When I first started my business, I imagined that every success I would have and every item I would check off my list as I made my aspirations a reality would bring me satisfaction. I wish I'd recognised earlier that this isn't the key to happiness. From ancient times to the present, one of the most fascinating topics has been the condition of happiness and the ability to preserve it.
What is this happiness concept that has captivated philosophers, novelists, psychologists, and a slew of scientists? I'm sure you've felt that you don't have a pole star, that you're filling time in a vacuum, and that you're not really happy at some point in your life.
The ultimate purpose of existence, according to Aristotle in his Ethics to Nicomachus, which he dedicated to his son 2000 years ago, is to pursue happiness. According to him, the feeling you felt when you woke up one morning, or how it changed during the day, was neither happiness nor unhappiness. Happiness, according to Aristotle's definition, was a condition of "being" that became the aim of existence, which we might link to the psychological concept of self-actualization. He coined the term " eudaimonia " to describe this concept.
According to Aristotle, we mortals must have a close relationship with two things in order to have eudaimonia. These are the concepts of reason and virtue. It emphasises the significance of freely reacting to the situation we are in, including our minds with realistic emotions in all situations. He says that the decisions we make during this process contribute to happiness. The virtuous person, according to Aristotle, is one who understands the "Golden Middle" in his behaviour and is reasonable. Every virtue has two ends: one is a lack of it, and the other is an excess of it.
The virtues of courage, cowardice, and recklessness, for example; the virtue of generosity, in the midst of luxury and stinginess. If you're wondering if any of this matters today, the answer is yes. When we consider the rise in violence and societal conflict, we can observe that impulsive behaviours are on the rise. We all have a strong desire to avoid inadequacies and excesses, to find our middle ground, and to live in harmony.
“He is a coward who flees from everything, is terrified, and cannot stand nothing. The brave one is the one who is not frightened of anything and goes to anything. Similarly, someone who avoids all of them, like a hedonist or a savage who likes all pleasures and does not shun any of them, becomes emotionless.”
I'd like you to consider a recent favour you did without expecting anything in return. Now, how do you feel once you've completed that task...
Without getting too bogged down in the details, we can say that eudaimonia is a state of enjoyment based on tranquilly that we experience when we transcend our own potential through virtuous activity. Let's look at a recipe for a happy existence that has been passed down for thousands of years.
Recognize your talent for things you think you're good at and don't feel like you're wasting time on. When you have a thorough understanding of yourself, you will be able to determine where you can best contribute your unique talents in the world. Change occurs when you engage the ability to forget, and ultimate bliss is unavoidable.
“The day you are born and the day you learn why you were born are the two most important days of your life.”
Twain, Mark
Let's face it: the hunt for true life meaning can be a difficult and time-consuming process. As a result, we shouldn't make it a 10-year or 20-year objective or something for which we must die. It is sufficient to seek for values that will guide you every morning when you awaken and give purpose to your life. Who knows, maybe your purpose is to make others happy or to promote awareness about something.
