PHILOSOPHY

What Can Philosophers Teach Us About a Good Life in Today’s World?

In Pursuit of…

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How do you craft such a life? And what does a “good” life mean? This may seem like a simple question, but it has kept great thinkers awake at night. Thinkers such as Plato and Nietzsche. Do they think so difficultly, or would this question be a bit more complicated than it might seem at first glance?

The Greek Foundation: Virtue and Eudaimonia

Let’s take a look into the past. To be more specific, in Ancient Greece, between 384 and 322 Before Common Era. There we find men like Aristotle. If you think they just walked around in togas and philosophized, you’re not thinking deeply enough. These were people who were busy laying down the building blocks of Western thought.

I don’t know if you are familiar with the term ‘eudaimonia’, but it is a concept introduced by Aristotle. Eudaimonia stands for ‘happiness’ or ‘flourishing’. No, not the kind you experience from a piece of chocolate or one of your Instagram posts that gets a lot of likes. This meant deep, lasting satisfaction. A satisfaction that comes from a virtuous and, above all, purposeful life.

Existentialism: DIY Meaning in a Meaningless World

So we have just looked very deeply into the past. Now, let’s fast-forward time a bit — a few thousand years to be more specific. We then enter the era of existentialism. Here we are dealing with thinkers such as Sartre, Camus, and Nietzsche.

They looked at life’s lack of meaning in a completely different way — more with the idea that life has no specific meaning. Instead, they found something beautiful in it: the freedom to create your own.

That may sound crazy, or perhaps it does not. But it can certainly provide a liberating feeling. In fact, seeing things from this perspective makes you THE artist of your own existence, the architect of own your life, and the creator of your own blueprint.

Relationships: The Messy, Imperfect Heart of Life

And now let’s talk about relationships. Our relationships are also an important part of what we experience as ‘the good life’, right? Of course, relationships can also bring plenty of drama.

You might think that this drama does not fit with a ‘good’ life, but modern philosopher Martha Nussbaum thought differently. Because in this drama, or mess — whatever you want to call it — we can also develop empathy and get to know ourselves better.

Our relationships are an important part of how we understand being human. We need each other. Even we are in a relationship. It may only be digital, but I learn from you, and you from me. We are all students and teachers at the same time.

The Personal Quest: Authenticity in a Cookie-Cutter World

Now look at yourself and the era we live in now. What kind of world is that? Quite an obsessive one, don’t you think? Just think of how many people want to show the ‘perfect’ picture on social media, or our consumer culture in which it can never be enough. Fortunately, we are not all like that.

It does say something about authenticity. I have the feeling that people who go along with ‘the trends’ of today are actually just muddling along. Going along with the crowd like a sheep. Why do you want to keep up with the latest trends or imitate what you see on TV?

The term ‘TV’ — Television — it “tells your vision”. You don’t have to listen to it. Isn’t life about digging deep and finding out what makes YOU thrive? What gives you energy? What makes you, you? Once you find that out, you only need the balls yet to live that “truth”.

Consumerism: The Empty Promise

Back to consumerism once again. Actually, I think it’s quite a false strategy. People try to convince you that happiness is just a purchase away. What nonsense. If there’s one thing philosophers and psychologists universally agree on, it’s that this is a bottomless pit. Nothing more, nothing less.

The more you have, the more you want, right? There is no finish line. It’s only ‘the next thing’ that counts. But that has nothing to do with a ‘good’ life. Sure, some comfort seems important to me. But many experiences are NOT for sale, just like genuine relationships.

It seems terrible to me if people would only want to associate with me because of my wealth. Fortunately, I haven’t had to experience that yet in my life. I am not rich and never have been. Rich in terms of money of course, because I am rich in my experiences. That’s something that really matters to me.

Life as a Journey: Embracing the Chaos

In any case, when I think about crafting a good life, I don’t think it can be crafted on a neat and orderly path. Life is very unpredictable and we actually only have a small circle of influence. But that also makes it beautiful, right?

The lows in our lives allow us to learn to appreciate the little things. Chaos makes you appreciate order. The hustle and bustle make you appreciate the peace and quiet. Lies make you appreciate honesty. And so I can go on and on.

I think we should mainly enjoy the moment. The ‘now’. As I’ve said before, there’s nothing else. The past is no more, the future never existed. Everything is in our heads.

I think it’s clear that there is no secret or set formula for a good life, or what do you think? This seems like a very personal ride that only you can take. A ride in which you struggle with yourself. A journey in which you confront big questions and possibly the answers. A ride that contains many bumps and in which you encounter all kinds of other drivers. However, this is and remains a ride that only you can take. And some tinkering is part of that. The tinkering is the crafting.

Don’t you have to get started? :-)

Special thanks Mary Kontouri for inspiring me to write this piece.

By the way, I was playing around and turned this article into something I call an “E-book video” with narration (unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do the narration myself).

Let me know what you think!