It is everyone’s desire and ultimate goal to live and pursue a happy life. Many work so hard throughout their lifetime to achieve and accomplish what they think will bring them true happiness, whether it is associated with some type of monetary value or extrinsic value, and for others, true happiness is associated solely with intrinsic value. All around the world, people strive and face challenges on a daily basis to ultimately live “the happy life” and each person has his own definition and different way in attaining what is known to be the good life. What seems to be very basic and ordinary for someone could be a fantasy for another person who is less fortunate and limited from taking advantage of the opportunities that life has to offer. For instance, a child who lives in undeveloped parts of Africa would dream of the lives that we live today in an advanced and civilized country like the United States. That child’s fantasy and definition of “good life” would be all about receiving education, having clean food and water and a safe place to live which to us, these factors sound very normal and basic human necessities. By my definition, those who live the happy life have a positive, optimistic view on life and a stable mental health which, therefore, influences one’s soul to be positive and in peace and proves the interrelatedness of a healthy soul and a happy life. My stance on this topic is that if one’s soul is happy, healthy and a harmony is present between his soul and his actions in daily life, he is one step closer to achieving the happy life than someone who is pessimistic, in battle with his soul and his emotions and sees extrinsic value in true happiness.
As mentioned in his book called The Republic, Plato strongly believed that the soul and one’s actions are closely connected to each other. He states, “A man is wise if that small element in him callled reason governs according to what is good for the soul’s three elements, for their own sakes and in their mutual relations” (Plato, 37). This means that it is the duty of reason to enable a person to make a healthy decision based on what is good for his own sake, not the effects that it will bring along later.
Life in the present day is full of exciting and complex challenges and changes. Changes that in turn affect both the physical and mental aspects of a human being. Inevitably facing these challenges and changes, human beings tend to pay more attention to their physical health and often ignore their mental health. However, the importance of mental health is no less, if not more important than physical health. According to mentalhealth.gov, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being; It affects how we think, feel, and act.”
A person who can overcome the stresses of everyday life can be described as a person with good mental health and they are capable of leading an independent life. Factors such as being cheerful, having a positive outlook on life, setting goals to achieve and making healthy relationships are all components of forming a good mental health which will therefore shape a healthy soul. It’s important to note that all the mentioned factors include an intrinsic value and are spiritual and they cannot be purchased with money. Seneca, another philosopher also agreed upon the fact that true happiness must be “solid, constant, and more beautiful in its more hidden parts” rather than something that is only beautiful on the outside, and worthless on the inside.
What would a good life be summarized as? Healthy partnerships, emotional harmony, reason and logic, having hobbies, judgement and stress free thoughts and to some extent, financial stability would be some of the key points that contribute to having a good life. The good life is often seen as a state in which a human being exhibits total virtue. As plato described it, a virtue can be defined as one having total moral excellence. In addition, virtue is an essential part of a good life, however, the good life cannot only be achieved by being virtuous. It is important to note that both Plato’s and Seneca’s ideology regarding virtue is very similar. Just like plato, seneca also defined virtue as a way in which one leads his life according to reason.
The idea of character development plays a vital role in personal excellence. Moreover, intellectual excellence, often summarized as theoretical knowledge, is a major point that affects one’s reasoning and decision making abilities. It is one’s decisions that are the determining factor whether he will be harmonious and in peace with his soul and live a happy life or, it can be the total opposite, should he make negative and bad choices. In a letter to his brother called “On the Happy Life,” Seneca stated, “The happy man is content with his present lot, no matter what it is, and is reconciled to his circumstances; the happy man is he who allows reason to fix the value of every condition of existence.” This means that one who has a peace of mind and a harmonious life, will not be eager to want more of what he cannot afford and be ungrateful towards the things that he already holds a position in. Another point that both Plato and Seneca would agree upon would be the fact that a human being should have control and moderate his desires. By moderating the desires, one would create a divine-like state of tranquility within his inner self and he would be less allured to be drawn towards the immoral life-decisions and eagerness.
The happy life entails the spiritual inner components of one’s healthy soul such as having virtues. The two mainly discussed philosophers, Plato and Seneca, also believed that true happiness is not about extrinsic factors or about being extremely wealthy, but rather it is about having a harmony between the soul and actions, having moral virtues and developing good habits which will therefore construct a healthy soul and lead to a happy life. Those who are optimistic, have the ability to reason and have created a harmony between their emotions and actions have a good mental health. A good mental health is then followed by a happy soul which will enable one to successfully achieve a happy life. The good life without either of the elements such as containment and inner tranquility cannot be accomplished in its true essence. The ability to reason and make proper decisions is the foundation of one’s healthy soul. Once a man begins to appreciate the things that he has achieved during his life, he will begin to realize and understand the first step in leading a happy life.