Does an achieved goal always make a person happy? Do you agree with the statement that the end justifies the means? What goals will not make you a happy person?

Happiness grows not so much from the passive experience of desirable circumstances, but from involvement in meaningful activities and active progress towards a chosen goal.
David Myers and Ed Dinsr

Without a goal, a happy life is impossible. In order to be happy, you must first determine what goal could serve as a source of meaning and at the same time pleasure for us, and make every effort to achieve it.

GOALS AND SUCCESS

People who set specific goals have an easier time achieving success than people who don't. Having specific goals that are clearly formulated and require complete dedication from a person - with a clear schedule of work and criteria for their implementation - is a direct path to increasing productivity. Setting a goal is like making a verbal decision, and words have enough power to make our future better and brighter.

The very presence of goals clearly signals to both ourselves and those around us that we believe in our ability to overcome any obstacles. Imagine that life is a road. You very cheerfully walk with a backpack on your back, kilometer after kilometer, until suddenly you come across a brick wall that blocks your path to your destination. What are you going to do? Will you turn back to avoid the difficulties that this wall symbolizes that stands in your way? Or will you do the opposite - throw your backpack over the wall and thereby make a firm decision to overcome it in any way - either by breaking through it, or by going around it, or by trying to climb over it on top?

The Scottish mountaineer William H. Murray wrote wonderfully about how useful it can be to throw your pack over a brick wall in his book “The Scottish Expedition to the Himalayas”:

“Until a person finally decides on something, there always remain doubts, the opportunity to retreat, and inaction. Regarding any manifestation of initiative, there is one simple truth, ignorance of which kills countless plans and great ideas: the moment a person decisively commits himself to obligations, Providence also begins to act. To help this person, many different incidents happen that otherwise would never have happened. Decision entails a whole stream of events: useful coincidences, meetings and offers of financial support that no one would have ever believed in beforehand. I had a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: "If you think or believe that you are capable of something, start doing it. In action there is magic, virtue and power."

As soon as we set ourselves any task or clearly formulate our readiness to go to the end, our attention immediately concentrates on the desired goal, helping us find a way to achieve it. The goal can be very simple, such as buying a computer, or very complex, such as climbing Mount Everest. As psychologists say, every thing we believe in is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and when we make a decision, when we bravely throw our backpack over a brick wall, we demonstrate faith in ourselves, in our ability to build for ourselves the wonderful future that is depicted in our imagination. We create our own reality, and do not just react to it.

Question: Remember one or two times when you made a firm decision to do such and such. What consequences did this lead to? What have you decided to do now?

GOALS AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING

While empirical research and real-life experiences alike demonstrate the connection between having goals and success in life, the relationship between goal setting and mental well-being is less straightforward. As folk wisdom says, happiness largely depends on whether we managed to fulfill our plans. And yet, scientific research conducted in recent decades gives reason to seriously doubt the correctness of generally accepted views: if the desired goal is achieved, it brings enormous satisfaction, and if it was not achieved, despair sets in; but both of these feelings are usually transitory.

This fact was clearly demonstrated by psychologist Philip Brickman, who, together with his colleagues, spent many years observing the level of happiness of people after winning the lottery. Less than a month passed before these lucky ones returned to their previous level of spiritual well-being - if they were unhappy before winning the lottery, they remained so. What’s even more surprising is that the same thing happened to victims of car accidents who, due to paralysis, lower limbs found themselves permanently confined to a wheelchair - just a year after the disaster they were as happy or as unhappy as before.

Psychologist Daniel Gilbert went even further in the same direction - he showed how poorly we foresee our state of mind in the future. We imagine that buying a new house, getting a promotion, or publishing our book will make us the happiest people in the world, when in reality these achievements lead to nothing more than a short-term spike in happiness. The same can be said about bad events in our lives. The mental anguish caused by a breakup with a loved one, the loss of a job, or the failure of our candidate in an election does not last long - it will not be long before we are again as happy or as unhappy as we were before.

Contrary to our traditional beliefs about how important it is for our spiritual well-being to achieve our intended goal, the results of the above study indicate otherwise, and this is both good and bad for us.

The good thing is that we don’t have to worry too much about possible failures, and therefore we can act more boldly. The bad thing is that success, apparently, does not mean that much in our lives, and if this is so, then there is no point in striving for any goal, and there is no point in chasing happiness either. It seems that our life is similar to the life of Bill Murray's character from the movie "Groundhog Day" or the life of Sisyphus, who is always rolling his stone up the hill.

Does this mean that the choice is whether we continue to cling to the illusion (that achieving certain goals will make us happier), or face the harsh reality (which at every turn makes us understand that whatever we do, we will be happier for it) we won't)? Fortunately, this is not the case. You can do it differently, but to do this you need to understand how the goal and the path to the goal, the destination and the road along which we are walking should relate to each other. Once we understand the correct relationship, our goals will help us rise to a higher level of spiritual well-being.

WHAT ROLE DO OUR GOALS PLAY?

In his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig recounts how he joined a group of venerable Buddhist monks who were climbing in the Himalayas. Despite the fact that Pirsig was the youngest member of the expedition, he was the only one for whom the ascent was difficult. Ultimately, he abandoned this idea, while the monks easily climbed to the top. Pirsig, fixated on a single goal - to climb to the top of the mountain, overwhelmed by the difficulty of what lay ahead of him, was unable to enjoy climbing; he lost the desire - and the strength - to continue the climb. The monks also looked up all the time, but only to make sure that they were on the right course, and not at all because the most important thing for them was to climb to the top itself. They knew they were going in the right direction, so they had the opportunity to fully surrender to what was happening to them, enjoying every step instead of despairing over the difficulties that lay ahead.

The true role of goals in our lives is to liberate us and enable us to enjoy life here and now.

If we set off on a journey without any specific destination in mind, the journey is unlikely to be enjoyable. If we have no idea where we are going, or even where we would like to go, every fork in the road becomes a source of uncertainty: whether to turn left or right; Neither solution seems good because we don't know whether we want to go where these roads lead. Therefore, instead of admiring the landscape and flowers along the side of the road, we are consumed by doubts and uncertainty. What will happen if I go this way? Where will I end up if I turn here? But if we always remember where we are heading, if we are more or less clear in which direction we are heading, we are free to focus entirely on enjoying life here and now.

In my approach to this problem I emphasize not so much on how important it is to achieve a goal, but on how important it is to have one. In the article “Positive Efficiency,” psychologist David Watson emphasizes how valuable and important the path to a goal is for us: “Modern researchers especially emphasize the fact that the process of struggling to achieve a goal - rather than achieving the goal in itself- is a necessary condition for happiness and positive effectiveness.” The main purpose of a goal, when we have one, is its purpose in terms of the future - is to help us get as much pleasure as possible from what is happening to us here and now.

