Driving Down a Dirt Road-Jordan Harder

Driving Down a Dirt Road

Many people have different ideas of what happiness means to them. Some may say wealth is the only thing that brings happiness, and some may say family brings happiness. There are so many different ways to describe happiness. But can happiness be deeper than that? It can mean things that are important to a specific individual. If the reader is a person who grew up on the farm he/she will agree with this definition, but if they were raised in the city they will most likely not agree with this definition. Happiness is driving down a dirt road and enjoying the wind blowing in your hair, creating a sense of serenity, nature, solitude, and freedom.

Happiness is defined this way because the feelings one gets while being in the country driving down a dirt road brings people a sense of happiness. These lyrics “So sick and tired of this interstate system I need a curve and wind-a-twistin' Dusty path to nowhere with the wind blowin through my baby’s hair” (Rodney Atkins Lyrics) are an example of people loving driving down a dirt road and being happy to be there. The artist is expressing that he wants to get off this city highway and be on a country road relaxing with his girlfriend. Being in the mountains or country gives somebody a chance to relax and enjoy themselves without having to worry about anyone or anything else. Happiness needs to be redefined because it is more than just the state of feeling good, it is the factors that make one feel good. Not having to worry about anything brings people to a feeling of serenity.

Serenity is the state of being calm. Serenity is a component of happiness because it is a way better feeling than angry or stressed. When feeling emotionally unbalanced “your body can feel many different physical signs such as: back pain, chest pain, loss of appetite, headaches etc” (FamilyDoctor.org). So if one is stressed it can lead to other physical pain. When one is calm he/she is a much better person to be around and hang out with. When people feel angry they are not very happy, they are mad and could even take their emotions out on everybody else. Being stressed can lead to angriness, which is why being around a stressed out person could be a bad idea. If someone who was feeling quite calm was hanging out with someone who was stressed and mad, that person who felt calm would start to feel more stressed and mad. The emotions of the other person would rub off on him, making him angry now.Some people might say that being calm is not happy. Maybe in some ways they are correct; if something horrible had just happened to somebody and they are acting calm as can be, that does not mean they are happy. Being calm could be their way of dealing with what happened to them. So, being calm does not always mean that a person is happy.

Nature is the outdoors, the mountains, the rivers, the animals, etc. Nature is also something that gives an individual calmness. The quietness of nature just gives one a sense of serenity. Instead of being in the big city, with cars and trucks everywhere a person feels calmer in the fresh air of nature. The city can stress a persons’ body because even simple action such as your “foot on the brake is a withdrawn or depressed stress response” (Helpguide.org). Everyone slams on the break during rush hour traffic to avoid hitting another car. In the country one does not have to worry about hitting other cars because there is not that many around to run into. Now some might say that they feel more calm in the big city, but have they ever been to the country or up in the mountains? One can change their mind once they have experienced nature.

Or maybe they will feel that nature is dirty and gross. Or somebody could be scared of bugs, bears, snakes etc. Though one may be scared, or think nature is dirty, they obviously do not see the beauty nature has to give. Things in nature are amazing, like “a single lightning strike can light a light bulb for three months” (Famouswhy.com). This fact does not mean that lightning is happy, it means that nature can do things that seem impossible, and people should notice that and enjoy it more.

Solitude is not being isolated from society. It is the privacy of oneself. It is getting away to have “me” time. Driving down that dirt road with nobody there to tailgate or to cut off is a great feeling. Just being able to relax and enjoy nature is something that one cannot do in the city. Some may say that solitude is being separated from the rest of society, but it is not. It is the absence of the human activity. For solitude to be an aspect of happiness, it does not mean that one has to be away from society 24/7. It can be for periods of time for the person to relax and enjoy themselves. One might say that solitude is being alone and how does being alone make someone happy? They are correct, people are usually not happy when they are lonely. Not everyone in the world needs another person to be happy though.

Freedom is not being in confinement. Freedom is being able to do what one wants. For example, if a person is in the country or mountains with no one around, they can just use the restroom right there, they do not even have to find a toilet. Now if somebody were to do that in the city, they would be charged with indecent exposure. Freedom is a part of happiness because it does not restrain one from believing what they want or acting how they feel.

Someone may say that keeping people in a certain place and making them do things and paying them for it is freedom. Most people would not agree with this at all because it is basically slavery. America decided a long time ago that slavery is not freedom when they wrote “all men are created equal…with certain rights that are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Kindig). Freedom is happiness because what is important to one can be seen and recognized by others. Freedom can be driving down that dirt road with nobody telling you what to do or how to feel.

Driving down a dirt road with the windows down and the wind blowing in your hair is happiness. It is happiness because it is a calming feeling, being outside having nothing to worry about. It does not cause stress like being in the city does. Also, being in nature and being able to see the beauty of it makes one realize how special nature is. When one is in the city all they can really take in is the tall buildings. They cannot see rivers and rolling hills or mountains. Solitude makes people step back and enjoy life without needing a whole city around them to feel happy. People do not have to be away from society all the time to feel solitude. They can be away from society for a period of time that gives them the opportunity to relax. Happiness is freedom because it allows for people to think and do what they want. All these components: serenity, nature, solitude and freedom make a perfect combination of the definition of happiness.



Works Cited
"20 Amazing Facts about Nature." Famouswhy.com. Famouswhy.com, n.d. Web. 11 Oct 2011.
Kindig, Thomas. "The Declaration of Independence." ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 04/jul/1995. Web. 11 Oct 2011.
"Mind/Body Connection: How Your Emotions Affect Your Health." FamilyDoctor.org. American Academy of Family Physicians, Dec. 2010. Web. 16 Oct 2011.
"Rodney Atkins Lyrics." Rodney Atkins Lyrics. AZlyrics, n. d. Web. 11 Oct. 2011.
"Understanding Stress: Symptoms, Signs, Causes, and Effects." HelpGuide.org. N.p., 2011. Web. 16 Oct 2011.

Images Cited:

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