We all live with the goal of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same (Anne Frank). In recent class readings we looked at Chapter 2, “Can Happiness Be Defined?” in our America Now manual. The main question of this chapter is what happiness consists of and how people define their happiness. This chapter immediately caught my attention because my goal is to be happy. Deep down, we all want to be able to feel as if we are living happily on Earth at the end of our lives. Based on the matter, happiness is considered very important in life, but it is so difficult to define. What factors are important in achieving happiness and why are people in today's society so misguided in the pursuit of happiness? It would seem that the feeling of happiness is the main goal in life that we strive for every day. If you go to a number of random individuals and ask how they live a good and happy life, you would get a different answer from each person. Most people are bound to say that they are still fighting for their happiness. Which is a daily struggle to maintain lifelong happiness. Some may wonder how happiness can be defined because of all the different ways and things that make people happy. For some the American dream is what will make them happy and that takes hard work and persistence. At the beginning of that dream there is a struggle, but it is possible. Everyone is different and has different perspectives of this so-called “happiness”. Happiness is individualized, situational and can even be defined as unique. Many people may experience depression because they are unhappy. We work so hard, refraining from fun and distractions, in the… middle of paper quote. Even though we all have different perceptions of life, everyone wants to be happy. They may do this in different ways, but since they are all working towards the same goal, in this way they are all equal. Furthermore, achieving “happiness” is what is most important to you. People need to learn to enjoy what they have and do their best to stop dwelling on the things around them, so that they can actually understand the meaning and purpose of the life they are blessed with and their existence. Works Cited Barton, Adriana. If you are happy and you know it, you are in third position. ninth. Boston, NY: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2010. 83. Print.Mosely, Walter. Become happy. ninth. Boston, NY: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2009. 88. Print."Anne Frank." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2014. February 14, 2014.http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/annefrank151878.html