The goal is also a means, not just a result! If we ever want to know what happiness is, we need to change the way we think about our goals and give up unrealistic expectations. Instead of seeing a goal as an end (and hoping that once we reach the goal we will be happy once and for all), we need to see it as a means (and understanding that having a goal makes our life journey more enjoyable). Since having a goal helps us gain more pleasure from what is happening to us here and now, this indirectly leads to an increase in the level of our spiritual well-being; Moreover, this level grows with each step taken - in contrast to the short-term peak of happiness that accompanies achieving the goal. Having a goal allows us, while doing something, to feel its meaning. Although I maintain that a person cannot be happy for a long time if he does not have a goal, just having a goal is clearly not enough.

In order for our happiness to grow by leaps and bounds, it is necessary that the goal is meaningful to us, and the path on which it pushes us is pleasant for us.

Question: What past goals have provided you with the most rich source of pleasure and meaning? What kind of goal do you think would bring you as much happiness in the future?

Summarizing the numerous studies conducted to establish the relationship between having goals and happiness, Cannon Sheldon and his colleagues write: “People who dream of good health and prosperity would be advised to:
a) do not pursue money, beauty, or popularity, but prefer goals such as personal growth, good human relationships and solidarity with other people;
b) not to pursue any other goals than those that are interesting and meaningful to themselves, and to resolutely abandon the pursuit of goals that they feel are imposed on them by people and circumstances.”

As Sheldon points out, in contrast to the fact that most people - to say the least - are too much after popularity, beauty and money, and at times feel as if they are being forced to do so, we would be much happier if if we switched to goals that are most in tune with our inner self. Thanks to scientific research in this area we have learned to understand much more subtly what kind of meaning and pleasure will serve as the most generous source of happiness for us.

GOALS CONSISTENT WITH OUR INNER “SELF”

Goals that are in tune with our inner self are goals that we strive to achieve out of deep personal conviction and/or because we are interested in it. According to Cannon Sheldon and Andrew Elliott, these goals are “intimately integrated with our inner selves” and stem “directly from self-expression.” In order for the goal to be self-consistent, a person, as a rule, should feel that he chose herm; that the desire to achieve this goal is rooted in his passionate need for self-expression, and not in the desire to impress others. We strive to achieve a goal that is in tune with our inner self, not because someone else thinks we should do so, and not because we feel obligated to achieve this goal at any cost, but because that we really want this - because the goal itself seems significant to us, and having achieved it, we will experience pleasure.

Scientific research conducted in this direction clearly indicates that there is a qualitative difference between the meaning we derive from external goods, such as social status and the balance of our bank account, and the meaning we derive from internal goods, such as , like personal growth and a sense of connection with other people. Usually, financial goals are not very consistent with our self - because they stem from an external, not an internal source. The thirst for status and the passionate desire to impress others very often, although not always, accompany the senseless pursuit of wealth.

In their study, The Dark Side of the American Dream, Tim Kasser and Richard Ryan demonstrate that the pursuit of financial success leads to negative consequences, if it turns into the main goal and the guiding principle of life. For those whose most important goal is making money, it is much more difficult to succeed in life and reach their full potential. Usually such people are destined to experience a lot of grief and mental suffering, they fall more easily into a state of depression and nervousness. Even worse, since the body and soul are closely connected, such people have weaker health and less vitality. The same research results were obtained outside the United States: business school students in Singapore, “who had absorbed a strong degree of materialistic values, also complained of a decrease in the level of self-actualization and happiness, a decline in vitality, an increase in nervousness and anxiety, and an increase in somatic symptoms and feelings of personal inadequacy."

When psychologists examine the essence of goals that are in tune with our inner self, they do not at all believe that we should give up the pursuit of material wealth and honor, because such a refusal would be tantamount to declaring war on our own nature. Nor do they try to convince us that we don't need to worry about our financial situation. It is necessary that we have enough money for food, shelter, decent education and satisfaction of other basic needs, otherwise there can be no question of any well-being. However, beyond the satisfaction of these basic needs, there is no need to worry about either money or prestige - since happiness is accepted as a universal equivalent, we must not allow money and prestige to become the main object of our aspirations.

Despite the fact that in most of these studies money is treated as a purely external goal, it also happens that it takes on the functions of internal goal, - in these cases, although material well-being is the main object of our aspirations, it does not harm happiness and even helps. Among those who bend over backwards to earn an extra penny, there are many people who do not care deeply about the material side of things; in wealth, what is much more important to them is what it represents in their eyes - a reward for their work, evidence of their competence, and so on. In this case, earning money is determined more by internal reasons, such as the need for personal growth, than by external factors such as social status.

Moreover, if we perceive and use money as a means to find meaning, the pursuit of wealth can easily become a goal in tune with our inner self. For example, having money frees up time for activities that are personally meaningful to us, or gives us the opportunity to provide financial support to a cause in which we believe.

Obviously, it would be very useful for us to understand which goals are most in tune with our inner self and try to achieve them, but this is not so easy. As Sheldon and Linda Houser-Marko aptly observe, learning to choose internally consonant goals is “a difficult task that requires from us, along with the ability to adequately perceive our own self, also the ability to resist social pressure, which often pushes us in the wrong direction "

First of all, we need to know what we want to do with our lives, and then have enough courage in ourselves not to compromise our desires under any circumstances.

Question: Which of your goals are most in tune with your inner self? What external or internal barriers are preventing you from achieving these goals?

based on the book by Tal Ben-Shahar: Learning to be Happy
Also more links from the book:

All arguments for the final essay in the direction of "Goal and Means".

Is it possible to achieve a goal if the obstacles seem insurmountable? Is it possible to achieve a goal if everything is against you? Are there unattainable goals?
Many examples in life and fiction indicate that human possibilities are limitless. Thus, the hero of Ruben Gallego’s autobiographical novel “White on Black” is an example that confirms the idea that there are no insurmountable obstacles. Main character the novel is an orphan for whom, it seems, life has not prepared anything good. He is sick, and also deprived of parental warmth. Even in infancy, he was separated from his mother, and he was sent to an orphanage. His life is hard and joyless, but the brave boy amazes with his determination. Despite the fact that he is considered weak-minded and unable to learn, he is so passionate about overcoming fate that he achieves his goal: becoming a famous writer and an inspiration to many people. The whole point is that he chooses the path of the hero: “I am a hero. It's easy to be a hero. If you don't have arms or legs, you are a hero or a dead man. If you don't have parents, rely on your own hands and feet. And be a hero. If you have neither arms nor legs, and you also managed to be born an orphan, that’s it. You are doomed to be a hero for the rest of your days. Or die. I am a hero. I simply have no other choice." In other words, to follow this path means to be strong and not give up until you reach the goal, when the goal is life, and achieving the goal is a daily struggle for existence.

