The Hilltop scholars gave two professors 60 seconds to define happiness to students Tuesday.

Professor in the history department and director of the Embrey Human Right Program Rick Halperin was the first lecturer. Professor Willard Spiegelman, an English professor, gave the second lecture.

During his 60 seconds Halperin said, “I have frequently said that in my mind I am the luckiest and I think therefore among the happiest I know in that I get paid to be me.”

While a world without human rights crimes and with good behavior is important to Halperin he brought it back to a level that involved SMU and its students.

“I get to do what I’ve always dreamt of doing, which is working with young people in an environment of ideas and ideals about making this world better… to come to school every day and work with young people who have a passion.”

Once Halperin stepped down it was Spiegelman’s turn to enlightened the crowd.

Dr. Spiegelman teaches several English courses and has 10 published books. One of his books, Seven Pleasures: Essays on Ordinary Happiness, was raffled off at the lecture.

Referencing his book Spiegelman said, “My seven pleasures are reading, walking, looking, dancing, listening, swimming and writing.”

Spiegelman intends all these pleasures to be done in solitude and produce feelings of selfless pleasure.

This is so, “you pay attention, not to yourself but to a picture on the wall, a piece of music you hear or a book you are reading. You lose yourself in order to become a higher, finer version of yourself.”