Ongoing Convo: Is Joy a Place?
8th Grade students chime in on their thoughts…
Why do you suppose we're quick to aim for happiness all the time?
Is joy a place? Meaning, is happiness a location in life, obtained after specific choices or behavior?
Are emotions a journey, a destination, or a little of both?
Vanshika K.
September, 2019
I don't think that Joy is a specific place. I feel like it is more of a state of being than a destination or place.
When you think about happiness, you may think about a certain object or person or thing that makes you happy. When you encounter the object or "source of happiness" you are only happy for the time being. Once you move away from— or leave— the object, you aren't as happy as you were before.
We think that when we are happy, everything around us is going the way we want it to. Once things go wrong or change in the slightness bit, we start feeling emotions like sadness and anger. We might not be able to deal with them as well as we think we can so instead, we just aim for happiness or find solutions to get out of that "mess."
I feel like emotions are a little bit of both a journey, and a destination. Joy isn't just a place or just a journey. It something is made by the choices we make and occurs in the places that we have been or are in. Joy isn't a long-term thing. It is a feeling that occurs after hard work or something that makes you ecstatic. Then again, when we are in a place that makes us happy, we tend to be joyful.
Mehak C.
September, 2019
Joy is something that people want in life because it often pairs with success and recognition for something. Sadness is usually paired with failure and people want to be successful.
Joy isn't necessarily a place or destination, its more like a state of being, and as much as people want to think it, happiness doesn't come with success, money, or artificial things. It comes with rare moments, love and being around people that bring you up not down.
Emotions are a roller coaster, no one can be happy or sad or angry forever, so I would go with emotions are a journey.
Bayu M.
September, 2019
We're quick to aim for happiness because we naturally think that happiness is the solution of most or even all problems. Whereas this may seem true, it doesn't seem like a long-term solution.
Joy/Happiness is best described as more of an accompanying partner. It isn't something that you'd necessarily strive for all the time, but it definitely will help you when certain criteria are met. For example, let's say you've been practicing a sport. Once you've become really good at that sport, you may apply for a team and play competitive games with that team. Winning a game with that team will certainly bring you happiness and joy, but just because you've achieved that happiness doesn't mean that your journey is over. There are still many more games to be played.
With this applied, I'd say that emotions are both a journey and a destination, as they will guide you through your journey of life while you reach and encounter new emotions as you progress.
Aarna P.
September, 2019
We're quick to aim for happiness because we feel good when we're happy, so we want more of that rather than to feel down and negative. We enjoy our life more when we are happy and love the life we have.
Joy is a place, not physically, but mentally, which can be obtained once someone goes through something or does things for themselves of for others. It's a place where you feel happy and where you go through that emotion caused by inside or outside forces. Emotions can be both.
For many people, their goal in life is to be happy and to love what's around them. That mental destination is objective to feel like they're thriving. They can be a journey as well as a series of emotions, felt over the course of someone's life or even a single day, can contribute to a bigger thing for a particular person.
Chris G.
April, 2019
I think we are always quick to aim for happiness because we are at our best when we are happy in my personal opinion and when we are happy we are our true selves and enjoy life the most then.
I think that joy can be different for everyone and can be obtained or achieved depending on how a person chooses to act or makes certain decisions.
To me, emotions are a little bit of both a destination and a journey. They are a journey because there are always certain events all leading up to our emotions and the way we feel. It is a destination because as said in the first question, people aim to achieve and aim to be happy in life.
Isha S.
April, 2019
We are quick to aim for happiness all the time because it makes us feel good. When we are happy we laugh and smile and thats a really good feeling. It creates good memories and I think that is why we aim for happiness all the time.
I feel like every emotion is a place. So when your joyful you are in a place of joy.
Emotions are both, journey and a destination… they reason for this is because when your on a journey you go through different emotions, some will make u upset and others will make u happy. Once your get to the destination you will most likely feel happy that you have made it to the end of the line.
Olivia O.
April, 2019
I love being happy. When you are happy you become more confident, and things tend to go your way more often.
I feel like sometimes joy can be a place, like Disney World. It is a place that makes you happy and that is your happy place.
I think that emotions are a both a journey and a destination. In life we a re always trying to get somewhere and when we are getting there emotions will come into play. Then we get to that place and emotions are associated with that place, but then we start going again to the next destination.