What is the “great goal”? What is the purpose of human existence? What goal can bring satisfaction?
A great goal is, first of all, a goal aimed at creation, at making people's lives better. In V. Aksenov’s story “Colleagues” we see heroes who have yet to realize their destiny. Three friends: Alexey Maksimov, Vladislav Karpov and Alexander Zelenin, graduates medical institute, awaiting placement after graduation. They do not yet fully understand how important their work is, because quite recently they lived carefree: they went to the movies and theaters, walked, fell in love, argued about the purpose of a doctor. However, after college they are faced with real practice. Alexander Zelenin asks to be transferred to the village of Kruglogorye; he is sure that friends should continue the work of their ancestors for the sake of their descendants. Thanks to his work, he quickly gains respect local residents. At this time, Alexander's friends are working in the seaport, awaiting assignment to the ship. They are bored and do not understand the importance of their work. However, when Zelenin is seriously injured, his friends are nearby. Now a friend’s life depends only on their professionalism. Maksimov and Karpov perform a difficult operation and save Zelenin. It is at this moment that doctors understand what the great purpose of their lives is. They have enormous power to snatch a person from the tenacious clutches of death. This is why they chose their profession; only such a goal can bring them satisfaction.

Lack of purpose. Why is aimless existence dangerous? What is the purpose for? Can a person live without a goal? How do you understand the statement of E.A. According to “No transport will be favorable if you don’t know where to go”?

Lack of purpose is the scourge of humanity. After all, it is in achieving a goal that a person comprehends life and himself, accumulates experience, and develops his soul. Many heroes of literary works serve as confirmation of this. Usually, an immature person who is at the very beginning of his life’s journey suffers from the lack of a goal. For example, Evgeny, the hero of the novel of the same name in poems by A.S. Pushkin. At the beginning of the work we see a young man who has no interest in life. And the main problem is the purposelessness of his existence. He cannot find the peak to which he could strive, although throughout the novel he tries to do so. At the end of the work, he seemingly finds a “target” - Tatyana. That's the goal! It can be assumed that his first step was taken: he confessed his love to Tatyana and dreamed that he could win her heart. A.S. Pushkin leaves the ending open. We don't know whether he will achieve his first goal, but there is always hope.

What means cannot be used to achieve a goal? Does the end justify the means? Do you agree with Einstein's statement: “No goal is so high that it justifies unworthy means to achieve it”?
Sometimes, in order to achieve their goals, people forget about the means they choose on the way to what they want. Thus, one of the characters in the novel “A Hero of Our Time,” Azamat, wanted to get a horse that belonged to Kazbich. He was ready to offer everything he had and didn't have. The desire to get Karagöz overcame all the feelings he had. In order to achieve his goal, Azamat betrayed his family: he sold his sister to get what he wanted, and ran away from home, fearing punishment. His betrayal resulted in the death of his father and sister. Azamat, despite the consequences, destroyed everything that was dear to him in order to get what he so passionately desired. From his example you can see that not all means are good for achieving the goal.

The relationship between goals and means. What's the difference between a true and a false target? In what life situations does achieving a goal not bring happiness? Does achieving a goal always make a person happy?
The relationship between goals and means can be found on the pages of the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of Our Time". Trying to achieve a goal, people sometimes do not understand that not all means will help them achieve this. One of the characters in the novel “A Hero of Our Time,” Grushnitsky, passionately desired to be recognized. He sincerely believed that the position and money would help him in this. In the service, he sought a promotion, believing that this would solve his problems and attract the girl with whom he was in love. His dreams were not destined to come true, because true respect and recognition are not associated with money. The girl he was pursuing preferred someone else because love has nothing to do with social recognition and status.

What false goals lead to?What is the difference between a true and a false target? What is the difference between a goal and a momentary desire? When does achieving a goal not bring happiness?
When a person sets false goals for himself, achieving them does not bring satisfaction. The central character of the novel “A Hero of Our Time” has set different goals for himself all his life, hoping that achieving them will bring him joy. He makes the women he likes fall in love with him. Using all means, he wins their hearts, but later loses interest. So, becoming interested in Bela, he decides to steal her and then woo the wild Circassian woman. However, having achieved his goal, Pechorin begins to get bored; her love does not bring him happiness. In the chapter "Taman" he meets a strange girl and a blind boy who are involved in smuggling. In an effort to find out their secret, he does not sleep for days and watches them. His passion is fueled by a sense of danger, but on the way to achieving his goal, he changes people's lives. Having been discovered, the girl is forced to flee and leave the blind boy and elderly woman to their fate. Pechorin does not set true goals for himself, he only strives to dispel boredom, which not only leads him to disappointment, but also breaks the fates of people who get in his way.

Goal and means/self-sacrifice. Does the end justify the means? How are a person’s moral qualities related to the means he chooses to achieve his goals? Achieving what goal brings satisfaction?
The means can be justified by the end if it is noble, like the heroes of O. Henry's story "". Della and Jim found themselves in a difficult life situation: on Christmas Eve they did not have money to give each other gifts. But each of the heroes set a goal for themselves: to please their soulmate at all costs. So Della sold her hair to buy a watch chain for her husband, and Jim sold his watch to buy a comb. “The James Dillingham Young couple had two treasures that were the source of their pride. One is Jim's gold watch that belonged to his father and grandfather, the other is Della's hair." The heroes of the story sacrificed the most important things in order to achieve the main goal - to please their loved one.

Do you need a goal in life? Why do you need a purpose in life? Why is it important to have a purpose in life? Why is aimless existence dangerous? What is the purpose of human existence? What is the difference between true and false?
Witty satire on reality is a distinctive feature of O. Henry's work. His story “” touches on perhaps one of the most important problems of society. The narrative is full of comedy: the main character, Mr. Towers Chandler, being an ordinary hard worker, allowed himself a luxurious trip through the center of Manhattan once every 70 days. He put on an expensive suit, hired a cab driver, dined at a good restaurant, posing as a rich man. Once during such a “soray” he met a modestly dressed girl named Marian. He was captivated by her beauty and invited her to dinner. During the conversation, he still pretended to be a rich man who doesn’t have to do anything. For Marian, this lifestyle was unacceptable. Her position was obvious: every person should have aspirations and goals in life. It doesn't matter whether a person is rich or poor, he should do useful work. Only later do we learn that the girl was actually rich, unlike Chandler. He naively believed that by posing as a wealthy person, not burdened with worries and labors, he could attract the attention of a beautiful stranger, and that people would treat him better. But it turned out that a purposeless existence not only does not attract, but also repels. O. Henry's manifesto is directed against slackers and idle people, “whose whole life passes between the living room and the club.”

Determination. Do you agree with the statement: “A person who certainly wants something forces fate to give up”? Is it possible to achieve a goal if the obstacles seem insurmountable? What is the purpose for? How do you understand Balzac’s statement: “To reach the goal, you must first go”? How to achieve the goal?
Are there things beyond our capabilities? If not, how can you achieve your wildest goal? In his story "" A.P. Platonov gives answers to these questions. It tells the story of the life of a small flower that was destined to be born between stones and clay. His whole life was a struggle with external factors that interfered with his growth and development. The brave flower “worked day and night to live and not die,” and therefore was completely different from other flowers. A special light and smell emanated from him. At the end of the work, we can see how his efforts were not in vain, we see his “son”, just as alive and patient, only even stronger, since he lived between the stones. This allegory applies to man. A person’s goal is achievable if he works without sparing effort. If you are purposeful, you can overcome any obstacles, and also raise children in your image, even better. What humanity will be like depends on everyone. Do not be afraid of difficulties and give up. Strong personalities, who are characterized by determination, “shine” with an extraordinary color in the same way as A.P.’s flower. Platonov.

