Happiness Relation to Low Expectations and the American Dream

The Pursuit of Happiness
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The Pursuit of Happiness
Happiness is something we are all after. The video “The Pursuit of Happiness” is interesting and uncovers some contentious issues about what makes us really happy. The video focuses on Danes, who are the happiest people in the world. Towards the end, the video contrasts Denmark and the US, and it is evident that there are conditions in the two countries that may determine the difference in the level of happiness. This essay examines two contentious issues related to happiness that have been raised in the video: low expectations and the American Dream.
According to the video, a key factor that has made the Danes the happiest in the world is low expectations. The expectations of the Danes are pretty modest and with low expectations, one cannot be disappointed. As such, for the Danes, when things do not turn out as they expected, they do not get disappointed. However, why do Danes have low expectations? According to the video, history may have a role to play. The government’s website has it that its history has been characterized by land relinquishment, lost battles, and surrenders. The country’s low expectations may be attributed to these factors. The Danes may have low expectations, but is this the reason for the high level of happiness? Personally, I do not think that I would be happy if I had low expectations. I believe we need high expectations in order to push ourselves to achiev...