On the Good Life
Is the good life achievable? People have always wanted happiness, and they have traveled to the end of the earth to find it, they have looked for it in many different ways. The quest for happiness is in no doubt available in many forms. It could be a life of service to a religion, the enjoyment of family, work, sport, material possessions, wealth, or quiet withdrawal from society.
Individuals and cultures have sought for happiness through many types of different values and beliefs. Perhaps not everyone will wish to be engaged and fully involved with growing wealth, they may wish as an alternative to relax and seek tranquility, peace and sanctuary; a life of leisure and retreat, a life of solitude. Yet, without exaggerating the point, the very essence of modern life (human life) is always based on great achievements and success, to climb every mountain, to win every battle, to achieve. We are mostly classed as “happy” by the projects that we start, and how we fulfill them in the world, and by the possessions we accumulate.
As I see it, productivity is the very drive of the human drive, “life is meaningless with no productivity”. Productivity typifies the human species as it has evolved, particularly over the past 10,000 years. Leaving the life of a hunter and gather, developing agriculture and rural societies, inventing industry and technology, building urban societies, flying like a bird, exploring the solar system and beyond.
The destiny of humankind and of each one of us is that we are destined to invent who we will be, as well as the life we choose to follow. People are ignored if they are fearful, but worshiped if they are victorious and brave. We are responsible for what we will become, and that can be either of high satisfaction or failure, but both have good and bad points. Being afraid can be good because it would stop us from developing into environmental monsters that we are. Being victorious brings about more greed, which is obviously taking more that what we need.
The tasks that we have to fulfill in this civilization are for each individual and each society is to forge his or her own destiny, even though we are restricted in so many ways. Human life has no meaning as an independent individual. There is no single reason to give it meaning or significance without being in a large group we are told. There is no ultimate destiny for humankind as one, such belief is an illusion and is a means to make us fearful of being independent.
The meaning of life should be what we choose to give it, not who we can impress. Meaning grows out of human purposes alone, yet this is not embraced. The “power of one” today has little strength to change big things. Society provides us with an infinite range of opportunities, but there are many factors that can eliminate many chances like whether you’re a good looking or not, born into wealth etc etc.
Thus the good life can be achieved, invented, fashioned in an active life of projects and endeavors, but only on a personnel level first. But whether or not an individual chooses to go into this arena depends upon them alone. Those who can find success, will find it exhilarating, full of achievement and satisfaction, but for those who only find failures, setbacks, suffering, and pain, life can be meaningless and a constant battle.
To achieve the good life is a personnel accomplishment based on ones perception. It involves the development of skills, the proper attitude, and intelligence. The first human quality is the development of one's own sense of self, the belief that we can do anything, that we can succeed and that our own efforts will pay off in the long run. The will to excel, the guts to become what we want, to realise what we can, is essential to being happy. It is in our accomplishments that we thrive no matter how big or small. There are always new mountains to climb, new stones to heave, and they are never the same. This rule applies to those wanting social greatness to those wanting solitude.
However, in order to have a sense of our own self-power, it is necessary to be able to live and exist in an uncertain world of endless changes. Nature is not set, nor is our destiny. If weakness and fear is indeed our weakness, so then must be power and comfort. To overly use power is to abuse trust. There is a constant tendency to go from good moral reason, to a paradise of perfection (i.e. seeking ultimate success). There is no easy way for humans chasing wealth unless through fraud, and it is a delusion to think that we all can find it. It is also a problem to always chase it. Life is restless, unsteady and hard. We have not been trained to be content with what if, we are always in the process of becoming something or someone superior, that’s just nature’s way. It is the new that we worship, not because it is better, but because it is a product of what is expected, and this can be damaging.
Daydreaming - Our thoughts are always just random ideas until they are organized into something that works.
Our thoughts are always just random ideas until they are organised into something that works. It is the effort and the energy we put into something that gives way to our dreams no matter what they are. Thus the good life uniquely involves creativity. This is the great source of joy and of exuberance for me. It is in our work, that we are told, that best reveal ourselves, not in seeking solitude, or leisure. Enjoying work can be a form of play, and can be among the highest forms of satisfaction, planning a project, teaching a class, constructing a road, and helping someone out, are all forms of enjoying life through work. If we are not happy with what we do, as many don’t, we will not enjoy labour because the work is not creative or fulfilling.
One needs to open the doors to the delights of pleasure, regardless of wealth. There are to the many wondrous things to do and enjoy like food, art, poetry, music, philosophy, science and travel. To search for pleasure without any serious effort is uninteresting. To focus only on work, important as it seems to be, is not the best way to grow as a person. I don’t see how one can be happy working 70 hours a week just to acquire the things that make you seem better than everyone around you. One needs to experience many things in life, to develop knowledge about variety of things the world has to offer. It’s not good watching Getaway on TV, travelling the world in your armchair and dreaming that one day you will be able to experience “real travel”.
Important as individual happiness, courage, intelligence, self-power, and the fulfillment of one's personal dreams and projects are in sharing with others, it can be experienced alone, in isolation, regardless of what is recommended by society. We are told that the richest of human joys should be shared with others, I beg to differ. I think if you can be happy by yourself, there is nothing more rewarding, as you have no one but yourself to please.
Finally, each person must face death and realise we don’t live forever. Life has meaning only if we realise that it will end in a big hole. This is why I don’t respect religion, as it gives a false hope of a better life after this one. It is in looking at my life that I’ll see it for what it is, what I accomplished and did well, whether I fulfilled some of my dreams and plans, whether I enjoyed my life, made friends, fell in love, and so forth. I have no fear about death, but I should do what I can in life before death comes knocking, and that means to start living now.
Indeed, health is the only condition needed if one is to live well. But when death comes, he or she should accept it with calmness and be happy with what you have done in life, from your good life.
