Question

Imagine you are Person A. You just graduated from school and are now on your own. Your family is unable to help you in any way. You managed to find a job, but the pay is only enough to cover your rent in a tiny rundown apartment, transportation to and from work, limited cell phone service, and fast food or other cheap sources of calories. Your purchases of clothing and personal items are limited to what you absolutely require. You cannot buy anything simply because you like it. You need some new slacks to wear to work, so you are skipping breakfast this month to save for them. You cannot afford to see a doctor if you get sick. Your only choices for entertainment include hanging out with old friends from school, walking in a city park, watching a 9-year-old TV in your apartment, or reading books from the library. You do not have a computer or access to the Internet or cable TV at home. You do not know if or when you will be able to get a higher-paying job.

Now, imagine you are Person B. Like Person A, you just graduated from school. But unlike Person A, you have been put under house arrest for one year because of a conviction for drug possession. Although you live alone, you are the beneficiary of a family fortune and have more money than you could possibly spend in a lifetime. You are not allowed to leave your beautiful penthouse apartment, which is furnished with every kind of electronic entertainment device known to man. You do not need a job; you can surf the Internet; you can buy anything you want online and have it delivered; you can listen to the music you like and watch TV or streaming video whenever you wish; you can order food in from the best restaurants in town; and your friends can visit you.   

In legal terms, Person A is “free” and Person B is “not free.” Person A has the right to go anywhere in the world, while Person B is “imprisoned” in a beautifully decorated 3,000 squarefoot condominium.   

question

1. On page 4 of Handout S3, I describe an imagined Person A and Person B. Person A is legally free to go anywhere and do anything, but has very limited resources. Person B is confined to house arrest, but has no financial constraints. Go back and read the description, then answer the following questions:

If you had to spend a year living under the conditions of Person A or Person B, which would you choose? Which of the two has greater freedom? What if the timeframe were longer? Would that change your answers? (25 POINTS)

Answer EITHER 2a OR 2b below (25 POINTS):

2a. Happiness in the present moment has been described as being “in the flow,” a state of “being so absorbed and engaged in something that time falls away.” Here is a quote from page 14 of Handout S3:

“Being “in the flow” is not the same thing as relaxation, although both might make you lose track of time and both are important to happiness. Both can also bring about a sense of peace. Yet while relaxation generally implies a passive engagement or an avoidance of purpose, “flow” happens when you are actively focused on an intentional task or pursuit. All of your thoughts and emotions are simultaneously and purposefully directed toward this task, so much so that you may not even be aware of your feelings. You may not even be able to distinguish your awareness and intent from the actions themselves.

You might play ball, for example, either to relax or to intentionally hone your athletic skills. Either way, you might enjoy yourself and lose a sense of time, but working on skills requires more directed focus. Or, you might watch a movie either to relax or to gain information. The intention of the activity is what distinguishes “flow” from relaxation.”

What intentional activities do you engage in that take you away from time, place, and maybe even an awareness of yourself? Are there any similarities in these activities? Can you think of how to build more of them into your life?  

2b. Describe a situation in which you discovered synthetic happiness. What did you want that you did not get? What happened instead? How did you find happiness? What surprised you about the situation?

Answer 1

1. I will be addressing both the situations of Person A and Person B.

I would choose Person A because as described he has true freedom. Though he has limited sources but doesn't have to be the same always. There is a great chance, working hard through the year he could earn enough experience and knowledge to apply for a better job with a better income. A person's situation isn't constant, it keeps changing as the person grow and with all the challenges and hard work Person A is bound to grow and gain experience which will definitely help him in the future. As we know experience teaches a person a lot and knowledge is never wasteful and on the other hand Person B, though living a comfortable life, there's a chance that the constraints of the walls of his house will sooner or later smother him. Person A has the true sense of freedom as he is free to make decisions for his life even though at the moment his situations aren't favourable but as I said already life isn't constant.

If the timeframe was longer that might affect my decision on the basis of how much time. If it is just another with the same situation then I might stick with my answer but if the time frame will be much longer or forever I would like to change my preference because nobody would want to live a distressed minimalistic life especially when we have the choice for a comfortable life. Substantially because living standards of Person be are below average and even his absolute needs are hardly being met.

If I would choose Person B, the reason is simply because first, it's an ideal living standard for a person to live luxuriously and second, the house arrest is only for a year and it is pretty awesome to live like a king/queen and also we have the resources to do so many things in a house such as parties, get-togethers etc. And if the person is an introvert or socially awkward it's an ideal situation for him. And just for a year that is not too bad even though you might feel suffocated a bit but as the saying goes it's better to cry in a penthouse rather than in a trashy rundown apartment. In this situation, the person has extreme financial independence but not real independence as he is constraint in his house. While the person is living a luxurious life in a penthouse but he/she cannot achieve a true sense of freedom.

If the time frame was longer then I don't think I would choose the living situation of Person B because Person A has a chance that his living situations will change for better but that is not the case for Person B, he won't be getting any richer but has chance that while spending, he may run out of his fortune maybe slowly but definitely. And moreover, for an overall well-being of a person it is important that he feels he has control of his life which again is not the case with Person B, there is no or very little space of growth for him and with time he will be dependent on his resources and comfort and if for any reason that is snatched, he will face tremendous difficulties. It will make harder for the person to be completely independent.