Key Ingredients to Leading a Good Life

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Final Exam #1

When a person or a loved one passes it is natural to wonder whether or not he or she lived a happy and fulfilling life. While one can make their own judgments and decide for oneself, I believe that there are a few aspects that are absolutely necessary to live a good life. While these assumptions beg for an answer to the definition of ‘happy’ and ‘good,’ our purposes in this paper are more generalized and I will not go into detail of their meanings. I will assume that our audience has a comprehensive view of these terms and their day-to-day implications. As I said, there are three aspects of life that are absolutely necessary in order for a human to live a good life; the length of one’s life, the presence of love, and the amount one’s progress or success throughout their lifetime.

The idea that our lives can be cut short is often times the push that people need to live their life to the fullest and truly enjoy every day. When a life is ended too soon our general reaction is to mourn the loss of not only the person but their unlived life. A person who loses their life too young will most certainly have missed out on several life changing events and experiences. The joys of parenthood are feelings that bring such happiness into people’s lives, but when a person dies without that opportunity one who has felt that joy will most likely feel nothing but sadness for the person who missed out. It is also human nature to attribute length of life to happiness. When a new pet dies as a baby one of a person’s first reactions is, “he was just a puppy,” or, “she didn’t even get to do…” We as a people are more content with death if it is accompanied with a long life and old age, as it has always been unsettling for us to witnes...

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...e a necessity of a human life to achieve success and progress in some way in order to live a good life.

In conclusion, there are several different interpretations of what is necessary for a good life. It is my feeling that these three aspects of life are completely necessary in order for a person to lead a happy and successful existence. Without the push of mortality humans would not be as appreciative of the time they had on earth, and be as willing to form quick bonds with others. These bonds that are created provide us with a sense of security and ability to function normally throughout our lives. And finally, our progress as individuals, including our growth, gain, and success in our daily lives are directly related to a person’s feeling of self worth and purpose in their lives. Without any or all of these things a person would be unable to live a good life.

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