what is a good life thesis

A Good Life essay

Introductio.

A good life is what everyone desires. But what is actually a good life? Many people have their own interpretation of what a good life is. Society today has a different outlook on what is an acceptable lifestyle. Many people are influenced with the perception of how an individual should live their life. Some often find themselves trying to fulfill their happiness through America’s perception on how they should live. Instead they become disappointed with the disapproval of others and often forget what happiness really means to them.

A good life consists of maximizing happiness. Many believe wealth, power, and respect brings happiness. I happen to disagree. I believe wealth and power bring sorrow and problems. The philosopher Socrates did not approve happiness was result of affluence and material consumption. He believed a rich and active mind is happier than a consumer of finer foods and expansive clothing (De Botton, 2000). Whether it is positive or negative, as long is the individual accepts and is happy of his or her own life, then they are living a good life.

Order custom essay A Good Life essay with free plagiarism report

My life revolves around a combination of these six themes: education, work, ethics, relationships, spirituality, and success. In my essay, I will give my expertise of a good life. I will share thoughts of my life and give examples of each theme of why live the way I do. Education I believe education is a lifelong process that consists of both formal and informal experiences that lead to the individual learning something. The setting could be a home, a school, a workplace, a volunteer position, or an internship learning experience.

Education is an ongoing mix of experiences; I think an educated person is a one who has made the most of each experience and learned from it. One should possess the general knowledge needed for making informed rational decisions and inferences on familiar and novel situations in personal and intellectual life. An educated person should also master of the general thinking abilities required for making informed intelligent decisions, estimates, assessments, and inferences. Philosopher Montaigne was an educated man with great wisdom. He spent most of his spear time in a circular library reading books (De Botton, 2000).

I was raised by a family who is very educated. My mother and father have master degrees. My sister is a graduate student at Kansas State University. My father pushed my sister and I our entire lives of the importance of education. I receive a tremendous amount of support from my parents, family and friends. They continuously motivate me to be successful in completing and continuing my education. My plans for education are to continue to graduate school. Later in life, I am interested in teaching secondary education. I have a lot of inspiration and support from others and I am determined to succeed.

I instill the importance of intelligence to my children. I agree with Montaigne’s two categories of knowledge: learning and wisdom. “In the learning category his placed logic, etymology, grammar, Latin and Greek. And in the wisdom category he places a far broader, more valuable kind of knowledge, everything that could help a person to live well” Montaigne’s intentions were to assist people” live happily and morally “(De Botton, p 153, 2000). These are two categories that keep me hungry for more. I often find myself harder on my son, because the graduation rate has dropped tremendously and it continues to decline.

Depending on what aspiration a person has, having an education qualifies for great employment. Work The will power, motivation, and education are a good start in performing the ideal job in the workplace. The ambition and excitement of commuting to work daily is great feeling. A good work environment improves satisfaction and productivity. When a person is unhappy in the workplace, it is a drag waking up each day to return to that place of business. Philosopher Epicurus believed the tension starts to show at home and we often point the finger at work (De Botton, 2000).

It is important to be able to balance work and home to manage a positive work environment. Having a stress free job as well having fun and believe in your work is part of the good life. A good working environment is important for employee morale. It builds strong relationships between associates and among the biggest motivating factors in the workplace. I enjoy the work I do on a daily basis. It is a challenging job that requires an outgoing personality, sales drive, and patience. The down fall of my workplace is the associates and environment. We lack communication and the ability to coach each other to improve the workplace.

The location in an urban area limits the opportunity of sales growth, variety customer base, as well as deepening relationships. At times, I felt the same pain as Epicurus. We both started to wonder if were on the correct career path. One thing I lack in the workplace is empathy. I meet a lot of people each day. Many customers have personal problems they choose to share with me. Many times I can’t relate, because I have not experienced it. I represent my employer, and I am branded by them. I have to maintain a certain image and give great impressions. My supervisor has coached me on empathizing with my customers.

We role play each week, and he has given me different conversation tools to better assist my customers. I want to give my customers a great experience each time they visit. To minimize tension, and misinterpretation, I will start utilizing 360 coaching. This is a tool recommended by my employer. Associates coach each including management. We give positive feedback to each other on how we could improve. This should help my team with any disagreements one may have with another associate. After opening up with one another and sharing each other differences, the company is great place work.

