How do you validate a life? How does one determine the value of a life and what are the indicators of a well lived life?
The question of the good life has been considered for the entirety of human existence, resulting in the erection of various religious institutions and a changing understanding of human existence. We are all unfortunately victims of the human condition and are always evolving, engaged in external and internal conflicts while questioning our own mortality. The ways in which we delegate our time and those goals we pursue in our limited existence will guide the course of our futures and impact how we reflect on our past. Our own evaluations of the value or substance of our own lives intersect with the existential beliefs, or lack thereof, which we hold.
Many philosophers believe that we ourselves assign meaning to the tasks we do. There is no set or inherent meaning to the things we choose to do. The worth of these actions is rather held by the individual and thus bestows the power, and responsibility, upon them to uphold value within their own lives.
While there are many popular philosophies regarding the question of the good life the following are the most notable and/or prevalent:
Hedonism is the theory that pleasure is equal to good and to pursue one’s desires in life is the fullest one can pursue a good life. Through this, the hedonist assigns meaning to happiness, and thus pursues it in order to live a good life.
Kant insisted that virtue was instilled through resisting desires in a position in many ways similar to that of Plato. Asceticism, which is a key component in life philosophies proposed by Plato, many religions and Kant, suggests that in order to reach some form of spiritual fulfillment one must abstain from sensual indulgences.
Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche however argued that to deny these pleasures was to sacrifice the individual’s own life. And so the noblest form of living was to strive for individual growth and development.
Aristotle championed learning as the most valuable asset to any human being, and the quest to acquire knowledge was an assertion of one’s humanity and life fulfillment.
Some people choose wealth as an indicator of a life’s value. The resulting relationship is a proportional one between the accumulation of wealth and an individual’s value in life. Aristotle opposed this notion through stating that the acquisition of wealth was only a means to gain other objects and so it would not be the wealth itself which holds meaning to the individual but rather the objects which wealth is used to attain.
While you yourself pursue goals and reflect on your past actions and achievements please consider what holds meaning in your life. What do you feel is valuable and how do your past, present and future goals reflect this? How do your actions and intentions parallel your individual beliefs surrounding the question of the good life? Think critically about morality and use this contemplation to guide your pursuit of the good life.
