I liked how Haybron discussed The Three Faces of Happiness in chapter two. For instance, the endorsement period which is the aspect of happiness that most of us are familiar with because this phase is based on the feeling of happiness. I think most of us probably love this stage of happiness because its what we commonly want to experience. That being said, I also liked that Haybron said that we can overestimate the significance of this experience. The feelings are typically fleeting and we can often begin to focus too much on this area of happiness.
The second phase, engagement: vitality and flow encompasses how we are engaged in our lives. Vitality is made up by how passionate we are about life, while flow is when you lose all awareness and are engaged pleasantly in the flow of life. I can definitely see myself in this phase a lot when I'm passionate about my activity. For example, I'm often in the vitality and flow stage of happiness when I'm working out or working on home projects or decorating. I have a small decorating business and I often lose myself in projects for myself or others. It's my happy place and I tend to lose track of time when I'm doing it.
Lastly, the third stage attunement: peace of mind, confidence and expansiveness basically means to have tranquility. Haybron suggested that this stage of happiness often gets over looked today because people crave entertainment and excitement. While I think that is definitely true to an extent, I personally crave peace of mind and feeling carefree over excitement any day.
SL
Engagement with an activity, project, or experience is deeply satisfying for most of us, especially if we can achieve it in our work. When our abilities to engage rise to the level of our competence and meet a difficult challenge, that form of intense self-forgetful engagement called Flow arises. That can be profoundly gratifying. But we can't live in the Flow zone forever, so it's crucial that we acquire a capacity for Stage Three. This is what the stoics so prized, the state of tranquility they (and the ancient Epicureans and Skeptics also) called ataraxia. I think every face has its place in a happy life.
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