Communication is the key to every success. With our recent suggestions and improvement, I believe everything will work out great. Ethics Ethics is a concept of morality principles. It defines the standard behavior which tells us the most common way of society: good, bad, right and wrong. The book Affluenza written by authors Graff, Wann, and Naylor have great information on living a good life daily minimizing consumption. “Affluenza is a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, deft, anxiety, and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more” (Degraff, Wann, Naylor, p. , 2001). Afflenza respects those perfectly human desires, and seeks to create ways to make comfort, elegance, and enjoyment more genuine and durables than purchasable, perishable commodities (Degraff, Wann, Naylor, 2001). Unfortunately, I struggle with Affuenza. My finance and I live a certain lifestyle. Our lifestyles boil down to become expansive. We often find ourselves caught up in what we feel we have to have or need, such as hair, nails, brand name clothing, jewelry, and restaurants. We also have plenty of unnecessary bills only because they are available resources to us.

We are not utilizing the product or service for what it is worth. We have more stuff, less time, and our quality of life seems to be deteriorating (Degraff, Wann, Naylor, 2001). As we move forward in our lives, I try to educate my finance of Affluenza and suggested a variety of ways will can save time and money. I plan to start tracking our daily spending habits more closely. If we cut back on luxury habits we could save thousands a year. We are coming to together and taking it one day at time. It is difficult to change some things you are accustomed to.

Overcoming this disease is important to us, because we are embarking on a higher level in our relationship. We are currently testing our new ideas to happiness in our lives. Hopefully the results give us some leeway to plan what matters most to us, and how we will cherish our years to come. Relationships One of my biggest challenges of my life is my relationship. There is nothing more important than the quality of my relationship. My relationship influences the major decisions I make and is a large part of my happiness. Relationships can be very stressful at times. They require at lot of listening, effort, and compromising.

Both parties have to be willing to sacrifice in order to move forward. A fundamental to a strong relationship is commitment. Commitment to making a relationship strong and healthy is the basis on which it will mature. Relationships take plenty work and effort. Compared to life itself, relationships are aggressive and intense because we are forever changing. A durable relationship need continuous nurturing and that takes commitment from both parties. Our commitment to the relationship is unconditional caring about maintaining and improving our relationship, even during times of anger or disappointment.

There may be times when I am not even sure I like him, but I am committed. My strong commitment reminds me of Epicurus views of friendship. At first he thought pleasure brought him happiness. He eventually had a change of heart and found that the loyalty of friendship is what matters most (De Botton, 2000). I will spend the effort to sustain relationship during tough times. The motivation of keeping our family together saved us. We put our differences aside and our children first. Their security is most important. Our determination led us to our engagement. We are set to wed next summer. Spirituality One doesn’t need either the bible to instruct one in prudence; nor the fear of divine retribution to provide the incentive” (De Bottom, 2000). Epicurus shows us how morality can be founded upon prudent self-interest. I was raised a Christian. Philosopher Nietzsche called Christianity “the religion of comfortableness” (De Bottom, p. 238, 2000). Until my grandmother died in 1993, my family and I attended church regularly. As an adult, continue to believe in the Christian Religion; however I do not practice it. I currently do not the bible for a number of reasons. I do not want to be put in a category as a hypocrite.

I am uncomfortable in committing to a religion if I am not ready to live righteously. I don’t want to find myself going back and forth and continuously repenting to the Lord for sins I have committed. The second reason I do not practice Christianity is because I do have a church home. I have not find a church where I felt comfortable worshiping. In the past, I found myself visiting a variety of churches and none felt right to me. I started to wonder, I am looking in the right religion? Maybe there’s another religion that makes more sense to me and has a place where I could worship and feel comfortable.

The significance of any religion lies simply in the answer to the question: why do I exist, and what is my relationship to the infinite universe that surrounds me? “It is impossible for there to be a person with no religion as it is for there to be a person without a heart. He may not know that he has a religion, just as a person may not know that he has a heart, but it is no more possible for a person to exist without a religion than without a hear “(Leo Tolstoy, 1879). As I read this statement from Tolstoy Confession, I thought about my current situation.

