Happiness Comes From Giving, Not Getting

Kota Sato

Happiness comes from spiritual wealth and, not material wealth … Happiness comes from giving, not getting. If we try hard to bring happiness to others, we cannot stop it from coming to us also.  -- John Templeton

John Templeton said giving happiness means being able to feeling happiness. When I considered his word, I came up with words that a musician said. He said “I like to see our fans smiles and want to make them feel smiles. When I see them, I can feel happiness. However I can’t make lots of people in the world smile, so I try to make my fans smile. If they make their friends smile, the circle of people who make someone smile and happy is conveyed widely all around the world. It’s so fantastic.” I think what he wants to do is not to try to get happiness but to try to distribute happiness and it makes his career go. I also think there is not much difference between the belief of John Templeton and the musician.

 On the other hand I understand John’s word on another side, focusing on his words “not getting”. When people feel happy I think it’s a kind of a present from someone rather than what they try to get. Of course we can’t predict some happiness will have been coming to us an hour later or tomorrow and even if we can do that and if we can get it really, I don’t think it is classified into the word ‘happiness.’ The reason why is it’s what he has been trying to obtain passively from someone. In other words, I think lots of people can feel happiness because it happens suddenly and unexpectedly like a present from friends or family. 

 

Happiness

Troyi Yeung

'Take care of yourself. Good health is everyone's major source of wealth. Without it, happiness is almost impossible.' said an unknown person. Although the person who said this is a nobody, to me, he is already a somebody.

Some people may think love can bring happiness, being wealthy is happy or having what they want is true happiness. If you got one wish, what would you want? A beautiful girl? A nice car? To become a millionaire? If your wish came true, but you died the next day, what was the purpose to have material wealth? The happiest thing in the world is to go through different stages of your life, from a baby to an old man. The process is the most important part. Just like in a competition, participation is enough. You can learn from it, and taste the simple happiness between people.

Good health is the biggest present from God. Why do you expect anymore? If you have got hands and legs, you can do anything. You can earn money as everyone else does, you can be a somebody! Good health can help you to achieve anything in an easy way. Without wealth, you can still fall in love with somebody or be loved. There are many ways to make you or people feel happy, for example doing good things or charity. You will remember it because that is the true happiness deep inside your heart.

Take care of yourself. Good health is everyone's major source of wealth.

Ritsuko Araki

There are no reasons to disagree with this idea. 

I also think that it is the most important 

thought about health.

 

Basically, any happiness is supposed to consist of 

good health.

 When we are starving, we don't want to do anything and also can't laugh 

no matter how funny the TV show we see. But after eating something, we can

get fine, feel satisfied and laugh at things even just a little funny. It might be

different depending on each person, what is happiness and how to feel it.

However, people can't enjoy their lives without good health anyway.

 

I don't think wealth means just to be rich. My mother often says that

to eat much leads to good health. If we can get good health we can do many

things including happy things and sad things, which makes you improve more

and leads you to happiness. That's why I always try to keep good health to

be happy.

 

Cheer up!

Masayuki Sato
 
In everyday life, human beings get hurt mentally and are depressed about themselves or relationships etc. Whenever we are in this situation, we want to be helped or encouraged by another person to release a pang as much as possible. However Mark Twain’s saying is completely reverse from our ideas.  “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.” It means if we want to cheer ourselves up, we should cheer somebody else up, even if we are in bad condition. It is really tough to do so because we have no room to encourage someone else when we are down.
 
Indeed, I have been taught the same thing before from the person whom I respect. When I was very busy and tired from many things, I read the book written by him and found almost the same statement as Mark Twain said. So I tried to encourage a person who was disillusioned at that time. I went to his house and talked with him for a long time. When I went outside to go home, I realized that I was fine more than before coming here. You may not trust me but it is a real story. I must have become high spirit in order to buoy him. And sometimes the things I said by myself lead to my own distress. When I am pessimistic, for instance, I try to say “Don’t think negatively!! Be positive!!” This is encouraging someone else at the same time as encouraging myself, too. As a result, I feel better than before, I think.
 
