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Searching for Happiness

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    What is a song that makes you happy?
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    Um, "Paris" by Magic Man
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    [song]
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    [laughter]
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    Like Rocky
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    [song]
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    [laughter]
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    Ironic
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    Timer two minutes
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    [phone - Siri (?)] Ok, two minutes counting
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    [laughter]
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    Just you look, what a coincidence [?]
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    Ok, can you introduce yourself please?
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    To you or the camera?
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    [Camera Person]
    To me.
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    Ok
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    Um, I'm Mike Thomas, I'm a fifth year CS student
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    and I just got out of a test
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    My name is Jeff [unintelligible],
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    I was just walking around,
    because I was here for a conference
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    Happiness.. is... uh
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    You need a good place, spiritually
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    physically, emotionally...
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    Being at a place you want to be in life.
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    It's being on a journey to that point where
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    you feel that sensation of being happy.
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    Having something to wake up in the morning for
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    Fulfilment.
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    Like, not in a material way but a spiritual way.
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    When I feel something warm
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    inside of my heart,
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    like it just spreads out through my body
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    and then, like, something just releases
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    in the back of my brain and then
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    the smile comes out.
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    When you smile a lot
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    and when you're, like,
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    surrounded by people that you love
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    and that love you.
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    Spending good quality time with friends.
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    Family... friends...
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    and just doing what you love.
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    Mainly doing what you love.
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    Doing what you enjoy
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    for the most amount of time possible.
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    Finding what you want
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    and doing what you want.
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    [unintelligible - background noise]
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    ... a way to improve and move forward.
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    You're kind of content
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    with where you're at,
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    you're no longer constantly
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    thinking of the past or the future.
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    [Camera person] Do you guys have a song
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    that makes you happy right now?
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    Right now it's probably
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    Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
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    [plays song in background]
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    [Camera Person]
    Is there something about, like,
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    drugs that make you happy?
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    Um not.. exactly.
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    It opens up your mind.
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    Nah really it just makes you [censored].
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    [laughs]
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    Makes you see cool [censored]
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    [song continues]
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    God.
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    Having a purpose.
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    Well, I think that it stems from
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    serotonine.
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    The creation of things
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    and as a computer scientist
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    I get to do that a lot,
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    like in a virtual environment.
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    And, um, it's the release of that
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    in my brain, or that and dopamine
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    are what makes me feel happy.
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    Trail running, climbing, being in the outdoors.
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    Our startup now.
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    Doing something that I do well
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    and being surround by people that
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    encourage me to do those things.
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    You gotta have people around you.
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    [Camera person]
    Are you happy right now?
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    [laughs] Yes.
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    [Camera person] You are?
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    Yeah.
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    [Camera person]
    Why? What's going on right now?
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    Because this is a little absurd to me.
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    [Camera person]
    This is absurd?
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    In the moment yeah it's a good day.
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    Um... I'm apathetic.
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    No.
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    We went for a walk
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    and the air outside feels good.
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    Yeah... I guess, yeah.
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    No.
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    [Camera person] Why?
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    Um, because I'm uncomfortable.
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    Not currently, not where I want to be.
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    It's not super cold.
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    You know, cold is the opposite
    of happiness.
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    And knowing that there is a God
    and that we're living here
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    and make the most of our lives.
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    [Camera person]
    What is a song that makes you happy?
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    Grace Kelly by Mika.
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    [Camera Person]
    Can you sing a little bit for us?
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    No.
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    [Camera person]
    Ok.
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    But you should put it in the background
    as I'm speaking, I promise you.
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    [song]
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    For me it's to bring value to the world.
    the way that I want to do that is by
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    being an entrepreneur, so any opportunity
    that I have to build something, to create
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    something, and it benefits other people,
    it makes me happy, it makes me very happy.
