Duty Should Always Precede Happiness (Essay Sample)

Duty Should Always Precede Happiness: Justification
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Introduction
This paper intends to justify that duty should always precede happiness, while borrowing ideas from Kant’s (1785) "Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysics of Morals." From the researcher’s point of view, duty is perceived as more of a will and less of external control over obligations. It is, therefore, imperative for a morally upright person to consider accomplishing his or her duties before happiness can be recognized. According to Kant (1785), securing happiness itself is a duty to a human being. An individual strained amidst anxieties and disgruntled wants might just end up being a victim of duty contravention. Going by a biblical perception, it is evident that God created humankind and the entire universe and bestowed unto him the duty of protecting it. God Himself obliged to His duty of creation and was happy at the end of it all, hence supporting the argument for duty before happiness (Waltke, 1980).
Therefore, a morally upright individual ought to consider refraining from selfish behaviors that diminish the love for duty and consider offering services with honor, dignity and transparency. Alternatively, it is the obligation to sustain one’s life, while there still stands inclinations while doing so. Human beings have exercised this responsibility to their capacity, since the life of a being is far much important than anything else. Alternatively, and besides duty, all people exhibit the most superlative and intimate proclivity towards happiness, due to the fact that all desires lead to a single combination. What people should comprehend is that happiness, when not conceived from a definite and proper angle can result in harmful interference of the duties set to be performed.