How does society influence the formation of goals?
From the very beginning of the story, all the thoughts of Anna Mikhailovna Drubetskaya and her son are directed towards one thing - organizing their material well-being. For this sake, Anna Mikhailovna does not disdain either humiliating begging, or the use of brute force (the scene with the mosaic briefcase), or intrigue, etc. At first, Boris tries to resist his mother's will, but over time he realizes that the laws of the society in which they live are subject to only one rule - the one with power and money is right. Boris begins to “make a career.” He is not interested in serving the Fatherland; he prefers serving in those places where he can quickly move up the career ladder with minimal impact. For him there are neither sincere feelings (rejection of Natasha) nor sincere friendship (coldness towards the Rostovs, who did a lot for him). He even subordinates his marriage to this goal (description of his “melancholy service” with Julie Karagina, declaration of love to her through disgust, etc.). In the war of 12, Boris sees only court and staff intrigues and is only concerned with how to turn this to his advantage. Julie and Boris are quite happy with each other: Julie is flattered by the presence of a handsome husband who has made a brilliant career; Boris needs her money.

End justifies the means? Is it possible to say that in war all means are good? Is it possible to justify great goals achieved through dishonest means?
For example, in the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's main character Rodion poses the question: “Am I a trembling creature or do I have the right”? Rodion sees the poverty and troubles of the people around him, which is why he decides to kill the old money-lender, thinking that her money will help thousands of suffering girls and boys. Throughout the entire narrative, the hero tries to test his theory about the superman, justifying himself by the fact that great commanders and rulers did not set themselves barriers in the form of morality on the path to great goals. Rodion turns out to be a man unable to live with the awareness of the act he committed, and therefore admits his guilt. After some time, he understands that the pride of the mind leads to death, thereby refuting his theory of the “superman”. He sees a dream in which fanatics, confident in their rightness, killed others without accepting their truth. “People killed each other... in senseless rage, until they destroyed the human race, except for a few “chosen ones.” The fate of this hero shows us that even good intentions do not justify inhumane methods.

Can the end justify the means? How do you understand the saying: “When the goal is achieved, the path is forgotten”?
The eternal question of the relationship between ends and means is touched upon in the dystopian novel “O Marvelous new world» Aldous Huxley. The story is told in the distant future, and a “happy” society appears before the reader’s eyes. All areas of life are mechanized, a person no longer experiences suffering or pain, all problems can be resolved by taking a drug called “soma”. People's whole lives are aimed at obtaining pleasure, they are no longer tormented by the torment of choice, their life is predetermined. The concepts of “father” and “mother” do not exist, since children are raised in special laboratories, eliminating the danger of abnormal development. Thanks to technology, old age is defeated, people die young and beautiful. They even greet death cheerfully, watching TV shows, having fun and taking soma. All the people in the state are happy. However, further we see the other side of such a life. This happiness turns out to be primitive, since in such a society strong feelings are prohibited and connections between people are destroyed. Standardization is the motto of life. Art, religion, true science find themselves repressed and forgotten. The inconsistency of the theory of universal happiness is proven by heroes such as Bernard Marx, Hulmholtz Watson, John, who could not find a place in society because they realized their individuality. This novel confirms the following idea: even such an important goal as universal happiness cannot be justified by such terrible methods as standardization, depriving a person of love and family. Therefore, we can say for sure that the path that leads to happiness is also very important.

What topics can be suggested:

Is it possible to say that in war all means are good?

Does the end justify the means?

How do you understand the saying: “The game is not worth the candle”?

Why is it important to have a purpose in life?

What is the purpose for?

Do you agree with the statement: “A person who certainly wants something forces fate to give up”?

How do you understand the saying: “When the goal is achieved, the path is forgotten”?

Achieving what goal brings satisfaction?

Confirm or refute A. Einstein’s statement: “If you want to lead a happy life, you must be attached to the goal, and not to people or things”?

Is it possible to achieve a goal if the obstacles seem insurmountable?

What qualities should a person have to achieve great goals?

Is it true that Confucius said: “When it seems to you that a goal is unattainable, do not change the goal - change your plan of action”?

What does "great goal" mean?

Who or what helps a person achieve his goal in life?

How do you understand O. de Balzac’s statement: “To reach the goal, you must first of all go”?

Can a person live without a goal?

How do you understand the statement of E.A. According to “No transport will be favorable if you don’t know where to go”?

Is it possible to achieve a goal if everything is against you?

What does a lack of purpose in life lead to?

What's the difference between a true and a false target?

How is a dream different from a goal?

Why is aimless existence dangerous?

How do you understand M. Gandhi’s saying: “Find a goal, resources will be found.”

How to achieve the goal?

Do you agree with the statement: “He walks faster who walks alone”?

Can a person be judged by his goals?

Is it possible to justify great goals achieved through dishonest means?

How does society influence the formation of goals?

Do you agree with A. Einstein’s statement: “No goal is so high that it justifies unworthy means to achieve it”?

Are there unattainable goals?

How do you understand the words of J. Orwell: “I understand how; I do not understand why"?

Can a good goal serve as a cover for base plans?

Do you agree with A. Rand’s statement: “Only those in whom aspirations are extinguished are lost forever”?

In what life situations does achieving a goal not bring happiness?

What can a person who has lost his goal in life be capable of?

Does achieving a goal always make a person happy?

What is the purpose of human existence?

Should you set “unattainable” goals for yourself?

How do you understand the phrase “go over your head”?

What is the difference between a “momentary desire” and a “goal”?

How are a person's moral qualities related to the means he chooses to achieve his goals?

How do you understand L. da Vinci’s statement: “He who strives for the stars does not turn around”?

How to open a topic:

The concepts of this direction are interrelated and allow us to think about a person’s life aspirations, the importance of meaningful goal setting, the ability to correctly correlate the goal and the means of achieving it, as well as the ethical assessment of human actions.
Many literary works feature characters who deliberately or mistakenly choose unsuitable means to realize their plans. And it often turns out that a good goal only serves as a cover for true (base) plans. Such characters are contrasted with heroes for whom the means of achieving a high goal are inseparable from the requirements of morality.

Arguments from works:

“Crime and Punishment”, F. M. Dostoevsky

Raskolnikov's train of thought is described here. He tried to create his own philosophy to shield his pathetic actions. The main character went on a killing spree. His goal was money. And the means is an axe. A deplorable result. But Dostoevsky did not lower his hero to the very bottom. He gave him a chance to repent of his sins.

"American Tragedy", T. "Dreiser"

We are watching the life of a young and promising guy who quickly began to climb the social and career ladder. He had a beloved girl from a poor family. One day the hero realized that he needed a more profitable party. So he killed his beloved to free himself from his burden. The hero did not have time to become happy in his own way. The police quickly found the culprit.

