Saturday, January 9, 2010

We Have No "Right to Happiness"

The second sentence of the United States Constitution informs us that the founding fathers thought than man had certain unalienable rights, including the subject of this post: the right to happiness. C.S. Lewis argues that we do not have any right to happiness. The example he gives involves a case of adultery, in which two unmarried people decide that they would be happier if they were married to each other. Each person divorces their spouse and they achieve happiness. Lewis concedes that while there was a legal right for such an action, but that there is no moral right for it. For most of the essay, Lewis addresses sexual happiness. Many people, Lewis says, find that the right to sexual happiness is more important than other kinds. In other words, people think someone stealing money to pursue happiness is wrong, but divorcing a spouse to be happy with a mistress is an unalienable right. Lewis cleverly compares this idea to a morality in which one may not steal fruit, unless the fruit is a nectarine. I completely agree with Lewis when he gives the reason why many people find that sexual happiness is a right. He says that erotic passion is, while brief, stronger than other passions. Additionally, being in love gives us the idea that we will be in love forever, therefore giving us happiness forever. If we don’t indulge in sexual happiness, we will be miserable forever, they think.

At the heart of sexual morality are many other virtues: faithfulness, honesty, kindness, etc. A right to sexual happiness implies a right to ignore these virtues. If we ignore these virtues in the realm of sexual happiness, what is to stop us from ignoring them in other fields of life?

I believe that we do not have the right to anything except a one-way ticket to hell. Our sin doesn’t give us a right to anything. All we have is a gift from God; our salvation, our happiness, our possessions, and our relationships are privileges, not rights. We are to respond with gratitude. As Christians, God will not always give us happiness throughout our lives. What we must remember is that God uses everything that happens to us, including events in our lives that are not full of happiness. Even though God will not grant us happiness throughout our lives, he will use every moment in our lives to make our final joy complete.

3 comments:

  1. I like how you incroporated a line from the COnstitution and were able to expand on it. I also like the question you ask in the second paragraph, it is provacative and I agree that if we ignore those virtues in relation to sexual happiness, then we could just as easily begin to ignore those virtues in other fields and aspects of our lives.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the point you made that our salvation, happiness, and possessions are just privileges and not rights. God has a purpose for his children on earth, and that purpose requires for there to be a great deal of unhappiness. To be happy is something that is great to have, but by no means did God intend for us to always be happy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the points you made Corey. I really like how you tie in the difference between a legal and moral right. Certainly there are many things that make humans happy, however, they are not necessairly moral. I like how you add that a right to sexual happiness implies a right to ignore your virtues.

    ReplyDelete