Tolstoy was a philosopher who came to believe that he had “accomplished nothing and his life was meaningless” (Patterson, p. 5, 1983). The third reason I do not practice Christianity is because my finance study’s another religion. I have taken in to consideration to research his religion and to a common ground and decide which religion is best for me. Either way, we both have to agree on the same religion. It is important we raise our children with the same values to live a good and happy life. Success The meaning of Success comes in many forms, and a variety of meanings.

It defines what you are searching for in life. It is within the perception of the individual. A large portion of one’s life is spent working to become successful. People are told during the upbringing to work hard so they earn make lots of money. People have a variety of interpretations of what success means to them. Socrates says, “One who understands the limits of the good life knows that what eliminates the pains brought on by need and what makes the whole of life perfect is easily obtained, so that there is no need for enterprises that entail the struggle for success” (De Botton, 2000).

Success is often measured by social status and wealth. I determined success by the amount of happiness one feels. I live my life by planning. This is task that I put in place to organization my life. Time management is important to me. I currently have a blue print for my life. It is sectioned in four categories which are three weeks, three months, one year, and three years. This is a tool used to set goals and manage my life. Each year I review my blue print to ensure each goal is accomplished. My goals are similar to the six themes I have discussed.

I consider myself to be a successful person. I have managed to complete every major task I have set forth. I have an outstanding family with two beautiful children. I am scheduled to graduate in December 2010, and I have an awesome job. I am in process of simplifying consumption, and we are working toward spirituality. These are important goals that I and my family discuss on a regular basis. I continue to stay open for suggestions and constructive criticism. I am willing to explore whatever is necessary to work toward a wonderful and happy life. This year is a successful year.

We think happiness is good, therefore we seek it. The search for happiness can be endless if you do not know what you are searching for. Individuals find themselves never accomplishing their goals. We can choose to enjoy the adventure and explore as much as possible. Try to make a conscious resolution to be content. By having a peace of mind and satisfaction means you are happy with what you have and what you are. I received my results of a good life with a history of effectiveness and success. I have a general sense of what I feel are the best ways to get things done.

I set of process and principles that has worked well for me over many years. I am a detailed person who manages time, plans for the future, and a fan of great strategy. I choose to ignore the setbacks and I look at the big picture in order to guide myself and my organization to maximum results. A good life is a combination of many things. Everyone has their own interpretation of what a good life is. It starts with self development within individual. Many philosophers such as Epicurus and Socrates believe pleasure brings forth happiness (De Botton, 2000). I happen to agree.

Nothing matter to me more than my happiness. It is up to the individual to decide what pleasures them most. My life has had its many shares of a rollercoaster. I have made and learned from my mistakes. There is not anything that I regret nor wished didn’t happen during the years of my life. Without my mistakes, I would not have the opportunity to learn and grow. As a whole, I cherish my life I believe it is great. I am thankful for awaking each morning and for blessing me each day I have no reason to complain. I have experienced more than I ever dreamed of.

Most importantly, I am blessed in being a mother. My family is extremely important to me. They complete each and every accomplishment. In combination of each principle, task, and theme they all relate and evolve around one specific goal which is my family. What a great life!

• De Botton, A. (2000). The Consolations of Philosophy.
• New York: Pantheon Books. Graaf, J. , Naylor, T. , & Wann, D. (2001).
• Affluenza. San Francisco: Brerrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Tolstoy, L. (1993).
• Confession. Translated by David Patterson. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Cite this Page

A Good Life essay. (2017, Apr 17). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/a-good-life-essay/

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

More related essays

Arsh Atwal A Good Life does not have to be Complex April 6/2013 A good life is defined differently for everyone. Our parents, friends, and the media all comprise a.

Shauntral Pollard Mrs. Judice English 1302. 02 March 6, 2013 Life Is So Good Test George copes with his illiteracy with a positive attitude. An incident happened when George was.

Religion, Morality, and the Good Life Does morality depend on religion? Many believe the fundamental aspects of morality and religion join to form the basis on how one chooses to.

The article I have selected to summarize for this assignment is titled as ‘The Secret to Happiness’ by David Myers . This article discusses about the beauty and secret to.

