Thinking about a Good Life

In the past couple of weeks, we had been talking about the good life; what a good life is, what it comprises of, the relationship between a happy life, good life, and a meaningful life, or is it even possible to live a happy life. Thinkers and philosophers, who have gone through different experiences throughout their lifetime, have tried to address this issue of living a good life in different perspectives. For Camus, who have been through a rough childhood and lived in the midst of various warfare and conflicts, life does not have a pre-existing meaning. People are not born with an inherited meaning. Rather, it is up to the individual to decide what the purpose to his/her life is. If an individual tries to correlate the meaning of his/her life with the pre-set meaning that already exists in the natural world around us, then, the meaning of life takes some sort of a monotonous and a ridiculous meaning (The London Psychology Collective).

For Alan Watts, the meaning in life is simply found in the joy of the moment and in the experiences the individual has accumulated throughout the course of his/her lifetime. Doing whatever makes oneself happy without harming the individuals around them, and giving meaning to the abstract life, just as an observer of an artwork or photography tries to embed their unique meaning to that particular scenario. On the other hand, Aristotle tried to be more elaborate and had a more definitive notion of the good life. To him, human beings, just like everything else in the world around us, are good as long as that being serves the intended purpose it is created for. For Aristotle, a good man is one who reasons and chooses well (lifeissues.net). He also knew that every agent acts to acquire a desirable outcome, and for humans, it was the happiness. It is something that should come from within the being through the activities that he/she chooses to do. And these activities should not be done simply because of the drive to satisfy the simple and complex appetites. Human beings should be able to use their capabilities of reasoning and intellect to aid them in the process of being able to satisfy their desires in the most sensible and appropriate manner. In short, humans should not let their desires tell them what to do, they should be able to use the reasoning and will to satisfy their desires in the most righteous and ethical manner that would bring about a greater good in his/her life.

Reasonable humans crave meaning. They believe that there is a reason for their existence. From a theist perspective, they are not born to simply please their creator by worshipping Him. If so, we would not be gifted with these amazing capabilities of intellect and being able to reason. It is our responsibility to make this world a better place for the present and the future generations. Happiness is not just entitled to a selected few individuals who had a more fortunate upbringing, it is something that every living organism deserves and designated to. And if one really wants to serve the meaning to his/her life, that individual should be able to figure out what the means by which person would be able to bring about happiness not only to his life but also to others.

Works Cited:

"Aristotle and the Good Life." Lifeissues.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.

"Alan Watts - What Is the Meaning of Life & Everything Else?? [FULL LECTURE,1960]." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.

"Albert Camus - on Existentialism and Absurdity - The London Psychology Collective." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.