The primary meaning of “happiness”, in various languages, is etymologized as “good fortune”, “chance” or “happening”. The Chinese thinker Mencius believed the mind had a role between the “lesser self” and the moral self and that finding the Way between these would lead to wisdom [and happiness].Al-Ghazali the Sufi, wrote the “Alchemy of Happiness“, a manual of spiritual instruction while the Hindu thinker Patanjali, author of the Yoga Sutras, wrote on how to attain bliss (happiness).

The meaning in Greek philosophy, however, refers primarily to ethics. Aristotle stated that happiness, or well-being, is the only thing that humans desire for its own sake, rather than wealth, power or honor. He consideredEudaimonia (“good spirit” or “well-being”)which was translated by Jefferson as “happiness”, to be the highest human good. To Aristotle it was experienced as in activity, rather than simply as an emotion.

A happy life is a good life in which a person fulfills their own nature in the best possible way. The life of “the highest human good” when it is in accord with Logos (reason) and moral virtue, together conduce to happiness.Thomas Jefferson wrote: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain [inherent and] inalienable Rights; that among these are life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

Liberal values eventually lead to ethical values: to end slavery; to give citizenship and voting rights to women, African-Americans and Native Americans, as well as to provide a safety net for the disabled and those suffering poverty, and to expand individual freedom.Jefferson borrowed his views from the Scots philosopher, David Hume as well as John Locke. It is believed that Jefferson dropped the phrase, “life, liberty and property”, used by John Locke, in favor of “pursuit of happiness”, in order to avoid the controversial issue of slavery and to promote the importance of America being liberal and individualist within the “natural rights doctrine”.CURRAN

“Individual rights” refer to freedoms and protections guaranteed to a person by law, allowing them to act and make choices without undue interference from the government or others, while “social coercion” by the government signifies using pressure or force to compel individuals to behave in a certain way, often against their personal desires, essentially limiting their individual rights; essentially, individual rights are about personal autonomy, while social coercion is about government control over individual behavior

We are rapidly becoming aware of the move toward authoritarianism in the world. It is happening in America at a terribly fast pace. The mass media owned by billionaires is coming into alignment with the king snakes that are gutting our Constitution and fear mongering to shape public attitudes. The oligarchs have never favored a true democracy; they tolerate it. They have their king snake, who is moving rapidly toward fascism, that is desired by the oligarchs; they can exploit the public with ease.

The primary threat to our personal liberties is the special-interest snakes that are developing virtual- minds, passive and active, of every person on earth, stored on supercomputers, to control the thought-life and movements of each citizen. They organize terrorist attacks, targeting individuals using gang stalkers in the street theater, the establishments, the mass media, and the workplace, which is most devastating to the targeted individual because their livelihood. Invariably, the individual is fired! Trump enjoys firing people, but as one knows it HURTS! It causes separation of family and hurts the kids.

We can fight back against undeserved authoritarianism by demanding fact-broadcasting institutions that create unbiased commentaries, giving people an informed option. The institution must be public-owned and operated. No private profit seeking entity.

By Will Myers