Quotes that will be useful:

Let no one stray one step from the honest path under the plausible pretext that it is justified by a noble goal. Any wonderful goal can be achieved by honest means. And if you can’t, then this goal is bad (C. Dickens

Through the implementation of great goals, a person discovers in himself a great character, which makes him a beacon for others (G.F. Hegel)

The ideal is guiding star. Without it there is no firm direction, and without direction there is no life (L.N. Tolstoy)

No goal is so high that it justifies unworthy means to achieve it (A. Einstein)

The light has long been called a stormy ocean, but happy is he who sails with a compass (N.M. Karamzin)

If only people knew that the goal of humanity is not material progress, that this progress is inevitable growth, and there is only one goal - the good of all people... (L.N. Tolstoy)

If a person makes his goal something vain, that is, unimportant, insignificant, then what is inherent here is not interest in the matter, but interest in himself (G. F. Hegel)

First, don't do anything without a reason or purpose. Secondly, do not do anything that does not benefit society (M. Aurelius)

A person who absolutely wants something forces fate to give in. (M.Yu. Lermontov)

A person must learn to submit to himself and obey his decisions. (Cicero)

When the goal is achieved, the path is forgotten. (Osho)

The meaning of life is those goals that make you value it. (W. James)

Perfect means for unclear ends are a characteristic feature of our time. (A. Einstein)

High goals, even if unfulfilled, are dearer to us than low goals, even if achieved. (I. Goethe)

If you want to lead a happy life, you must be attached to a goal, not to people or things. (A. Einstein)

You cannot change the direction of the wind, but you can always raise the sails to achieve your goal. (O. Wilde)

Find a goal, resources will be found. (M. Gandhi)

If you are heading towards your goal and stop along the way to throw stones at every dog ​​that barks at you, you will never reach your goal. (F.M. Dostoevsky)

Weaker and simpler people are best judged by their characters, while smarter and more secretive people are best judged by their goals. (F. Bacon)

It's never too late to leave the crowd. Follow your dream, move towards your goal. (B. Shaw)

When it seems to you that a goal is unattainable, do not change the goal - change your action plan. (Confucius)

You need to set yourself tasks that are higher than your strengths: firstly, because you never know them anyway, and secondly, because strength appears as you complete an unattainable task. (B. L. Pasternak)

Ask yourself, do you crave this with all the strength of your soul? Will you survive until the evening if you don’t receive this thing? And if you are sure that you will not live, grab it and run. (R. Bradbury)

To reach your goal, you must first go. (O. de Balzac)

A person must have a goal, he cannot do without a goal, that’s why he was given reason. If he doesn’t have a goal, he invents one... (A. and B. Strugatsky)

If you want to achieve the goal of your aspiration, ask more politely about the road you have lost your way. (W. Shakespeare)

I understand HOW; I do not understand why. (J. Orwell)

If you want to achieve a goal, don't try to be subtle or smart. Use rough methods. Hit the target immediately. Go back and hit again. Then hit again, with a strong shoulder blow. (W. Churchill)

No transport will be favorable if you don’t know where to go. (E. A. Poe)

The one who strives for the stars does not turn around. (L. da Vinci)

Life goes breathless without an aim. (F. M. Dostoevsky)

There are few things in this world that are unattainable: if we had more persistence, we could find a way to almost any goal. (F. de La Rochefoucauld)

Some Jesuits argue that any means is good as long as the goal is achieved. Not true! Not true! It is unworthy to enter a clean temple with feet defiled by the mud of the road. (I.S. Turgenev)

He walks faster who walks alone. (J. London)

Life reaches its peak in those moments when all its forces are directed towards achieving the goals set for it. (J. London)

High goals, even if unfulfilled, are dearer to us than low goals, even if achieved. (Goethe)

At some second along the way, the target begins to fly towards us. The only thought: don't dodge. (M.I. Tsvetaeva)

A warrior's intention is stronger than any obstacle. (K. Castaneda)

Only those whose aspirations have faded are lost forever. (A. Rand)

It is much better to do great things, to celebrate great victories, even if there are mistakes along the way, than to join the ranks ordinary people who know neither great joy nor great misfortune, living a gray life where there are neither victories nor defeats. (T. Roosevelt)

Without some goal and striving for it, not a single person lives. Having lost purpose and hope, a person often turns into a monster out of sadness... (F.M. Dostoevsky)

A person grows as his goals grow. (I. Schiller)

If you don't have a goal, you don't do anything, and you don't do anything great if the goal is insignificant. (D. Diderot)

Seek that which is greater than what you can find. (D.I. Kharms)

Nothing calms the spirit more than finding a solid goal - a point to which our inner gaze is directed. (M. Shelley)

Happiness lies in the joy of achieving a goal and the thrill of creative effort. (F. Roosevelt)

Bibliography:

Jean-Baptiste Moliere "Tartuffe"

Jack London "Martin Eden"

William Thackeray "Vanity Fair"

Ayn Rand "Atlas Shrugged"

Theodore Dreiser "The Financier"

M. A. Bulgakov “The Master and Margarita”, “Heart of a Dog”

I. Ilf, E. Petrov “Twelve Chairs”

V.A. Kaverin "Two Captains"

F. M. Dostoevsky “Crime and Punishment”, “The Brothers Karamazov”, “Idiot”

A. R. Belyaev “The Head of Professor Dowell”

B. L. Vasiliev “And the dawns here are quiet”

Winston Groom "Forrest Gump"

A.S. Pushkin "The Captain's Daughter", "Mozart and Salieri"

J. Tolkien "The Lord of the Rings"

O. Wilde “The Picture of Dorian Gray”

I. Goncharov “Oblomov”

I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons"

L.N. Tolstoy “War and Peace”

M.A. Sholokhov "The Fate of Man"

D.S. Likhachev “Letters about the good and the beautiful”

A.P. Chekhov "Man in a Case"

R. Gallego “White on black”

O. de Balzac “Shagreen skin”

I.A. Bunin "Mr. from San Francisco"

N.V. Gogol “The Overcoat”, “Dead Souls”

M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of Our Time"

V.G. Korolenko “The Blind Musician”

E.I. Zamyatin "We"

V.P. Astafiev "Tsar Fish"

B. Polevoy “The Tale of a Real Man”

E. Schwartz “Dragon”

A. Azimov “Positronic Man”

A. De Saint-Exupery “The Little Prince”

(354 words) Life without a single goal is akin to an unconscious existence, and every person periodically comes to the need to comprehend everything that happens around and within him. Then he forms a goal so that his life does not pass in vain and acquires meaning. But not all people set their priorities correctly: many make mistakes in choosing a goal and do not achieve the desired happiness. This is why fulfilling the intended plan does not always bring satisfaction.

Achieving a goal makes a person happy if he chooses it on his own and goes towards it in ways that correspond to the goal. This was the case, for example, with Masha Mironova, the young heroine of A. S. Pushkin’s story “The Captain’s Daughter.” A bright love for Pyotr Grinev pushed the girl to take a bold action. Having learned that her lover’s life is under serious threat, the issue of his eternal exile to Siberia for a criminal connection with the rebel Emelyan Pugachev is being decided, she immediately goes straight to Empress Catherine II. Seemingly overly timid, Masha sets a specific goal for herself and seeks pardon from the angry great empress, whose heart thaws from the first minutes of the conversation, touched by the girl’s devotion. The heroine did not deceive the queen, was not a hypocrite, but honestly and openly told her Grinev’s story, so the solved problem brought her true happiness.

