'And it was at that time that I thought about Thomas Jefferson writing that Declaration of Independence. Him saying that we have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And I thought about how he knew to put the 'pursuit' in there, like no one can actually have happiness. We can only pursue it.' (Chris) Do you think anyone can achieve happiness? Why/ why not? Is pursuing happiness better than achieving happiness or not? Why?

Being that happiness is conditional, I do believe that anyone with realistic goals can achieve happiness with no problems. If someone sets an unattainable, almost impossible goal, they are destined for failure. Many parents tell their children that they can be whatever they want to be. This is true up to a point. If a child has grown up making the wrong choices and walking down a bad path, then they are limited as to what they can be. Indeed, to become the President of the United States, one would not be able to have a juvenile record or a history of violence, or smoke illegal substances, etc. etc.

Also, as a person ages, their ideas of happiness change. The things that bring them happiness can change. Maturity can instill new values and beliefs in someone, and in turn affect their happiness. So not only is happiness conditional, but it is constantly changing and growing as a concept for each individual. This is what makes it hard to answer these kinds of questions.

In the pursuit of happiness, one can discover much about themselves. If they are going through a struggle, they are building a stronger character and establishing the morals they are going to live by from then on. In addition, they may discover that what they thought was going to make them happy, won't, in fact, do so. They may realize that their dreams were naive or selfish, or set too high for them to achieve, and in turn choose to alter them. So, in a sense, pursuing happiness may be better than actually achieving it, although I'm sure it is possible to do both.