There are several definitions of the technical term “good life” and there are countless standards on “how one should live”, however, there are two personalities that teach differently with regards.

Epicurus was a Greek philosopher. He was born, in the year 341 BCE, on the island of Samos, which is located a mile off of the western coast of Turkey..

Sometimes a lie is better than the truth. Now I’m not saying that you should lie to your parents about the dent on their car or lie to your friends.

It is sometimes inevitable to some employees who does not know Bert and John personally to become inferior and feel small than to those who can approach them easily, Poor.

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy

Save time and let our verified experts help you.

• Is the Good Life Found in Pursuing Happiness? Words: 733
• The Good Life Overrides the Moral Life Words: 1997
• The Good Life: Meaning and Analysing Words: 645
• “Good Life” From an Ethical Perspective Words: 504
• Philosophy of What Constitutes a Good Life Words: 1529
• Meaningfulness and Meaningless of Life Words: 921
• A Good Parent: Definition and Traits Words: 564
• The “Value Life as It Is” Manifesto Words: 926
• Longevity and Life Expansion Words: 953
• Eternal Life in John’s Gospel: Theological Perspective Words: 1381
• The Meaning of Life: A Discussion Words: 1209
• Life Before the Internet Versus After the Internet Words: 659

Definitions of a Good Life

At all times, philosophers and thinkers have been pondering what the Good Life is. This concept is subjective and can differ for every person because everyone views the world through the lens of their own values, beliefs, and experiences. As for me, the Good Life is the one where you are happy and satisfied with yourself and what you bring into the world. It is a life where you have the inner balance and feel like you are doing the right thing at every given moment. This paper aims to discuss the concepts related to the idea of the Good Life and reflect on what our society should aspire to achieve.

The concept of the Good Life refers to a meaningful and fulfilled life and is interwoven with the concept of a good society, with developed structure, values, and culture. Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle viewed morality, ethics, and flourishment as an integral part of the Good Life for each individual (Hobbs, 2018). Besides, Aristotle believed that people are hardwired to live in a polis or city; hence, he linked politics and social structure with ethics and moral choices (Hobbs, 2018). I agree with this idea and think that as a society, we should focus on growing together and making the world a better place. It can be achieved by managing resources wisely, maintaining sustainability, and providing equity and opportunities for everyone. The community where every individual is guided by morale and ethics is a key to the Good Life, and this is the state our society should aspire to achieve.

I believe our focus should be on sufficiency, equity, development, and improvement to ensure a good society and a good life. This perspective is consistent with the ideas discussed by O’Neill et al. (2018), who suggested strategies to enhance the quality of life and resource use within planetary boundaries. As per the World Health Organization, quality of life is “an individual’s perception of their position in life … in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns” (as cited in Carlquist et al., 2017, p. 481). Therefore, it seems utopian to attempt to provide the Good Life for everyone as the concept is subjective. For instance, for me, it includes being healthy, feeling comfortable and satisfied with myself, working toward my goals, and continuously growing as a person. At the same time, another person might see the Good Life as one where their basic needs are covered. The view of the universal Good Life suggested by O’Neill et al. (2018) is idealistic. However, with sufficient quality of life, everyone can be closer to their concept of happiness and satisfaction.

Another important concept associated with the Good Life is progress and its impact on society. Progress refers to a movement toward a better state or a higher stage. In this regard, the desire for the Good Life prompts society to evolve and develop. Progress is often defined as economic growth; however, some researchers criticize this perspective. For example, according to Coccia & Bellitto (2018), “the concept is stratified in manifold factors and includes both positive and negative dimensions in society” (p. 1). In other words, several complex factors of social and psychological nature can influence human behavior and, in turn, human progress. I can’t entirely agree with such criticism as I believe that economic growth contributes significantly to the quality of life and should be viewed as one of the primary contributions to the Good Life. For example, providing nations with quality health care, education, and job opportunities is progress as it allows for the improvement of life for individuals and society as a whole. On the contrary, maintaining the same level of living standards cannot be viewed as progress since it does not mean upgrading to a higher stage.