But, unfortunately, it often happens that a person chooses completely unworthy ways to achieve a goal, and chooses it himself under the influence of others. Sofya Famusova from A. S. Griboyedov’s comedy “Woe from Wit” dreams of living a life full of sublime romance as the heroine of French novels, which she read in secret from everyone. But a girl who has absorbed both the frivolous lines of love books and fashion trends secular Moscow society, is fascinated by the insignificant hypocrite Molchalin. Playing out the independently invented role of a young lady in love, Sophia, until the very last moment, when she accidentally catches the young man with the maid Liza, is ready to ridicule any person and commit meanness towards him - it is from her suggestion that an untrue rumor about the madness of the arriving Chatsky spreads. This is why her false romance falls apart and her goal (to bring the romance to life) does not bring happiness.

Thus, it is indisputable that a person needs to formulate and concentrate on certain life goals. They help to develop spiritually and improve the inner “I” in every sense. But it is equally important to control this process, not allowing even the most desired goal to deprive yourself of not only happiness, but also human dignity.

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Our whole life is a movement towards achieving our goals. Their achievement sets in motion a reward mechanism consisting of a final reward, the realization of a sufficient amount of resources and a quality goal. Let's pay attention to the last element. Achieving what goal will bring satisfaction? One that is not just of high quality, worthy and difficult, but such that a person has an incentive to move towards it. It is important that it be diverse and, to some extent, even associated with a life dream in order to take its place on the priority pedestal. Versatility is necessary because if, for example, you strive for ordinary wealth, you can forget about other important things and eventually realize that your goal was not ideal.

Using Bunin's "Mr. from San Francisco" as an example. His hero is a hardworking, persistent and purposeful person who devoted his whole life to work and accumulation of wealth. He existed to make a fortune, never lived in the present, but pinned his hopes on the future. In pursuit of wealth, this gentleman completely forgot about building sincere family happiness, gaining not only work connections, but also friendships; he did not have time to develop spiritually. We can assume the latter by his craving for alcohol, visiting brothels and a huge number of bourgeois joys - all of them are just a beautiful wrapper for a meaningless life, self-deception, which is so necessary for empty personalities. The gentleman from San Francisco dies rich and useless, his goal turns out to be obviously imperfect, incomplete, unworthy of becoming the dream of a lifetime.

She clearly did not have time to bring him proper satisfaction.

An example of a worthy goal is Eugene Onegin from Pushkin’s work of the same name. The author made this hero an extraordinary person, whose meaningless existence quickly becomes boring. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, Onegin’s goal was to search for a goal that would fill his every day. He is looking for new spiritual values, reading and writing books, trying to introduce new orders in the village. Even though at first the hero did not pass the two main tests of life - love and friendship, he developed in several directions, felt active, his life became meaningful, which could not but bring satisfaction, and later long years he still comprehended and accepted the value of feelings and close relationships with people.

Thus, we are convinced of the need to have a universal, multifaceted goal that is worthy of all the time and resources spent on its implementation, so that a person can remain satisfied upon achieving it.

Almost all of us have some; Maybe it's a desire to lose weight, improve academic performance, or find a better-paying job.

However, there are many other areas where having goals can help make our lives healthier and more productive, improve our finances, and improve our connections with others. Some may ask: is having goals really that important?

Goals show what really matters

When you sit and think about what is most important to you, weeding out the unimportant and unnecessary, you are better able to concentrate on what is truly important to your progress and future.

A person grows as his goals grow.
- Friedrich Schiller

Goals guide

We all need some kind of support and support, something to look forward to, and goals are a great tool for this. Goals give our lives meaning, a sense of significance, and direction.

The slowest man who does not lose sight of his goal is still quicker than the one who wanders without a goal.
- Gotthold Lessing

Achieving goals brings satisfaction

Any achievement brings satisfaction. Moreover, each achievement raises you to the next step of the ladder of your development and with new heights New, more and more interesting guidelines for choosing open up before you. When choosing, you can imagine how your life will change, whether you will be happy when you achieve this goal. Goals can be fulfilling and take you in directions that initially seemed impossible.

Life is too short to waste it on things that don't bring you pleasure. If you have a head on your shoulders and enough enthusiasm in your heart, you will be able to achieve any goal. If you like something, do it. If you don’t like it, quit without hesitation.
- Richard Branson

Think about what you can learn

Goals can perfectly show both who you really are and that your capabilities are only in potential and hidden deep within. We can get to know ourselves better if we allow our goals to guide us and guide us. Everyday life. You can always become more interesting and better. In order to reveal your abilities, you need to explore new areas of application of your strengths and talents.

To set all his forces in motion, a person needs to place in front of himself some noble goal that can inspire him.
- Joseph Ernest Renan

Goals help with time management

When a person becomes goal-oriented, time becomes an ally because the person learns to use it more and more effectively, based on the desire to achieve the goals set. Essentially, our goals determine how we allocate our time. Goals help you better navigate time and concentrate on what you are doing.

Good everywhere depends on the observance of two conditions: the correct establishment of final goals and the search for appropriate means leading to the final goal.
- Aristotle

In conclusion, I will say that working with goals is applicable in any part of our lives. Set goals change our lives, but only if you consistently follow through.

___________________________________________________________

Well, if you don’t move beyond setting goals, then there is only one solution - develop your willpower. Therefore, I can confidently recommend you highly good book titled by: Kelly McGonigal. Find out how not to put things off until the last minute, how to deal with stress, and always be confident. Become the true master of your life! This book is a good start to a new life.

It seems to me that happiness is something temporary. IN different periods time, a person can feel happy for certain reasons.

When a person achieves a goal, does he feel that rush of satisfaction and boundless joy? I think not. Achieving a goal is, of course, wonderful, but a person experiences a feeling of inner devastation because what he strived for has been achieved for a long time. And now you have to come up with a new goal and confidently move towards it. Despite this, I am convinced that goals develop a person and allow him to be needed for himself.

In Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment, the main character achieves his long-set goal: he kills the old pawnbroker because he considers her an unnecessary element in society. This woman is deceitful, arrogant and does not bring any benefit to society.

Did the hero become absolutely happy after achieving the goal? At first he was glad to have tested his theory in action. But after some time, he begins to repent of what he did, because he crossed the boundaries of morality.

It would seem that such a great goal as the destruction of human scum, which justifies any means. Raskolnikov believes that this crime was committed for the benefit of society. But in fact, he was deeply mistaken. Dostoevsky shows that his hero is trying to take the place of God, the arbiter of destinies.

For example, he rejects Raskolnikov’s theory; it cannot justify the murder of another person. With the image of this heroine, Dostoevsky wants to show society as a whole, because it does not support criminals. Nevertheless, Sonya was able to understand Rodion, the reason for his actions, and helped him repent. With this novel with deeply philosophical ideas, Dostoevsky wanted to say that achieving a goal is not always a joyful event; it can also bring sadness.

