Test Essay

Studies have shown that the degree of emotional positivity is directly proportional to the health and life expectancy (Hall, 2007). In an collaboration with researchers for the Ohio Longitudinal Study, Becca Levy, a psychologist from Yale University, made a surprising finding: "older people who possess a more positive attitude toward old age may live on average, seven and a half years longer" (Hall, 2007, para 20). The main reasons that optimism leads to better health and longer life stems from one's emotional stability and awareness of health.

One who bears an optimistic view of life tends to be more emotionally stable. Emotional stability refers to an individual's ability to remain calm in troubled situation. This in turn, increases work productivity and a higher chance to be well received by his peers ans superiors at work. As a result, the optimist tends to be more successful in his career, earns more money and will likely lead to a better life. He will also be able to afford health supplements and medical checkups, thus increasing his overall life expectancy.

An individual who maintains a positive attitude also tends to treasure himself as he looks forward to hope and opportunities in life. With a positive attitude, he may draw up a regular exercise routine and watch over his diet in a bid to improve his health. As a result, an optimist will tend to possess a better health, especially at an older age than one who is of equal age, but a pessimist by nature.

In conclusion, a positive person tends to posses emotional stability and a better awareness of health. With that, he will be able to lead a better and healthier life.

How do you achieve life long happiness ?

Before knowing the path towards achieving happiness, perhaps one has to define the meaning of happiness. Happiness can mean different things to different people. Some people associate happiness to materialistic gains (the 5 Cs - Cars, Condo, Credit card, cash and club membership) while others derive happiness through interaction and spending time with family and loved ones.

Different as the 2 definitions may be, however, there is a common link to the 2 definitions as mentioned above. That is, contention. In terms of material gains, how much is enough when it comes to achieving your target? An japanese car is better than a china made car, which in turn is overshadowed by an european one. On the other hand, you might have been so focused on your objectives and are subconsciously taking for granted the simple pleasures in life such as family dinners or even spending time with ur pet dog.

It is not easy to truly achieve happiness expecially in out competitive, result oriented society. So perhaps, the key to achieving so would have to depend on how we define happiness and the process towards attaining happiness. If one sets his or her goals too high, then sad to say, he or she will never be happy.

Comparison of a "Green mentality" to a "non green"

The term “green” is often used to illustrate the level of commitment the person demonstrates towards protecting the environment. In terms of waste disposal, a pro environment friendly person would choose to retain non biodegradable items such as plastic or styrofoam to be reused. In contrast, a non-green person would simply dispose all of his waste materials into general bins rather than into recyclable bins. He may also choose to drive for short distances and use the air conditioning system at his will.

A “green” person would also choose to purchase environmental friendly items such as sprays with the absence of Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and batteries which have no mercury. A person who is apathetic towards the environment simply chooses to ignore all of the above and perhaps might request for more plastic bags at shopping malls only to dispose them off upon reaching home.

Environmental concern for the next decade

I believe our focus should be targeted at population growth. Although not directly linked to environmental problems, the rapid growth of our population (targeted at 7 million by 2020) versus the limited amount of land may result in a large amount of waste being produced. These forms of waste may consist of solid, non biodegradable waste that is disposed daily by garbage trucks to the extra amounts of carbon dioxide that is being released into the atmosphere by vehicles. On the contrary, trees (a main source of oxygen) and previously untempered land may be cleared to make way for residential or commercial buildings.

Besides that, a growing population also requires a greater supply of potable water for consumption. However at the moment, we have yet to be fully self sufficient although solutions (e.g. New Water, water desalination plants) have been implemented to curb such demand.

Thomas Malthus had a similar theory like me. In short, we're going to die if development continues, population growth exponentiates and food productivity increase slowly. This will be followed by mass famine and environmental damage. This is definitely not true, at least it doesn't apply in modern times. Of course, I am not talking about curbing population growth.

Its all about sustainable development; whether we are able to produce enough to feed ourselves, whether we can make good use of our limited resources and not damage the environment that makes us.

A proven method to curb with the above mentioned problems is through education - to emphasise on the need to reduce, reuse and recycle as well as raising awareness with regards to our deteriorating planet. The future leaders should realise the importance of sustainable development. If we were to continue with such destruction of our planet, we certainly have no future to speak of.

My Life's Meaning

Usually, one tends to associate the meaning of life to the various forms of success and and goals they would like to achieve. These goals can be successful careers, families, making friends or even material gains such as earning a huge salary.

However my meaning of life tends to be rather simple. That is, to live each day to the fullest, to strike a balance between work and play. Years ago I remembered the term 'Carpe Diem' used in the movie 'Dead Poets Society'. Seize the day! Now that I am in university, (studies aside) I would love to expose myself to various student activities and expanding my social network. On weekends, I would hit the gym or go for evening runs to keep myself fit and looking good.

At the end of the day, all that matters is how fruitful the day has been, not just based on the outcome but also the process and the person I spent it with.