It is really difficult to cheer somebody else up when you are depressed. But if you bear your distress with clenched teeth, you may be able to overcome your own suffering and also start to forget about your distress. I will continue to try to cheer up someone who is down from now on. 

Globalization leads to cultural understanding and can pave the way to global peace

Tsz Ki Lam

I totally agree with that! Globalization makes countries interdependent, they need each other, and it leads our world to become peaceful. There have two main points to support my opinion.

Firstly, many arguments have occurred because of misunderstandings between countries. As everybody knows every country has their own culture, religion … People misunderstand the others and arguments happen not surprisingly, for example, Chinese people like to touch a child’s head to show they love this kid; it is a very normal thing in China. However, Thai culture doesn’t allow that. Thai people believe that if a child’s head is touched by other people, bad things are going to happen. So, if people understand other countries’ cultures, no arguments will happen then.

Secondly, the economies of countries totally depend on other countries. For example, many kinds of seafood are exported to other countries from New Zealand. As a part of government income comes from export products it means if New Zealand doesn’t depend on other countries anymore, big economic problems might happen. This relationship makes countries friendly to others. The world will become peaceful naturally because countries need each others.

In conclusion, that globalization leads the world to become peaceful is absolutely true. I believe that cultural understanding is an important reason that builds global peace!

Globalization equals westernization?

Kota Sato 

I think the word globalization means westernization nowadays. When we hear the word “Globalization” some people might feel it means western countries like the United States or some European countries. These countries have led the world’s industry and some cultural aspects, so lots of countries have been trying to pretend to be these countries, wearing the same clothes or eating the same foods and they think that that is globalization.

 

However can we call this phenomenon globalization? I think this is not real globalization, but just westernization. I think globalization means not only advanced countries but also any other countries including developing countries sharing industry, ideas, belief and culture.

 

If we look only at one point of something, of course, we can’t understand what it is and nor can we find the truth. In the case of globalization, only watching western countries, that is not the whole aspect on the world. We miss lots of some necessities for globalization, that’s modernization interrupting into globalization. I think many countries should not only focus on some specific developed countries. They should not forget to focus on originality wherever it is found, because I think globalization should not be limited, and that is its different point to modernization.

Globalization equals westernization?

Nancy

Since large multinational companies have expanded from the West to the other side of the world, the East has been learning a different life style from the new technology. The new knowledge came from the West, so it is said that globalization is westernization. I don’t think so, because globalization is the sharing of knowledge and then our culture and life style are becoming less different. Furthermore, I’d say that westernization is materialization. The westerners created brand images and encourage everyone to believe in the name instead of the core value of the products.

 

In my opinion, westerners are good at innovation and easterners are good at mass production. New versions of computers have been launched every year. As a result, tasks have been completed faster and faster. We seem to have more time because of technology but it has no doubt that we work harder. The East, especially China, has a low cost of production because of illegal workers and alternative materials, which are sometimes low quality. The East can produce a huge number of goods and send them everywhere they can. The products of China are everywhere because they are cheap and everyone buys them. It is a simple theory says that people will buy the things they are willing to pay for.

 

For example, we can see the products of China in the souvenir shops in NZ. Every item has the clear printed letters on them ‘Made in China.’ I’d rather buy Cadbury chocolate instead of those from the souvenir shops.

 

Globalization is the exchanging of the strength between the West and the East. The innovations have been improved and they are produced in a large amount, so we are using the same products all around the world.

Understanding Makes The World Peaceful.

Naoko Miyoshi

I agree globalization leads to cultural understanding and can pave the way to global peace. No one can live alone and everyone needs someone who can understand him or herself. It is a very natural thing for a human’s life. So I think understanding is really important, even with people from different countries. 

For example, I’m studying here in NZ and I have to communicate with other people from other countries. I can talk to them in English (my English is still bad though) and we can understand each other. We are able to have good friendships with many people, because we are in here now, and studying English is also globalization. 

