Reflective Wanderer

There is such a thing as ‘the good life.’ No living person has entirely lived it, some may be closer to it than others. The goal all seek is this good life. It is seen from afar and proves elusive to many. People fill their lives with chasing the wind in this cause; those who do not know where to even begin are especially lost. 

In order to understand what I am trying to say you need some Aristotelian terms. Essence is that which each thing has in connection to its formula, for example, my grandparent’s house is made of bricks and mortar. This is its substance: the form (blueprint), and matter (bricks). The bricks and mortar are the matter, and yet one would know it was a house, whereas a pile of bricks was not, because “that which is the essence of a house is present.” In other words that quality which would enable you to recognize any house is present. This is its essence. The fact that my grandparent’s house is made of bricks while that of my in-laws is of stucco is inconsequential to the fact that each possesses the element which makes them houses. The difference between a stucco and a brick house (aside from the very obvious aesthetic difference) is, in the language of Aristotle, accidental. 

The ‘good life’ has essential qualities in which all ‘good lives’ must take part. The individual details are of accidental difference. A life is “better” or “worse” in so far as it reaches or fails to reach these essential qualities. For example, all ‘good lives’ must, in my opinion, have some kind of work to accomplish. Mankind was created to create. This is of the essence of his nature. The exact kind of creation he does, provided it is honorable, is accidental. 

The moderns hate this doctrine to them all is matter (the bricks and mortar), and hence man has no unique nature and builds for himself his own meaning. But to the Christian or the one who recognizes that mankind has a shared nature (essence), this provides a key to the kind of life worth striving after. 

What exactly are the elements which make up the essentials of ‘the good life?’ No one can claim to have a corner on the market in being able to define what the parts exactly are; God alone knows them in their entirety. Reading the ‘Great Books’ would be a good place to begin (join me in reading through them at: https://onlinegreatbooks.com/) as some of the sharpest minds across recorded history have inquired into this question. Whether they have the answers may be debated, but they did seek it as hidden treasure. At the end of the day, of course, the Word of God provides the most reliable guide to ‘the good life.’ 

The question always arises, “what if, by some misfortune, a person cannot participate in one or more of these activities, can they not have a ‘good life?’ To this, there are three different answers. 1. An idea is always above; that’s what makes it an ideal. If someone is fully realizing their ideas then the ideal is set too low. 2. Not all elements of the ‘good life’ are equal in necessity. It is good for human beings to get at least a little exercise, no one in their right mind would deny this. If you were bedridden you would be lacking something, but there are other ‘good life’ things you could focus on, as Milton remarked when he lost his eyesight, “they also serve those who only stand and wait.” In other words, it would be a misfortune to spend your days bedridden, and you would be missing out on an important part of a fully healthy human life, and yet there are other elements of the good life that are higher to which you could focus, such as relationships. Even the man who says, “I am thankful for being bedridden for benefits gained are greater than those lost,” is thankful because he gained more of something greater, and not because it is good, in and of itself, to be unable to get out of bed. 3. Some lives are simply not as well lived as others, so seek the best life possible. 

Here is an ordered list of elements -some of greater, others of lesser necessity- that it seems would create a good life, one in which a human might thrive and experience eudaimonia (a blessed happiness). 

Owning your own elements of production (the ability to be free from a master)

Land (a place to call your own)

Enough wealth (keep the creditor from the door) 

Education (a better understanding of God’s world)

Health (need this one to function properly)

Meaningful leisure (time to experience life outside the office)

Meaningful work (create beautiful things for the good of man)

Family (no man is an island)

Friendship (Cicero says, outside of virtue, this is the greatest gift)

Prudence (use practical wisdom)

Courage (act nobly in the face of trials)

Temperance (enjoy the gifts of the earth; don’t abuse them)

Justice (give to each his due)

Faith (look to the eternal city)

Hope (confidence that the “best is yet to be”)

Love (be like God)

Living for the beatific vision (the final cause for human existence)