Comparative Analysis Paper: Sources of Happiness: Absence of Pain or Presence of a Purpose?

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Sources of Happiness: Absence of Pain or Presence of a Purpose?
Happiness and the pursuit of happiness is a widely discussed topic in philosophy as well as in human psychology. Every person is interested in living a happy life and various approaches to happiness have been devised. This paper discusses happiness by contrasting the perspectives of Epicurus in The Art of Happiness and Voltaire in Candide. In both texts, the pursuit of happiness is considered an important ingredient for a good life. The importance of happiness is recognized in both texts, although different definitions and approaches to happiness are utilized. There is a consensus that the pursuit of happiness is the ultimate goal for human beings and to attain it, people must first find contentment. However, Epicurus attaches happiness to the absence of pain while Voltaire attaches it to the presence of a purpose to one’s existence.
Definition of Happiness
The first distinction between Epicurus’ and Voltaire’s view of happiness lies in how they define happiness. On one hand, Epicurus defines happiness as a state where “there is neither bodily pain nor mental pain nor both together…” (Strodach, 173). This definition is based on the premise that to be happy, human beings have to be in a state where the factors that contribute to physical and mental pain are removed. This includes abstaining from things such as bodily pleasures and material things. He indicates that a happy life is “not the product of one drinking party after another…or of the sea food and other delicacies afforded by a luxurious table” (Strodach, 160). These are all material things that bring pleasure to the body and can often be considered as a source of happiness by some people. Instead, Epicurus posits that happiness “is the result of sober thinking…” (Strodach, 160). Even though he defines happiness as the absence of pain, he also indicates that not all pain should be treated or rejected equally (Strodach, 159). This is because some pains have the potential to bring pleasure in the future and the long-term. For instance, physical exercise can bring muscle pain and discomfort but the future pleasures resulting from physical exercises, such as good health, are greater.  
               On the other hand, Voltaire defines happiness as fleeting moments characterized by the achievement of specific personal milestones. Throughout the story and adventures of Candide, Voltaire presents the characters with short moments where they experience happiness before it is all taken away. For instance, the old woman narrates how she was happy for a moment when she was about to get married, but that was taken away from her by the death of her to-be husband. “Just as my moment of happiness was at hand,… invited him to take a chocolate at her house” (Voltaire, 58). To this woman, happiness was getting married to the love of her life and this only lasted for a moment. Similarly, Candide found happiness in Eldorado but this did not last long as well because he realized that “…Mademoi...