forfeit their right to life since they act outside the law of reason.

"[LIBERTY] Locke also argued that individuals should be free to make choices about how to conduct their own lives as long as they do not interfere with the liberty of others. Locke therefore believed should be far-reaching.

**"[PROPERTY / PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS] By "property," Locke meant MORE than land and goods that could be sold, given away, or even confiscated by the government under certain circumstances. Property also referred to ownership of one's self, which included A RIGHT TO PERSONAL WELL BEING. Jefferson, however, substituted the phrase, "pursuit of happiness," which Locke and others had used to describe FREEDOM OF OPPORTUNITY as well as the duty to help those in want.
http://www.crf-usa.org/Foundation_docs/Foundation_lesson_declaration.htm
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Perhaps the easiest way to see this connection is to look at the very first paragraph of the "Virginia Declaration of Rights" written by George Mason in 1776, JUST BEFORE the Declaration of Independence. Note how his list connects "property" and "pursuit of happiness" --

"That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety."
http://odur.let.rug.nl/%7Eusa/D/1776-1800/independence/virdor.htm

(By the way, the Mason connection is a warning against some who incorrectly think Jefferson added happiness as his OWN 'substitute' for 'property'. It was already part of the vocabulary and was CONNECTED with one's outward circumstances -- wealth, property, etc. Jefferson likely preferred it as being BROADER than 'property'.)

Answer 8

"pursuit" is a search or quest for happiness.