In life, it is important to set goals and achieve them. But you need to be prepared for a situation where achieving this intention will not bring joy and satisfaction, but disappointment. When a person lives his purpose, he anticipates something good and happy, and this helps him live. Everything also depends on the nature of the intention itself. Having achieved one thing, you immediately want more, such is human nature.

Summarizing everything written above, I can firmly say that achieving a goal does not always bring happiness.

Essay on “Goals and Means”.

This statement given to me is quite contradictory and ambiguous, like any other question that involves long discussions. Does the end always justify the means? And does it justify it at all? Should one correspond to the other, and what should be the goal for all means to be good for it?

On the one hand, a person’s entire life is a movement with some purpose, which in most cases is taken as the “meaning of life.” Home, family, good job, car, apartment, garden with gooseberries, your own small business, world peace - all this can become the meaning of everyone’s existence. Does it make sense to think about the means to achieve your goal? Of course, yes, because in our lives any obsessive thought can be broken by reality and the very fact that a person is constantly changing, growing up and improving. And if today, for example, it seems to me that it’s worth going over your head to live in the capital, then tomorrow, quite possibly, I will kiss my grandmother’s hands in a small village on the very outskirts of our country, strive for something completely different and condemn yourself for what you did earlier. For example, the main character of the novel F.M. For a long time, Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” considered his goal to prove to himself and those around him that with the help of evil deeds one can come to good. In other words, he believed that criminal means were acceptable in achieving a noble goal. According to Raskolnikov’s theory, there were two types of people: those worthy and those unworthy of life, and the hero believed that by killing the latter, an ideal, kind world could be created. However, having committed the murder of the old woman, the hero realized that his idea was inhumane, and he himself, having taken this step, did not become better than those scoundrels who surrounded him. These included, for example, Svidrigailov, a vile and low personality who did not disdain any means to achieve his dirty goals. Raskolnikov's repentance and Svidrigailov's suicide once again proved that the end does not always justify the means.

Another example is the hero of the novel N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". Chichikov's goals were high social status and self-enrichment. The hero decided to take a rather desperate step: having bought out many “dead souls” from various landowners, he would, without much difficulty, at the same time acquire the status of a large landowner, and, having received a large loan for his peasants, the hero would also have the opportunity to have large capital. To this end, Chichikov began his difficult path and resorted to a variety of means, but the very character of the hero did not allow him to stoop too low and behave, for example, the same way as those landowners to whom he approached with his deal. Of course, the final ending of the novel remained in the second volume, however, it seems to me that the fact that Chichikov, having managed to find an approach to each landowner, nevertheless achieved his goal and collected the required number of dead souls, without having done anything like that, was enough. that he himself might be ashamed. Thus, Chichikov’s goal justified the means attached to it.

In conclusion, I would like to note once again that there is not and cannot be a specific answer to the question posed in the test. The end can justify the means only if the honor and dignity of a person do not suffer.

Our whole life is a movement towards achieving our goals. Their achievement sets in motion a reward mechanism consisting of a final reward, the realization of a sufficient amount of resources and a quality goal. Let's pay attention to the last element. Achieving what goal will bring satisfaction? One that is not just of high quality, worthy and difficult, but such that a person has an incentive to move towards it. It is important that it be diverse and, to some extent, even associated with a life dream in order to take its place on the priority pedestal. Versatility is necessary because if, for example, you strive for ordinary wealth, you can forget about other important things and eventually realize that your goal was not ideal.

Using Bunin's "Mr. from San Francisco" as an example. His hero is a hardworking, persistent and purposeful person who devoted his whole life to work and accumulation of wealth. He existed to make a fortune, never lived in the present, but pinned his hopes on the future. In pursuit of wealth, this gentleman completely forgot about building sincere family happiness, gaining not only work connections, but also friendships; he did not have time to develop spiritually. We can assume the latter by his craving for alcohol, visiting brothels and a huge number of bourgeois joys - all of them are just a beautiful wrapper for a meaningless life, self-deception, which is so necessary for empty personalities. The gentleman from San Francisco dies rich and useless, his goal turns out to be obviously imperfect, incomplete, unworthy of becoming the dream of a lifetime.

She clearly did not have time to bring him proper satisfaction.

An example of a worthy goal is Eugene Onegin from Pushkin’s work of the same name. The author made this hero an extraordinary person, whose meaningless existence quickly becomes boring. No matter how paradoxical it may sound, Onegin’s goal was to search for a goal that would fill his every day. He is looking for new spiritual values, reading and writing books, trying to introduce new orders in the village. Even if at first the hero did not pass the two main tests of life - love and friendship, he developed in several directions, felt active, his life became meaningful, which could not but bring satisfaction, and after many years he still comprehended and accepted the value of feelings and close relationships with people.

Thus, we are convinced of the need to have a universal, multifaceted goal that is worthy of all the time and resources spent on its implementation, so that a person can remain satisfied upon achieving it.

Good afternoon, dear homebodies. Today we will figure out why achieving goals doesn’t work! Where does happiness come from? This is one of the most important questions that people have asked themselves over the centuries as they try to gain insight into their own nature and the world around them.

Everything we do has the goal of achieving happiness, but many of us never achieve this.

We pursue happiness in many ways, but the most obvious is achieving or owning what we want. Most people believe that if they want something, it is because it will make them happy, and they believe that they must do whatever it takes to achieve it.

Obviously, this is how we are created by nature, so that throughout our lives we continue to reach upward and achieve new goals. But such a lifestyle will never make a person happy or contented for a long time.

Achieving goals does not bring happiness

Some people study this topic deeply and wonder what else is missing in their lives to be happy. They look at others and think: “Oh, Petya has a BMW and he’s happy, but I’m not, so I must have this car to be happy.”

And the person throws all his efforts into getting this car, doesn’t sleep at night, doesn’t eat enough, and forgets about all kinds of entertainment. So several hellish years pass, and now the desired BMW is already parked under the window.

A few days of joyful euphoria, and then everything was the same - the new car did not bring happiness. And then a new search for incentives begins. It's a vicious circle.

When you don't get what you want, at least you have something to blame for your misfortunes. If you realize yours and realize that you are still not satisfied with everything, then you may begin to feel like you are going crazy.

Achieving goals does not bring happiness. People who suddenly get what they want, who win the lottery or realize their life dreams of becoming a star or something else, begin to notice real problems because of it.

You've probably heard about the problems brightest stars Hollywood people who behaved strangely despite their success - they abused cocaine, or suddenly shaved their heads bald in a fit of rage, and attempted suicide.

Is this how happy people behave? This happens when there are high expectations that some achievements will make them happy, but this does not happen.

Others blame circumstances: “If only things were a little different than they are now, I would be happy.” This is self-deception. They wouldn't be much happier - they'd find something else to blame.

These people blame everything but themselves, so that at least they don’t feel as if their “grief” stems from their guilt. The irony of this situation is that only by creating your own responsibility for your own problems can you solve them.