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    To contribute and help anyone I can
    and get to heaven.
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    Spread the love. I know that's a a cliche
    but that's what it's all about, right?
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    To serve.
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    God put me on this earth
    to make a difference.
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    To help children.
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    I don't serve with the intent of making
    myself feel good.
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    I think being happy is one of them,
    definitely.
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    Many of us don't realize that we're
    not far from the situations that
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    we, um, tend to ignore, such as
    homelessness.
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    Somehow, you know, just giving back
    to society or the environment.
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    A gentleman was eating out of a trashcan
    at Tech Square and
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    people, who I'm pretty sure have healthy
    bank accounts, were walking past him
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    but I bought him a meal. It's my
    responsibility as a human.
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    Got a solid education,
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    so getting a good job,
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    feeling like I'm making a difference.
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    I'm in financial planning
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    so I deal with a lot of individuals
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    and just make sure that
    they have financial security.
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    I think also being a nurse and working
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    with, you know, people who are not
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    - they are not as fortunate, and
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    it makes you realize what you have and
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    what you could not have.
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    Right now, it's like the people you meet
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    not the grades you make.
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    What song?
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    [Camera Person]
    Yeah
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    [Indistinguishable, Latin ] - it's a very good song
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    it has a lot of like meaning into the song
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    that brings out my inner happiness.
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    Should I try singing a little part to it?
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    [Camera Person]
    You can if you want to.
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    [Off-pitch singing]
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    [Actual song]
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    Yeah that's like one little excerpt
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    I wouldn't consider myself a religious guy.
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    I think there's no point in life without
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    a religious explanation, really.
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    Like I said, my definition of happiness has
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    nothing to do with religion.
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    For some it gives them hope.
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    I was raised Jewish, but I don't --
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    I'm not extremely religious
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    but I see how religion really can save somone.
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    [Camera Person]
    Do you think there is a basis for happiness
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    without religion explanations?
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    Definitely.
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    [Camera Person]
    Why?
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    Uh, because I'm Atheist.
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    Physiologically, happiness relates to
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    the way the brain interacts with
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    stimuli from the outside world.
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    The proposition that that stems from a
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    religious perspective is to me erroneous.
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    A song that makes me happy?
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    Oh, well [laughs]
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    I enjoy Fork, by 2 Chainz
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    [Fork - 2 Chainz]
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    I think you can pretty much completely
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    control your happiness.
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    Well you don't react to your environment
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    you learn how to, how to - it takes years,
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    but you learn how to move in your environment
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    You either change with it or you find
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    what's wrong with it and move out of it
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    or accept it.
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    Attitude is the only thing you've got
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    that you can control yourself.
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    So I think you have full control over how
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    happy you are.
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    Internally I like to meditate, focus.
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    But it's like the people around me that
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    really bring out my happiness.
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    I'm a pretty level person,
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    so I'm in control of my emotions.
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    When am I happy enough?
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    Um
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    Uh
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    Hmm
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    Um
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    When do I feel that I am happy enough?
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    Oh, never!
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    Are you guys engineers?
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    [Camera Person]
    Yeah
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    Ok
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    [Camera person]
    Or at least I am.
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    I wouldn't say that it's an "enough" thing.
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    I don't think you have quantify that.
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    It's more just like a state of being.
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    I wouldn't say that there are
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    degrees of happiness in my definition.
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    When you like, look at your life and
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    you're like, ok with it.
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    I guess when I'm content and in that I can
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    go to sleep at night and say,
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    ok that was a good day.
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    To be honest, I'll never be happy
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    because I see too much suffering.
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    When someone else
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    is also feeling that happiness.
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    [Indistinguishable]
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    It perpetuates.
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    I don't think you ever can be happy enough.
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    I just don't think so.
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    [Camera Person]
    Why?
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    Because there's always going to be more.
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    [Music starts playing]
    [Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home]
Title:
Searching for Happiness
Description:

more » « less
Video Language:
English
Duration:
11:09

English subtitles

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