Happiness

Today we had a very interesting discussion about happiness. We explored/discussed some of the following questions and statements:
- what is happiness?
- is happiness the most important thing in life?
- is it good to be happy all the time?
- is it ok to sometimes be unhappy?
- where does happiness come from?
- do we need other people to be happy?
- what does it mean to say that "happiness is a gift"?
- can other people make you happy?
- are animals happier than people?

Here is an interesting article about which countries are the happiest in the world:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10656485

- What do you think about the ways they measured happiness?
- If you were doing a survey on happiness, what factors would you consider in peoples lives?
- Is being a happy country a good thing?
- What would you suggest to John Key if he asked you what to do to make NZ a happier country?


Above is a quote by Thoreau, a famous American writer.
- What do you think he means by this description of happiness?

I would love you to share some of your thoughts with the class. You might like to include some of these questions as part of your home learning.