The idea of the Good Life is based on human values, such as equality, equity, and opportunity. Eliminating opportunity gaps in education and jobs is critical to provide more people with a foundation for the Good Life (Jonas & Yacek, 2018). I support this idea even though the ultimate equality seems unachievable in the real world. Nevertheless, we should value freedom and independence, assisting others in order to create a healthier society. Similarly, racial, ethnic, and gender equality needs to be provided, and people need to be protected from violence. I believe that the promotion of social and environmental justice is crucial for ensuring equal treatment for people and the good society.

In this regard, understanding the importance of concepts like progress, equity, and development contributed to my intention to enroll in my degree in Social Science Psychology. I believe that the program will help me develop a better understanding of the diversity and complexity of our society and the world where we live. Thus, I will be able to apply my knowledge to contribute to welfare promotion.

To sum up, different perspectives on the Good Life and ideas related to it are discussed in this paper. Every individual needs to determine their values and aspirations since they largely define a person’s view of the Good Life. A mindful and tolerant approach to organizing our society can help us consider different perspectives of happiness and provide people with equity and opportunities for growth.

Carlquist, E., Ulleberg, P., Delle Fave, A., Nafstad, H. E., & Blakar, R. M. (2017). Everyday understandings of happiness, good life, and satisfaction: Three different facets of well-being. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 12 (2), 481-505.

Coccia, M., & Bellitto, M. (2018). Human progress and its socioeconomic effects in society. Journal of Economic and Social Thought , 5 (2), 160-178. Web.

Hobbs, A. (2018) Philosophy and the good life. Journal of Philosophy in Schools, 5 (1), 20-37.

Jonas, M. E., & Yacek, D. W. (2018). Nietzsche’s philosophy of education: Rethinking ethics, equality and the good life in a democratic age . Routledge.

O’Neill, D. W., Fanning, A. L., Lamb, W. F., & Steinberger, J. K. (2018). A good life for all within planetary boundaries. Nature Sustainability , 1 (2), 88-95.

Cite this paper

• Chicago (N-B)
• Chicago (A-D)

StudyCorgi. (2022, January 22). Definitions of a Good Life. https://studycorgi.com/definitions-of-a-good-life/

"Definitions of a Good Life." StudyCorgi , 22 Jan. 2022, studycorgi.com/definitions-of-a-good-life/.

StudyCorgi . (2022) 'Definitions of a Good Life'. 22 January.

1. StudyCorgi . "Definitions of a Good Life." January 22, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/definitions-of-a-good-life/.

Bibliography

StudyCorgi . "Definitions of a Good Life." January 22, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/definitions-of-a-good-life/.

StudyCorgi . 2022. "Definitions of a Good Life." January 22, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/definitions-of-a-good-life/.

This paper, “Definitions of a Good Life”, was written and voluntary submitted to our free essay database by a straight-A student. Please ensure you properly reference the paper if you're using it to write your assignment.

Before publication, the StudyCorgi editorial team proofread and checked the paper to make sure it meets the highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, fact accuracy, copyright issues, and inclusive language. Last updated: November 9, 2023 .

If you are the author of this paper and no longer wish to have it published on StudyCorgi, request the removal . Please use the “ Donate your paper ” form to submit an essay.

What Is a Good Life and How To Live It

Introduction.

Living the good life can have different connotations to different people though in basic form, living a good life involves exploration that gives a person joy and satisfaction. A good life may mean finding purpose as well as meaning in life and obtaining happiness from what one does. Almost everyone aspires to live a good life though people have different meanings for what good life means to them. As some seek wealth, power, or social status to live a good life, others think living a good life entails having an honest, joyful, and happy life. This particular paper seeks to understand good life and how to live it by exploring what good life for everyone, how every person should live, the requirement for living good life, and the challenges and rewards of a good life.

What is a good life for everyone?

Living the good life for any person entails living a life that sets someone free, a life that fulfills a person, gives joy, happiness, and a sense of purpose in one’s life. A good life for everyone needs to be a worthwhile life, and one must also contribute to society instead of just living a self-centered life. Besides, a person living a good life must avoid mundane engagements. Life makes more sense and turns out to be good for everyone when everyone lives a life that adds value and plays a significant role in making the world a better place to live (Fischer 12). Giving such contributes significantly benefit one, especially in terms of personal growth. Achievement of a high standard of living alone may not be fulfilling as such, and for everyone to have a good life, there is a need for everyone to attain what they seek in life, which makes everyone free and live a good life.

