THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD "HAPPINESS"

Tracing the etymology of the word "happiness", you will notice a pattern. The Greek word "Eudaimonia" (= happiness) is composed of two words eu (good) and daimon (deity), i.e. literally meant that the destiny of man is under the protection of the gods.

In Rome, the word "happiness" meant the name of the goddess Fortuna. The word "Fortuna" had two meanings - luck and fate. The goddess was depicted with the cornucopia, wheel and a steering oar. That is, she embodied divine grace, which can be given only to the worthy. So the perception of happiness as a category in the Roman Empire was purely practical. It was welfare, the possibility of fulfilling desires, etc.

For the lower strata of society often happiness meant esteticheskoe the unity of the gods, which can grant a better life. Later this attitude is fortunately reflected in the Christian doctrine.

In Russian, the word "happiness" also has several meanings:

1) fate, destiny, lot, share; i.e. to be happy at first was understood as "to be under the mercy of higher powers",

2) a coincidence, a welcome surprise, success in business, i.e. to be happy, can also mean that a person can be a participant in your own destiny.

But there is also third option: happiness - prosperity, welfare, peace and contentment; a life without cares and worries - this is a more down-to-earth option, something like "happiness for the poor."

"Luck" in Russian has several meanings - it is the success case, suddenly successful outcome, as well as the sudden happiness, though the early meaning of the word was obedience, pliability destiny. That is, in the Russian language the words "luck" and "happiness" over time become synonymous and mean about the same as before - being under the patronage of some higher power. But, how many people, so many opinions, so you can select some of the most common views on happiness. We consider next.