For instance, I was really worrying about communicating with other people from other countries, because I can't communicate with them in Japanese and I didn't know about their culture or thinking. Moreover they can speak extremely better English than me. So I was afraid of them, but when I came here I had to talk to some people from other countries. At first, I was nervous, however I noticed they are very kind and friendly, and I can study about their culture. 

I think we can’t slip out of globalization, even if someone wants to run away from it. In my case, I’m into studying English and communicating with other people, so I don’t want to slip out of globalization. In fact I want to experience globalization more and more because if everyone is able to understand each other and be gentler, we won't have fights anymore. I hope the world becomes peaceful.

Globalisation leads to cultural understanding and can pave the way to global peace?

Ritsuko Araki

I can't agree with this topic. I think globalisation could lead to cultural knowing but it's hard for it to lead to cultural understanding. The difference from them I think is that the former is just knowledge which is something like a surface thing and the latter is to respect each other and as a result, it will lead to mutual support, which is something like a deep thing.
  
The reason I can't agree with it is just because people are usually trying to protect their own cultures more than others' and no one likes to lose and be disturbed in traditional things. People hold them dear most of all, even though they say globalisation is important to improve the world. Saying and doing don't always accord. That's why I think cultural understanding is difficult.
  
As you can see, this situation can't lead to global peace. Of course, I can't say strongly it would be sure to happen but I just think so because globalisation hasn't started just now, maybe in these last years. Some people could feel peaceful and happy by it, however, others mightn't feel like that at this moment. If all people felt peace, no war would be happening in this world.

Globalisation and Westernisation

Masayuki Sato

You wear clothes made in China. You drive a Japanese-made car. You eat bananas imported from Philippines. You listen to the music sung by American musicians. Globalisation has a close connection to our life and we no longer spend our days without things from other countries. Sometimes, people say “westernisation” instead of globalisation because Western countries have big power on technology or culture etc. as affecting others. However, can you completely equal globalisation with westernisation? I feel not.
 
First of all, I need to define what globalisation is. In a dictionary, globalisation means “the fact that different cultures and economic systems around the world are becoming connected and similar to each other because of the influence of large multinational companies and of improved communication” As I stated in the opening sentence, many products except for Western’s are spreading to other countries worldwide nowadays. This is part of globalisation, I think. Japanese cars are used as brand cars all over the world and almost all the clothes we wear are made in China. It is the proof that I can say globalisation doesn’t equal westernisation. However, as for language, you can say globalisation equals westernisation because, as you know, English is the worldwide language and whenever you go to somewhere, you can see English words.
 
Western countries have been having a big impact on other countries as I said before, and many countries have been coming under the influence of Western’s. But I don’t think globalisation is the totally same as westernisation. Globalisation is related not only to Western countries but to all countries.

Globalisation equals Westernisation. Agree or disagree?

Troyi Yeung

I totally disagree about that! As everyone knows globalisation means when available goods and services, or social and cultural influences, gradually become similar in all parts of the world. It is talking about influences in all parts of the world, but not only from Western countries. There are a few reasons to support my view.

In many Western countries, they have different foods from different countries. Chinese and Japanese food are the most common and popular ones. Spaghetti nowadays is a copy of noodles. We can see Chinese or Japanese styles of temples in New Zealand, that attract different visitors because people will get curious to know about temples in western design. When you buy food or clothes from Western countries, you will find out that most of them come from China, especially the raw materials in the toys. Besides, western people are having rice for their meals or using chopsticks in their daily lives.

What I’m trying to tell is the influence of globalisation is not only taking part in China. There are a lot of things that Western Countries have to learn from China or need from China, for example, special animal species like snakes, crocodiles, pandas…etc. In conclusion, I think globalisation is not equal to westernisation!

Welcome to the Advanced DW Spring 09 blog

David Woodfield

Hi everyone. Welcome to our class blog. I am looking forward to us sharing ideas here.