Although people have a different purpose on what they want in life, a good life would be attained when everyone lives a purposeful life. A purposeful life deals with moving towards a specific goal that helps one align with personal values, passions, and things that make one happy. However, it is significantly important to admit that having a purposeful life is than it may sound since many people struggle with living a purposeful life. Apart from having a purposeful life for everyone, life needs to be a life of pleasure to be considered good. Live is worth living when every member of the society can experience pleasure since pleasure is fun and pleasant.

How should everyone live?

After understanding what good life for everyone entails, there is a need to consider how everyone needs to live that good life. Some experts claim that living a good life is not a sprint but rather an exerting marathon of perseverance, purpose, patience, and passion. Everyone living a good life means something they are doing that gives them joy, helps one develop love towards others, and attain the intended success. Living a good life involves observing some golden rules that members of the community need to ensure they observe while living a good life.

Achieving good life for everyone in the community demands people to live in harmony and promote peace. By doing so, society can maintain social order and hence have the freedom to do some of the things that make one feel satisfied, fulfilled, and do your own things to fulfill the purpose (Manuel et al. 35). Secondly, for every community member to attain a good life, critical virtues and values need to be observed, particularly respect. Respect greatly help in bringing a conducive environment whereby everyone lives without overstepping boundaries or doing things that would affect other peoples’ joy and happiness.

Furthermore, for every member of the community to attain a good life, it demands all people to be selfless and avoid things like greed, which promotes self-interests to appoint of doing anything irrespective of moral concept to attain what one wishes. Through selfless life, one can attain what they have worked for and give others an opportunity to also attain what they wish through working hard and exploiting the available resources. Some members of society have engaged in corruption deals because of being selfish and want them to be the only persons who have everything and achieve social status.

Society significantly needs to develop laws that everyone must abide by and be aware of to avoid engaging in some behaviors that can definitely interfere with life of others. Laws should for maintain tranquility and order. Through laws, it becomes possible to discourage vices that may interfere with the good life of others, including robbery or stealing.

What is required to live such a life?

Achieving a good life, especially for every community member, is not a walk in the park and demands observation of some golden tips. One of them includes experiencing true pleasure, which means one needs to keep their life simple. Since every person is after pleasure, there is a need to avoid shallow and transient pleasure, which sometimes only lasts within a short period. To attain the purpose, one has and live a good life, there demand extra working hard and working towards achieving the goal one has. Without working hard or towards the goal, it turns out to be extremely difficult to access some of the things that facilitate living a good life (Sutton 20). Money is one of the things that help people to get anything they wish, and without working hard to get money, it becomes extremely difficult to attain basic needs like food and other basic needs.People should also avoid excess and live in harmony. Too much ambitions make a member of society interfere with the life of others by disturbing them, especially when one engages in things that demand consideration of morality questions. Living a happy life demands members of the be responsible human beings and avoid emerging in things that could adversely affect lower other peoples’ life way of living a good life. Take care of those around you as well as consider preserving the surroundings since it is the source of everything we enjoy including food. Time management is also another consideration that greatly influences good life. When time is effectively used, one manages to fulfill their dreams within the stipulated time.

What are the challenges and rewards of such a life?

Although attaining a good life is possible, some factors significantly hinder people from attaining a good life. one of them is the presence of disasters and accidents that sometimes entirely change one’s life. Attaining a good life can also render one into some behaviors that affect their lives. A good life like achieving goals and living a luxurious life can make a person engage in things like just sleeping, eating, and doing nothing can affect one’s health by gaining too much weight and exposing one to lifestyle like heart problems (Sutton 41). Being health is part of living a good health and this means that all people need to be concerned with their health, and avoid things that can affect their health. In such a scenario, instead of a person enjoying life and living a good life, they end up living a life full of frustrations due to pain and interference.

When only a portion of the community members attain a good life, others are left in distress and discouraged. Such frustrations have significantly contributed to mental health complications, which explains why the rate of suicidal cases is very apparent today. Good life for everyone is very rewarding in many ways, including living in harmony since everyone is enjoying life and has everything they need. Therefore, no need to engage in activities that could interfere with other peoples’ lives.

