Bevan Poh Class 4/6
The topic of happiness, or more specifically how people can achieve happiness, has been a problem that has plagued humanity ever since its inception. Many great philosophers have attempted to tackle this issue over the course of history, and all of them have arrived at wildly varied conclusions. The ancient Greeks, led by Socrates and Plato, believed that fulfillment of one’s role in society could lead to contentment while the buddhist monks concluded that making peace with one’s surrounding environment was the way to go. Despite all this, no one is exactly sure how one person can go about attaining happiness and the consensus is categorical – there is no one thing that can solely lead to happiness. However, I believe that there are still some fundamental, universal requirements that one has to meet in order to be happy, and one of these such requirements is that people need to feel that they are being treated fairly.
First and foremost, being treated fairly by others fulfills a very foundational need of the human psyche. Homo Sapiens are an extremely social species. In fact, we might very well be the most social species to ever exist on Earth. No other species thus far has managed to achieve what we did so naturally – form large-scale, complex mega-societies that colonised our home planet, as far as we can tell. There are some notable species who seem to possess some inkling of higher intelligence, but all of them fall short of humans in one way or another. For example, corvids have been observed in the wild to display eerily human emotions, such as grief over the loss of a loved one and excitement over receiving food, and are capable of solving abstract puzzles when put to the test in laboratories. However, these birds have never been observed to coordinate and cooperate with each other, be it hunting for food or building shelters, despite living in large communities. Even the great apes – a species lauded as second in intellect only to humans – usually live and travel in small groups of no more than 15 members. Our affinity to communicating and cooperating with others is what allowed us to form complex yet cohesive societies and triumph over the rest. Interacting and working with others is an integral part of human nature, and the basis of this cooperation is the mutual respect between fellow humans. This is arguably what makes us human – respecting and being respected by others. It is only through this cycle of respect, where we acknowledge each other’s needs and wants, that we can live harmoniously with others and fulfill an intrinsic part of our psyche. As such, being treated fairly by others is the same as being treated as a human by others.
Secondly, being treated fairly will help make people feel content and happy with themselves. If one feels that their peers are being given more affection and attention than themselves, this can set up a spawning ground for negative, and possibly destructive, emotions such as envy, inadequacy and frustration within them. The presence of these emotions might discourage people from being content with what they have, encouraging them to overexert themselves in order to receive validation even well into their lives. In the worst case scenario, it might even completely divert their attention away from the joys in their life, steering them deeper and deeper into their self-conceived ocean of negativity. Several separate studies on the long-term effects of childhood emotional neglect observed that participants who reported feeling emotionally maltreated by their parents, especially in the presence of a perceived more-loved sibling, have lower levels of emotional intelligence, emotional cohesion and greater psychological distress later on in life. Such emotional developments can easily result in later symptoms of depression and social anxiety and cause them to harbour negative emotions towards those around them, including family and friends. As such, being treated fairly by those around them contributes to the emotional wellbeing of an individual.
Lastly, being treated fairly creates an environment where people can feel like they belong. Home is where the heart is, and the heart can only belong where it feels like it is appreciated and cared about. Being treated fairly fosters a sense of respect and appreciation among individuals, making people feel like they are welcome and loved in their environment. A place like that, one where people feel like they truly belong and are appreciated in, can greatly contribute to one’s happiness. In today’s fast-paced and competitive society, not to mention our country’s aging population, people are increasingly expected to be continuously working and competing in order to be a productive member of society and to earn a living for themselves. In times like these places of belonging can serve as a space where people can relax and unwind, a place where they don’t have to be constantly working and fighting against the current to stand out. It creates a home where people can return to and rest whenever the weight of their everyday life becomes too heavy for their weary souls to bear. As such, being treated fairly by others provides people with a place where they can be themselves.
All in all, happiness cannot be achieved by fulfilling only a single requirement, However, being treated fairly by others can greatly contribute to helping one attain happiness by making them feel safe, respected, appreciated, loved and human, lightening their emotional burden and enabling them to more easily navigate their way to happiness.
Writers by the River 