the nature of happiness

As a graduate student in the school of Curriculum and Instruction in the area of Language and Literacy with a Reading Specialist dealie on the end of all that bullshit, one ridiculously abstract thing I've learned is the importance of metacognition. In English, thinking about what you've learned and how you learned it. The ability to read, write, and talk helps this process along. Duh, right?

*gets another drink*

Once upon a time, Mark told me that Tech restricts its students' choice of writing topics in curious ways. The subjects of the war, homosexuality, abortion, sex education, campus parking issues, and (this is the kicker) the "nature of happiness." This is what comes of letting a town be run by fundamentalists and Baptists. It's a dry county too. Of course this kind of oppression can lead to more than deviance and unwed mothers, it can also lead to great acts of creativity and rebellion. I know, I went to college in Iowa. There were nine churches and one bar, and I turned out just fine.

But back to the point--the nature of happiness. Really the baseline desire in any conscious person's heart. What makes us happy? What is happiness? Could a more wildly objective question be asked? Here's what Wikipedia says.

Now go reflect on that.