Goal Of Good Life Essay

The goal of a good life is a concept that has been thrown around by religious and philosophical figures for centuries. Soldiers fighting amongst the ranks of the Spartan army visualized a good life being one in which they could lay down their lives to protect the ones they love. Some pleasure seekers saw a good life as one in which they could enjoy all the fruits of their labor without a regard for morality. However, before I can explicitly state this goal, it must be explained as to whether the goal of a good life is for one’s self or an overall good. The misconception, I have realized when trying to deduce what I believe the good life is, is that I forget that I am not like everyone else. My ideas, my morals are based off my upbringings and my prior disposition and therefore cannot be said to be universal.
Philosophers, such as Aristotle, Kant, and Mill, attempt to come up with universal definitions but fall short to describe the opinions of the individuals that the world encompasses. Instead, the goal of a good life, for it to ever truly be achieved, must be one in which we have decided the goal for ourselves guided by moral goodness and a will to achieve it. My conception of the good life does not mean a life in which you achieve the maximum moral good but rather the life each individual desires above all else. That is why my definition of what it means to live a good life is not universal; it is based off what I believe and construe as the requirements to live a good life. A life lived well is one guided by virtue in which you promote the betterment and happiness of yourself and those around you. You must utilize virtue as a means to the end goal,