What Is Happiness

Happiness. I often hear this word on TV, radio, the streets and everywhere. But what is happiness? Frankly speaking, it is a very hard question. We often hear this word, but don’t think about the meaning of this word. As for me, I also didn’t think about happiness and its meaning for me. But at the last English lesson I seriously thought about it for the first time in my life. Yes, it’s a very hard and unusual question. At the first lesson almost all answered that happiness – it’s when all people are healthy, all people are together and when they don’t have big problems. On the one hand it’s true. But after that lesson I understood, that I have two meanings of the word happiness. The first meaning of happiness is happiness, as a general meaning in my life. The second meaning of this word is happiness, that I have almost every day. For example happiness, as a general meaning in my life means that my parents are healthy, when all people are together, having good lodging, good relationship with people. When you have that all in your life you are really happy! But also I’m happy when the weather is nice, when I have tasty dinner, when I posses modern equipment, when I have good clothes and when I am not alone. It also is happiness. Also at the lesson we spoke about 3 values in our lives. I said, that my values were: Parent’s health; Future own life; Friendship.

All our values were almost the same. After that we listened to the values of American people. And I compared our values and understood, those American values are more important. And today my values are individual freedom; Self-reliance; Health; Future life; Friends.

Also at the lesson we spoke about the time, when people are the happiest. In Britain the happiest people are at the age from 35 till 54. I also think so. At this age people have adult children, they don’t work very hard and don’t have big problems with money.

In general I understood that people of different age have their own happiness. Also I understood that the constant meaning of the word happiness doesn’t exist.

Grade 9, 2004

I’m a Brick in the Wall

We don’t need no education.

We don’t need no thought control.

No dark sarcasm in the classroom.

Teacher, leave those kids alone!

All in all it’s just another brick in the wall.

It’s a part from a very famous song “Another Brick in the Wall”. These lines made great discussion at the lesson. We spoke what the “wall” was for us and if we wanted to be bricks in the wall. And now I want to tell you about my opinion of that. What is for me this big wall? I think that for children from 7 till 17 the wall is their school. And my wall also is a school. But in my school (now it’s a collegium) there are many rules. The main rule is that we must wear uniforms. Children from the first till the fifth grades must wear deep red suits. Children from fifth till ninth grades must wear gray suits. And our collegians must wear black suits. This rule makes us the same. It’s wrong! All people must be personalities. The person must have her own name, style, habits, etc. For example, from this point of view, in school we must have our own colors of suits. As for me I want to have a green costume, because it’s a color of happy life.

In general, wherever you are you must be a person. And the title of my article is understood in such a way: if I’m a brick in the wall I must differ from others and at the same time be a person.

Grade 9, 2003