Sunday, January 11, 2009

No Right To Happiness

"No Right To Happiness" is a another small essay obviously by C.S. Lewis. In this essay Lewis brings up issues in our beliefs that we have a right to happiness or to pursue happiness. he begins the essay with a story about two couples. In the story a man divorces his wife to be with another who in return divorced her husband to be with him. The first man's ex-wife is in such grief from the divorce she ends up committing suicide. the new couple is convinced that there decision was fair and just, because they were no longer happy in the other marriages. Even though there happiness was payed with by the happiness of there previous spouses.
People often use the term "right to happiness" to justify any action. In the story there was nothing done illegal, but was it morally right? Even if we pursue happiness in a lawful way it could still be morally wrong. In marriage you take an oath to be with that person until death, not until your bored. according to the law there is nothing wrong with getting divorced, but under the couples circumstances in the story was the decision a moral one?
I think that Lewis is trying to show us that we have to learn to pursue our happiness in a more moral way. we have to have concern for others while we are doing, not to "push someone under the bus" in order to gain our own happiness. In a way this essay applies to some of the previous essays that we have read. In the essay "Bulverism" Lewis talks about seeing things from your neighbors point of view. To have concern for them when you are making decisions.

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