I’m not an expert in philosophy or how to live a good life
but I find the idea fascinating. There’s so much out there in the world that is
vying for our attention and is trying to convince us that their idea or their
product is the answer to what makes a good life. Less people are simply asking
the question and having the conversation.
This is what I’m hoping to do with this blog – to have a
conversation – I guess this starts with myself but I’m hoping you’ll join in.
Starting afresh with no paid work and no one creating
deadlines for me feels like being given a fresh start, a clean slate. A few
weeks in and I’m beginning to realise that’s not fully the case – there’s still
housework to do, errands to run, people to see, but now I have so many more choices
and one of the things that I want to explore is how to do this well. How am I
going to live the good life as a writer, a wife, a friend, in my family, my
church, my local community? I’m hoping that perhaps some of these questions
resonate with you and we can explore the answers together.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle had some ideas about how to
a live a good life. He used the word ‘eudaimonia’ which is tricky to translate
into English – sometimes it gets translated ‘happiness’ which is a little misleading
as this could be associated with hedonism but Aristotle meant more than this
and a better definition is ‘flourishing’. This is an odd word and not one we
tend to use about ourselves. An on-line dictionary defined it as ‘developing
rapidly and successfully, thriving’. Aristotle believed that the desire to
flourish is within each one of us.
There are many things that encompass a life, some of which I
hope to consider in later posts. If I were to think of one thing that is
holding me back from flourishing at the moment it would be fear. Starting this
process of writing is such a break away from the routine of a school term and
planning lessons and marking. The unknown quality of this new way of life is
daunting as is actually writing words that I hope someone will want to read.
There is a lot of self-doubt and questioning going on in my mind on a regular
basis but I am learning to push through the fear fog. I am reminding myself
that when I look back on my life I do not want to have a long list of ‘what
if’s…’ and I certainly don’t want writing to be something I miss out on.
As I’ve been watching the recent series of Bake Off I’ve
noticed that we can visibly see some of them going through their own versions
of self-doubt. It’s one of the things that I think as an audience draws us in. We recognise the anxiety and then rejoice in their delight when the bake or
the flavours receive praise. I have been impressed by Val, who perhaps has not
been the greatest baker and has been criticised for always having an
answer to the questions or reactions of Mary & Paul, but she stands her
ground. She rarely apologises for what she has done and she takes
responsibility for the things that work and the things that don’t but the highs
and the lows do not diminish her as a person. She recognises the opportunity
that she has been given and goes for it. This is the attitude I want to adopt.
Another way ‘eudaimonia’ has been translated is to mean
‘well being’ - this seems to be one of
the buzz words of the moment – just showing that these ideas don’t go away,
that we are still asking the same questions and wanting that good life for
ourselves.
So, what do you think? What one thing would make it easier
to flourish in your life at the moment? What are the ways that you try to make
flourishing a reality in your life?
I think that starting a conversation about all this is a wonderful idea. (Hopefully it will take all our minds off the trauma of the Great British Bake Off Sell Off!) I think that through sharing ideas we can all help each other find happiness, wellbeing, eudaimonia, flourishing or whatever each individual decides is the right word that describes for them what it is to go beyond just existing on this amazing planet and to find purpose and contentment in that.
ReplyDeleteWhat would make it easier to flourish? Well luckily for me, you don't ask whether the answer should be something that is within my control (as I need some time to think about that!). One thing that I think would make it easier for us all to flourish that I can't change (although perhaps we slowly can through conversations like this?) is for capitalism, consumerism and ‘science’ to have their status lowered from what seems to have become surrogate religion. This is powerfully (in my opinion) described in Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig, page 189:
https://southseabookworm.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/reasons-the-world-e1427708378588.jpg
And some of the ways I try to make flourishing a reality in my life are succinctly described by someone who has contributed significantly to shining a torch on that path for me (along with my parents, Nic and, of course, you) in his blog which can be found here in part 2:
https://philosophy-of-cbt.com/2013/02/20/introduction-to-stoicism-the-three-disciplines/
David Smith talks about this a bit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21rSYYhDafA
He now gives talks in schools about his experiences with the intention of motivating pupils to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ as Susan Jeffers would say (and as you are doing!) :)
Thanks for replying. I see that Dave Smith spoke at the College last week!! Was he talking about writing?
DeleteIt is interesting that you mention 'purpose' - this is a theme that someone else has picked up on from my FB post about this whole idea of flourishing. This is something I plan to consider in a later post...
The ability to change is an interesting one and I guess the whole concept of flourishing presumes that we do have the ability to make choices and as a result fhange for the better or not. I would thinkg all of the people you reference would argue that 'change' is necessary if we are to move forwards and flourish.
Hi Suzi, what a great idea this blog is and so good that people are engaging with it.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting question to me is how flourishing as an individual is connected with flourishing together with other people, as a family, as a community or as a nation, or as a continent, or some other collective identity or even as mankind. I wonder whether (a) there is a limit to flourishing (b) the right conditions for flourishing can be cultivated and (c) there is inherent conflict and/or common humanity in flourishing.
I think that the flourishing of one person can be inspiring to those around them, and flourishing can be passed on in that way (whereas depression and struggles cannot). What flourishing means to one person may be different in practice and content from to the flourishing of another, but the sense of it, what it means and how it feels I think are the same for everyone. We have one way to be happy but a million ways to be unhappy, as the saying goes.
As Steve says (hello, Steve), in some ways our economy-driven, science-based and tech-led culture and can be at the expense of flourishing but actually I think it supports flourishing. People can and do flourish anywhere, and people can and do fail to flourish in most favourable surroundings. So it seems to me that the ability to flourish partly depends on individual mental capacity, and stress or illness or adverse events will damage anyone's ability to flourish. And partly, the ability to flourish depends on having a strategy. These two sides to flourishing as I see it are the same ideas as your two questions.
As to whether (a) there is a limit to flourishing, I think there must be, like the state of happiness is not permanent, but fleeting, and because our human brains work to solve problems so we also need to (and inevitably do) encounter challenges; (b) the right conditions for flourishing can be cultivated, I think it is the life's work of every individual to create them (chasing after the good life) and (c) there is inherent conflict and/or common humanity in flourishing, I think maybe there is.
To answer your two (very good) questions personally, I need a certain amount of variety in my free time to compensate for the routine of work, I need exercise to compensate for the sedantry nature of work, I need to feel the wind on my face and see the ocean (or a river) and to get out of the office and out of the house, and I need good conversations with people to forget about work and routine (but I can't do that by myself, so I can only truly flourish with other people who enjoy the same types of conversation).
To be more bland, this is basically work-life balance! And it's why I love running and sport. Take care, and I look forward to reading your blog, it's brave and brilliant.
Hey E,
DeleteThanks for responding. I'm really interested in the idea about individual and communal flourishing - Aristotle clearly felt that was a direct impact on the community when individuals are flourishing. This ideas raises so many questions for me - ranging things like, how much damage did Thatcher's emphasis on individualism and capitalism have on communal living and thinking? to why do people choose to seperate themselves and live in community - do shared ideals and beliefs lead to greater communal flourishing. There are so many things that touch on this question - I recently saw a short presentation comparing Danish and American teachers and the way in which they are valued. Values seem to be a key thing I think in communal flourishing and perhaps where these are at odds it doesn't work. Hmm - there is a lot to consider here!