Question that came up in class

[coolscribe]

The other day in Japanese class the teacher asked us "what was the happiest day of your life?". I had problems answering, firstly because I didn't understand the question and then because I had absolutely no idea what to say. I have been thinking about it since and am no closer to an answer

Comments

[bellish]

There's nothing so wrong about life without extremes. The kind of people who have "happiest days of their life" probably have a lot of "worst days of their life" too.

[anonymous]

Firstly how does one define "happiness" and again one's ideas of happiness alter with age, your 5th birthday might have been the happiest day of your life when you were 5, by the time you were 15 you had forgotton all about it! Maybe every day is the happiest day of your life because you are feeling it now. Anty

[anonymous]

Interesting question, but difficult for all sorts of reasons. One that springs to mind is the way that it condenses happiness into one day. The consequences are that 'ordinary' days are more likely to top the poll e.g. an afternoon in the pub that was a lot of fun, or you saw a film and it was good, had a meal it was good, etc. Something like a great trip or holiday, a romance, or learning something, might have generated more happiness but would not necessarily be encapsulated in one day.
Can you say you've never really been happy? That implies you know what it is, so therefore you've either exprienced it or you think you've seen it in others, or been told what it is.
I think most of us carry round an idealised dream-like version of happiness that is never attainable but something we strive for.
Tricky issue to unpack, old happiness.