What does it mean to "live well"?
Often times our lives can be busy and hectic, it's easy to lose sight of the important things to us. In light of the essential question, "to live well" means to take a step back and reflect on the things that bring meaning to our lives. In the short story, "A Cap for Steve" we see how conflicting ideas about value draw a family relationship apart. Dave Diamond struggles with money problems and holds resentment towards his son, Steve for not being a big help. When Steve gets the cap from a baseball player he puts value into the cap that his father can’t understand. Their relationship is put to the test when Steve loses the cap but finds it on another boy’s head. The value in the cap grows greater as Dave begins
I think that what the author was trying to imply in this passage was that in his personal experience, he has noticed that many people take many things for granted and that they don’t live their lives according to what they want and need to do. So much is wasted during one’s lifetime, and people just allow their lives to pass them by.
Everyone chases after happiness. Everyone’s goal of life is being happy. Each of them chooses a variety of measures, such as earning money, to be happy. However, there are many people that are not happy. People always endeavor after happiness, but they never reach it. For what reason are they not able to fulfill their standards of happiness? What effort should they put into their lives to meet them? This essay will explain why people fail to be happy and what people are supposed to do in order to gain happiness.
A picture collage of best friends, a credit card, a pair of keys that unlock a car and a house, a picture of a favorite athlete and last but not least, a minion plush toy. All these items are representative of a common idea: the good life. The ability to surround one’s self around people who love them, the ability to purchase any item deemed necessary for living, having a home and car to shelter one from the outside world, people to look up to and the idea that everyone works hard and is equal are all ideas represented by the good life according to typical college students. However, while college students may have an idea on what the good life really is, perhaps someone who would know it better is Aristotle. The basis of Aristotle’s argument
What does it mean to live the “good life”? The topic has been debated for thousands of years as people from all walks of life hold different values higher in accordance with their morals. People reflect their views of what they believe to be good through there culture, art, and lifestyle. Variations of how people perceive what it means to live the “good life” are even present within people of the same culture. Two renowned men from Attica, the area of land encompassing the ancient Greek city-state Athens, Sophocles and Plato share a similar culture yet depict different ideas of what it means to live the “good life”. Sophocles presents theories of the “good life” through the use of his characters in his plays, while Plato uses literature and dialogue to animate what he believes it means to live goodly. Living the “good life” is portrayed as
First of all, Socrates’ views on the good life were to live a simple life, and that happiness does not come from material goods, but from three things: (1) what we define as happiness, (2) our relationship between pleasure and happiness, and (3) the overall connections between morality, pleasure, and happiness.
Having a good life is to have the moral and respect, which even the people that are against your ideas respect and admire you.
Throughout time, mankind has forged stories and legends to explain the unknown. As years went along the stories and tall tales were passed down to each generation. Each recount of the inherited stories are always told differently, how the story was told usually depended on the person and their particular region of habitance. Thus leading to hundreds of different versions of a single story told throughout the world, written and told by different people. Not only are these stories told as pure entertainment, they serve as wise life lessons and set examples for children when they were eventually introduced to society. These stories are so prominent in human history that even to this day the same stories that were told to children centuries ago
There are many different interpretations of what the good life truly is. Individualists believe that the good life is pleasing oneself, while utilitarians believe that the good life is acting for the good of the rest of society. Philosophers, too, have their own interpretation. Plato alludes to the philosopher's good life when he uses the phrase "my greatest pleasure." The inherent subjectivity of the word "my" tells the reader that philosophical conversation may not necessarily be everyone's greatest pleasure.
For me, a good life is stable, less stressed, and happy. The values that anchor my moral vision are Fairness, Justice and Truth.
The question of “What is the good life?” is one that I was challenged with by Professor Curta on that first day of class in mid-August. Over the course of a few short months I have examined the many aspects of this question while at the same time applying the concepts to my own life. Everyone’s answer to this age old question is a little different, and is completely dependent on the influences and goals of the individual. To me the good life consists of having a stable future and a group of close friends to spend it with. But like all good things, this does not come without a cost. For me these costs are, having to leave some of my childhood friends behind. As hard as this may be I know that it is for the better, and I keep my eyes on the task at hand, in the hopes of finding that good life.
In El Dorado we see the “good life” as being able to live freely without any worries. Both are illustrated when the retired old man talks about his “very plain house” (Voltaire 72), and the readers feel a sense of contentment, because he doesn’t need an extravagant house to be happy. The passage later goes on later to talk about all of the gold and silver features in his house, but he was more worried about what he achieves or acquires from his life. This shows readers that even when you have all the riches one does not have to be greedy, but instead can live humbly and still live the simple life. At the end of the novel the last statement is, “but let us cultivate our garden.” (Voltaire?). What the author means by this is that one can live their life and put all they have into it and reap, sow, and cultivate whatever seeds you are given or in other words to make the most out of the life you were given. This is symbolic of our lives because no one’s life is perfect and we all have trials and tribulations representing the many different plants in the garden, but as we learn from them we grow just like a person. This connects back to the old man because, like him you can have all the riches in the world, but if it doesn’t help you as a person to learn or gain something from it then its true value is unknown. The true value of life is to live simple
Everyone has their own outlook on life. Most people feel like money and success brings them happiness, while others think love is all they need. “For no age is too early or too late for the health of the soul” (Epicurus). Our philosophies change over time as we grow older and wiser. As a child I thought the world was full of so much happiness, love, peace and joy. Once I grew older my philosophy became clear that there is more to life than just living. In the world today it is best to have something that makes you look forward to the next day. Like family, friends, and personal goals. Being able to have overall balance of happiness, pain and the existence of God, is my guide for living.
The journey to achieve the good life on a personal level has defined human life across all cultures and time periods. Although we human beings have this similar goal in life, what we consider to be the “good life” differs from person to person. The Hindu people, for example, believe that one reaches the good life or enlightenment when he/she finds and truly understands Atman, the inner self or soul. In my opinion the good life involves following one’s internal ideals and values. These values should allow him/her to enjoy the good life in spite of time progression and outside influences such as material wealth. However, this concept of the good life comes with costs that prevent those without a strong will to stray from their values. On the journey to find the good life people often come across social and political barriers much like the civil rights supporters of the 20th century. Still more people struggle with making the sacrifices needed to sustain and ensure the longevity their good life, which is illustrated by Aldo Leopold’s land ethic. The costs may seem overwhelming at first but they are only temporary and the long lasting, internal benefits eventually become dominant.
Society has identified happiness to be a necessity that consist of wealth and pleasure and materials in order to feel satisfied. Therefore, people feel satisfied with the materials that they obtain and can become dissatisfied with their self. The good life focuses on obtaining intellectual virtues and the fundamental truths. Also, to live a good life they must obtain character virtues For example, a person must become virtuous by improving their character and obtaining reason. Also, the person must know the difference between good and bad actions. To be happy we must acquire the excellence of character and the mean between excess and
Question: What is Aristotle’s idea of a good life and why does he view a good life in this way? Is Aristotle’s understanding of a good life accurate? Why or why not? (Make sure to talk about the concept of the mean).