Out with PSIR. 3rd mains in 3rd attempt. Not taking this year's attempt as I need a break and a consolidated stretch of time to strategize mains prep. Want to be very thorough with syllabus completion, notes completion and adequate answer writing practice to ace 2022 Mains. Would start from May 1. Also pursuing MA in IR from JNU. Hoping to extract the most out of it and add value to optional notes.
@Sherkhan1428 So I've approached the question in my notes in the following manner, and it kind of encapsulates both types of approaches you indicated.
1. In the first part, I gave a general meaning and linked Happiness to Good Life. From a theoretical perspective, I added different philosophical conceptions around Happiness- Virtue based (Socrates, Aristotle), Pleasure based (Utilitarian- Bentham, Mill), Indian (idea of Dharma)
2. Now coming to the parts you asked, I showed that happiness for me involves elements of all of these:
- Virtue: Enjoying beauty of nature; showing kindness towards others
- Pleasure: Reading inspirational books, watching movies (Give eg, say Wings of Fire by Kalam)
- Common Good: Overall human advancement (Eg: Scientific inventions say COVID vaccines)
- Self-Actualization (Maslow's hierarchy of Needs): Highest level of psychological development; actualization of full personal potential
You can connect these with Dharma- of fulfilling your duty towards your family, society, work which would give you happiness/contentment/peace etc. There won't be any correct answer as such, since both happiness and evaluator's understanding are very subjective. Hopefully more can add their perspectives here so that we all gain :)
@sstarrr I had a similar apprehension but was thankfully rewarded well (145). I took the same topic of Biased Media and the same optional (PSIR). My first line of the essay quoted Ravish Kumar (had to add that he was a recent Magsaysay award winner). As@Inselberg rightly mentioned, it should be well argued with valid reasoning. I was confident with my content as I addressed the topic in a wholesome manner and avoided unsubstantiated rants. But given the polarised times, one fears being on the receiving end of subjectivity. Really depends on your risk appetite and the options available in those 15 minutes of brainstorming for a topic.
@sstarrr That should be perfectly fine in my opinion. Phrases that are very controversial or divisive, I suggest it's best to not let them fragment the beauty of your essay. As far as the evaluators are concerned, each would have their own biases and it can't be helped. One shouldn't feel constrained, but just hope to express in a manner which is substantive and persuasive.