Conclusion 

Living a good life has a different meaning to different people though some of the basic things that help to identify a good life mean living a free life, having happiness, and other things like purposeful life. The paper has managed to define what good life entails, the means of living a good life, and some of the considerations that favor good life before looking at some of the challenges and benefits that arise from having a good life. society members need to understand what good life entails and how attaining it is as simple as knowing what one wants life and working towards it.

Fischer, Edward F.  The good life . Stanford University Press, 2020. Retrieved from https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9780804792615/html

Manuel, Tiffany. “How Does One Live the Good Life?: Assessing the State of Intersectionality in Public Policy.”  The Palgrave handbook of intersectionality in public policy . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019. 31-58. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-98473-5_2

Sutton, Anna. “Living the good life: A meta-analysis of authenticity, well-being and engagement.”  Personality and Individual Differences  153 (2020): 109645.

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Related Essays

Contrasting biblical and secular views on suicide response, annunciation by john collier, langston hughes’s conception of the african american experience in a racialized society, the use of irony in “the story of an hour” and “sweat”, comparing reefer madness and beauty and the beast, michael pollan’s “an animal’s place”, popular essay topics.

• American Dream
• Artificial Intelligence
• Black Lives Matter
• Bullying Essay
• Career Goals Essay
• Causes of the Civil War
• Child Abusing
• Civil Rights Movement
• Community Service
• Cultural Identity
• Cyber Bullying
• Death Penalty
• Depression Essay
• Domestic Violence
• Freedom of Speech
• Global Warming
• Gun Control
• Human Trafficking
• I Believe Essay
• Immigration
• Importance of Education
• Israel and Palestine Conflict
• Leadership Essay
• Legalizing Marijuanas
• Mental Health
• National Honor Society
• Police Brutality
• Pollution Essay
• Racism Essay
• Romeo and Juliet
• Same Sex Marriages
• Social Media
• The Great Gatsby
• The Yellow Wallpaper
• Time Management
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Violent Video Games
• What Makes You Unique
• Why I Want to Be a Nurse
• Send us an e-mail

How to Achieve a Good Life? Essay

Introduction, a good life, moral virtues.

Life is a mode of existence and it reflects the experiences of living that characterize human beings whether they are good or bad. It is confounding to describe what a good life is, since it applies to both material life and moral life. For instance, having immense wealth and ability to enjoy every form of pleasure that ever existed on earth can mean that one is living a good life.

On the other hand, living in accordance with the social, religious, and personal morals and ethics means that one is also living a good life. The latter description of good life applies across the board since everybody has the ability to achieve it for everyone has the capacity to think and act morally. This essay explores what a good life is and describes plan of achieving it in terms of integrity, honesty, responsibility, and state obligation.

Living a good life morally means living in accordance with the ethics and morals of the society. A person living a good life expresses virtues such integrity, honesty, responsibility, and obligation to the rules of the state. Although human beings pursue material and intellectual gains as they struggle towards self-actualization, these gains cannot earn them the virtue of being good, but they will rather pass for hardworking individuals.

The rich people have wealth because of their hardworking character and they can access good things of life that bring happiness and pleasure, and live a good life materially; nevertheless, this does not make them good. A poor person can live a miserable life of poverty but with good moral life, while on the contrary, a rich person can live a good life of pleasure and happiness, but with bad moral life. Therefore, when “good” describes virtues, pleasure and happiness due to money cannot make life good.

Morals and ethics that individuals observe to express virtues in life cause them to lead a good life. Integrity and honesty are two virtues that enhance people’s lives and they are inseparable because one cannot have integrity without being honesty or vice versa. Educationally, integrity is a skill that demands learning and continued practice in order to internalize the virtue.

The development of integrity is a life-long process that needs patience and endurance since it is a skill. If likened to a building, honesty and truth are two central pillars that support integrity as a virtue throughout the life of an individual. To develop this virtue of integrity in life, one must always adhere to its two pillars, because integrity is not a discrete achievement but a continuous achievement that needs constant efforts to maintain it.