The circumstances that people blame for their problems are varied - this is where they currently live, where they work, and even other people.

Blaming another person or group of people for one's misfortunes is quite common and should be recognized as a source of trauma, conflict and unnecessary suffering. And achieving goals does not bring happiness.

So where can you find happiness?

People have traveled to the ends of the earth in search of an answer. Despite this, the question was still left. Even the greatest thinkers in history have not found it, and the reason for this is that happiness cannot be achieved through thinking.

Happiness cannot be bought, eaten, or cheated. It cannot be “obtained” from anywhere, because nothing from the outside can make you happy. The only source of happiness is you, you have it within yourself because you were born with it.

Happiness is an innate human condition.

Children, when they come into this world, do not need a reason to be happy, they just are. As long as they are not directly threatened by hunger, some kind of danger, or something similar, the child naturally moves towards happiness and is happy. Happiness is simply the absence of suffering.

This is nothing new. It is ancient, as old as time, and has been repeated in countless forms since the time of the Buddha, if not before. And at a certain level of consciousness, under the cover of our own illusions, we know all about it.

This is encoded in our language: the word “unhappiness” means the absence of happiness. It's not about achievements and material values– happiness has nothing to do with these things.

Look at children, even during illness they get a lot of pleasure from life, because nothing can take away their innate ability to be happy. A child does not need to move to the very top of the career ladder to be incredibly happy.

Think about why little children are happy? What would you say when asked to explain this phenomenon? You could point out that children shouldn't worry about anything, the future or the past, that they don't want anything they don't have, and don't expect anything from the future.

These ideas are repeated in Buddhist parables, which argue that all suffering comes from desire: the desire to have something that we do not have, the desire to influence the future or change the past, and the desire for other people to behave in a desired way.

All this falls under the category of whim, which causes suffering.

Everyone knows that people who worry about the future are less happy than those who don't worry so much, even if they both have the same issue. To worry is to suffer.

And that means achieving goals does not bring happiness.

Just be happy!

Final essay 2017

Achieving what goal brings satisfaction? Does achieving a goal always make a person happy?

Living without a goal is akin to an unconscious existence. Every person periodically comes to the need to comprehend what is happening to him. Then he sets a goal for himself, having previously formulated it.

Unfortunately, not all people set priorities (primacy) in advance: many make mistakes in choosing a goal and do not achieve the desired happiness. Then execution? Plana is not fun.

Using the example of M. Eden from Jack London’s novel “Martin Eden,” we see that the goal really does not always bring satisfaction. And in the case of the main character of the said novel, it even leads to death.

After meeting a wealthy family, Martin becomes educated and masters the skill of writing. He achieved this goal not out of love for art, but for the sake of fees. Overcoming obstacles in your difficult life life path, Martin is still a famous writer. But, having achieved the goal, he realizes that this is not his destiny and becomes disappointed in himself and his loved ones. Martin Eden commits suicide. This example indicates that not all goals bring satisfaction. What is conceived must come from the heart. Jack London's story teaches us to value life and choose the right goal in life.

It's great if achieving a goal makes a person happy.
Sanya Grigoriev, the hero of V. Kaverin’s novel, was lucky in this regard. As a child, he found letters from Captain Tatarinov, who went missing along with his expedition somewhere near the North Pole. For many years no one knew what really happened. The relatives suffered and hoped that they were alive. And so the boy Sanka, having read these letters, decided that he would definitely find out the truth and tell about it.

Grigoriev devoted his entire youth and youth to this goal. He looked everywhere and in everything for the answer to the terrible mystery and finally found it. Sanka achieved what he wanted, he exposed the villain and received happiness as a reward. .

Katya Tatarinov, the daughter of Captain Tatarinov and Sanya’s beloved, was convinced that he was right, that he acted for the good. She was not mistaken in her choice, she agreed to become the wife of now Captain Grigoriev, thereby making him happy.
To summarize, we conclude that there should be no place for selfishness in good intentions. The goal in life should be to spiritually develop and improve the soul. It is important to control this process, not to allow even the most desired goal to destroy your life or deprive yourself of happiness.

The word “dream” has stirred the minds of mankind since ancient times. Every person has a dream, that’s why the question “does achieving it always make a person happy?” one way or another relevant for everyone. In order to answer this question, it is necessary to understand the terminology. In my opinion, a dream is a desire that is difficult to achieve. In order to make a dream come true, you need to work hard at it, sometimes even going beyond your capabilities. In my opinion, achieving a dream does not always bring happiness to a person. Sometimes this turns into a nightmare for a person and his environment; often, after realizing a dream, a person loses the meaning of life, a guideline. Even a great dream, transferred to harsh reality, can change its appearance. Only sometimes perseverance and courage, coupled with virtues, allow a person to realize his dream without loss and find happiness.

Confirmation of my thesis can be found on the pages of O. Wilde’s novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” Dorian is certainly a person capable of dreaming, this makes him a bright personality. And his dream is not the simplest - to preserve youth and beauty. The best tool for making such a dream come true is art. That is why the artist Basil gives Dorian a beautiful portrait. This gift is an advance to Dorian, who, unfortunately, spends it too thoughtlessly. Dorian easily gets what he wants, but happiness does not come. Life doesn't get better, it doesn't make sense. Perhaps it is this discrepancy between “expectation” and “reality” that destroys his moral character. Accustomed to thinking that a dream leads to happiness, Dorian is not able to accept the real state of affairs. He continues to seek happiness, but his path is terrifying. The confused Dorian Gray destroys the lives of those around him because of his resentment towards the world. Looking into the mirror of his soul, the desperate hero finds the cause of his misfortune and anger in the portrait. However, the portrait is his dream, distorted and terrible. Dorian did too little to make his dream come true, and therefore did not know what to do with the gift he acquired.

Another example that confirms the thesis is A. Azimov’s story “The Positronic Man.” The main character, the robot Andrew, is created with a flaw: he has the ability to dream. For the company he is a defective product, for the family he ends up with he is a friend. Throughout the entire work, we watch how Andrew “grows” before our eyes, how he tries to understand the human world, and forms the dream of his whole life. His dream is to become a human. To do this, Andrew works on himself step by step: he makes his appearance more and more human-like. He gains the ability to smell and taste, but it is not enough for him to be like a person, he wants to be recognized by other people. The organs and prostheses created by him help people live better and prolong their lives. He becomes a great inventor, a respected person. However, according to documents, he is still a robot. To be recognized as a man, he must renounce immortality, which he does, abandoning his “eternal” positronic brain in favor of a biological “mortal”. Only before his death is he declared a “bicentennial man.” However, if you think about it, he became a man much earlier. It was his great contributions to society that made him a man, not his official status. The example of the life of the robot Andrew proves that hard work and constant work help make a dream come true. Every step towards your dream makes you happy, not the result.
In conclusion, I would like to say: achieving a dream can bring happiness to a person if he does the maximum possible for this; happiness lies in this work, and the dream is only a guideline. When people believe that only the fulfillment of a dream will bring happiness, they are often disappointed, especially when they do nothing for it and get what they want too easily.