What is the happy life?

[mark kennedy]

I have had a lot of fun with this one, this is my first time doing this in a discussion forum so bear with me. The question is in two parts, What is the happy life? This should be reduced to a single word if possible but any serious answer is usually adequate. The second part is based on the first answer, how then ought men to life.

I have gotten some very interesting answers. A 15 year old girl once said that it was having the things you want, if you do you'll be happy. I thought that was a wonderful answer, I told her I hope she never loses that kind of honesty.

There is no right answer here, not really. This is just an interesting exercise. The best answer I've seen came from, not surprisingly, the ancient Greeks.

The exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope"​

Your thoughts...

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[znr]

the existence of cats makes me happy. They're eternal in this way: when one passes on there is another waiting to be loved; where one ends another begins. It's almost as though all cats are part of one big cat entity. Cats cats cats.

 

[mark kennedy]

the existence of cats makes me happy. They're eternal in this way: when one passes on there is another waiting to be loved; where one ends another begins. It's almost as though all cats are part of one big cat entity. Cats cats cats.

That's a little disturbing, are you saying I can't be happy if I don't have a cat? What about Eskimos that don't have cats, they have dogs, does that count?

Only teasing, but I have to say, that's a new one on me. Cats are the key to happiness so I guess in order to be happy you should adopt a cat?

 

[znr]

It should read "and on the 8th day, God created cats". Certainly dogs aren't the key to happiness.

That's a little disturbing, are you saying I can't be happy if I don't have a cat? What about Eskimos that don't have cats, they have dogs, does that count?

Only teasing, but I have to say, that's a new one on me. Cats are the key to happiness so I guess in order to be happy you should adopt a cat?

 

[Usus Vox Tractus]

It should read "and on the 8th day, God created cats". Certainly dogs aren't the key to happiness.

At least you'll have companions and BBQ meat for the rest of time!

 

[Paradoxum]

Love and a goal bigger than yourself?

 

[Usus Vox Tractus]

Love and a goal bigger than yourself?

You mean like some kind of devotion to the betterment of your fellow man?

 

[sarxweh]

When I was young, the happy life for me was in a word

Death

I lived and moved and had my being in terms of it. And it shaped my perspective of everyone I met. Parents, siblings, friends, girlfriends, pets, pastors, and pen-pals. Not in a morbid way at all though. It was just the end of the trajectory so I thought, "well, what is this because it will one day be that."

I am 31 now and it's still death. But for different reasons

 

[Paradoxum]

You mean like some kind of devotion to the betterment of your fellow man?

Yeah, human rights, health, liberty, equality, things like that.

 

[mark kennedy]

Yeah, human rights, health, liberty, equality, things like that.

All good things, it just occurs to me that a lot of people who struggle for those things are often miserable. The Greeks has a catch all phrase for that, virtue. For example the Epicureans believed that pleasure was the key to happiness, bear in mind they believed wholeheartedly that true virtue was an ultimate source of pleasure.

Sounds like you like to be a part of a cause. Nothing wrong with that.

Grace and peace,
Mark

 

[mark kennedy]

When I was young, the happy life for me was in a word

Death

I lived and moved and had my being in terms of it. And it shaped my perspective of everyone I met. Parents, siblings, friends, girlfriends, pets, pastors, and pen-pals. Not in a morbid way at all though. It was just the end of the trajectory so I thought, "well, what is this because it will one day be that."

I am 31 now and it's still death. But for different reasons

I really didn't see that one coming, I wonder if by death you might mean something like...I don't know...closure, finality, something like that. Could you elaborate a little, I'm intrigued.

 

[Paradoxum]

All good things, it just occurs to me that a lot of people who struggle for those things are often miserable.

Are they though?

The Greeks has a catch all phrase for that, virtue. For example the Epicureans believed that pleasure was the key to happiness, bear in mind they believed wholeheartedly that true virtue was an ultimate source of pleasure.

Sounds like you like to be a part of a cause. Nothing wrong with that.

Grace and peace,
Mark

I also included love.

 

[mark kennedy]

Are they though?

Not always but too often

I also included love.

Which I would agree is essential to happiness, I suppose you could argue that love is a culmination of virtue. The New Testament calls it the bond of perfection:

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.(Col. 3:12-14)​

The Greeks had a saying for that, to have any virtue you must have all of them. If you have one vice, you have all of them.

 

[Vergil10]

the existence of cats makes me happy. They're eternal in this way: when one passes on there is another waiting to be loved; where one ends another begins. It's almost as though all cats are part of one big cat entity. Cats cats cats.

i too will concur that cats are the key to happiness.

 

[Paradoxum]

Not always but too often

How so? I don't think you're right.

Which I would agree is essential to happiness, I suppose you could argue that love is a culmination of virtue. The New Testament calls it the bond of perfection:

You don't need virtue to be in love. Criminals can be in love.

clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.(Col. 3:12-14)​

The Greeks had a saying for that, to have any virtue you must have all of them. If you have one vice, you have all of them.

I'm not sure I totally agree.

 

[Eudaimonist]

The exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope

That's my view.

Incidentally, that isn't a broadly Greek view. It sounds like it sides with Aristotle. The Stoics, for instance, would not agree with "in a life affording them scope".


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Received]

Aristotle FTW.

 

[True Scotsman]

I have had a lot of fun with this one, this is my first time doing this in a discussion forum so bear with me. The question is in two parts, What is the happy life? This should be reduced to a single word if possible but any serious answer is usually adequate. The second part is based on the first answer, how then ought men to life.

I have gotten some very interesting answers. A 15 year old girl once said that it was having the things you want, if you do you'll be happy. I thought that was a wonderful answer, I told her I hope she never loses that kind of honesty.

There is no right answer here, not really. This is just an interesting exercise. The best answer I've seen came from, not surprisingly, the ancient Greeks.

The exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope"​

Your thoughts...

Grace and peace,
Mark

For me it's some wood, some fine tools and a good workbench.

 

[Eudaimonist]

The exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope.

For me it's some wood, some fine tools and a good workbench.

Precisely!


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[mark kennedy]

How so? I don't think you're right.

Do you think Nelson Mandela was happy while he languished in prison for 30 years. I'm just saying, sometimes when you pursue a cause it's miserable. You do it because you believe it's the right thing to do. I guess you could argue that he was satisfied that he was doing the right thing, there's a fair amount of peace that can come from that.

You don't need virtue to be in love. Criminals can be in love.

It depends on what you mean, it can be something more important then yourself or it could be something you want for yourself. The New Testament actually has three words for love, I think that is better then one catch all expression that can be used different ways, sometimes in very different ways.

That passage is very well written. The idea would seem to be like building a wall with the virtues being bricks and the love being the mortar that holds it all together.

I'm not sure I totally agree.

That's not unusual when it comes to ancient Greeks, if two people always agree it usually means that one of them isn't thinking. Greeks loved drama more then facts, they were and are, a very emotionally driven people. With those guys you just have to take it for what it's worth but they are great for pithy statements like that. I don't mean to be critical of them, I mean, they did lay the foundation for our sciences and mathematics. They just have a tendency toward hyperbole and generalization, it's not a problem if you appreciate where they are coming from.

Grace and peace,
Mark