Responsibility is a powerful virtue which if exercised well by an individual, it does not only yield great benefits to the individual, but also to other people and the entire society. The golden rule demands that there must be reciprocal responsibility in the society to enable people live harmoniously.

Sense of responsibility in the society lessens the impacts of problems experienced because of collective response that lead to immediate solution. Becoming part of the solution in the society is being responsible and the excuse of blaming others would not arise. Since rights and responsibility relate to one another, it requires one to act within the limits of rights to become responsible. Therefore, the rights that govern social norms and regulations give one the degree of responsibility to struggle and attain good life for the benefit of all.

Citizens have a moral obligation to respect and advocate for the common interests of all people. For justice and peace to flourish in the society, citizens have great moral obligation to ensure they report criminal activities, help the poor, and conserve the environment. By doing this, they foster their states’ bid to build justice and a peace in society where virtues spring up, and thus a good life.

Like responsibility, adherence to the laws of the land will enable one to develop a sense of obligation to the state. It is a great obligation of the citizens to help the state fight vices in the society and the best way to do it is by becoming loyal to the laws and being active in enforcing them. The concerted efforts of the state and its citizens will improve the lives of the people resulting into a good life.

To achieve good life based on observance of moral principles demands strict observance and application of ethics in everything. Complete observance of ethics yields virtues that make life good in any community.

The goodness of a person cannot result from material wealth, but it emerges from the good moral qualities that one has achieved in life. Virtues like integrity, honesty, responsibility, and obligation to the state are attributes of an individual and have no material value attached to them. This means that, a good life does not mean wealthy living.

• Teleological and Deontological Theories of Ethics Definition
• Introduction to the Utilitarianism Theory
• The Importance of Academic Honesty
• Aristotle’s Account of Pleasure
• Debate on Drug Legalization: A Matter of Responsibility and Honesty
• Aristotle’s Ethical Theory
• Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Sides of Abortion
• Which is Basic in Ethics: Happiness or Obligation
• The NAEYC Code of Ethical Conduct
• Moral Dilemma Between the Right Thing to Do and What Is Good Argumentative
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2018, August 4). How to Achieve a Good Life? https://ivypanda.com/essays/life/

"How to Achieve a Good Life?" IvyPanda , 4 Aug. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/life/.

IvyPanda . (2018) 'How to Achieve a Good Life'. 4 August.

IvyPanda . 2018. "How to Achieve a Good Life?" August 4, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/life/.

1. IvyPanda . "How to Achieve a Good Life?" August 4, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/life/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "How to Achieve a Good Life?" August 4, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/life/.

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Quality of Life — Living a Good Life

Living a Good Life

• Categories: Quality of Life

About this sample

Words: 579 |

Published: Mar 20, 2024

Words: 579 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Physical well-being, mental well-being, meaningful relationships, personal growth.

Cite this Essay

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below:

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified writer

• Expert in: Life

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 325 words

2 pages / 895 words

1 pages / 617 words

5 pages / 2080 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Quality of Life

Nabokov’s Speak, Memory is a work that focuses as much on the process of recollection of memories as on the memories that are being recollected. Nabokov’s patient and repetitive interrogation of his memories shows the [...]

The doctrine, originally coined by Samuel T. Coleridge in his 1817 publication of Biographia listeria, ‘suspension of disbelief’ is built, principally, on the idea that, in order to fully immerse in the fictional world, it is [...]

In the past sixteen years I have faced various challenges that have molded my personality to as it is today. I went through a very tough stage in my social life when I was in grade seven and eight at the age of twelve and [...]

The cornerstone of birthday parties; the item of choice for food at 3AM: Pizza, something that everyone loves. For me, I went as far as pretending to be lactose intolerant to avoid eating it. I hate pizza. Whenever I can, I [...]

Grandpa, I don't have a lot of fantastic childhood memories. There are no spectacular family adventures, no unique family projects that teach some sort of lesson, and no abnormal holidays. We eat family meals together, but most [...]

Paul J. Flory was an activist, scientist, journalist, chemist, and educator all in one. He was born on June 19, 1910 in Sterling, Illinois, of Ezra Flory and Martha Brumbaugh. His father, Ezra Flory, was a Brethren [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free