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The first essence of a "good life" is an emotional balance, a kind of acceptance or adaptability. Lacking this, no success will be sufficient, and no failure would be too minor. It need not be an ascetic rejection or a primitive settling for whatever harshness life visits upon on. No is it a turn-the-other-cheek smarmy surrender. But it must be a self-forgiveness, an allowing of oneself to go on, to function, to pursue, to ponder and to sense. No amount of prestige, plaudits, gains, power or even physical health, is enough to offset a disquieted mind beset by perambulations of self-judgment and guilt. We need a firmness with our own selves... nay, not a harshness, but a license function without too much second-guessing.
Those of us who lack such emotional balance, are in a quest to first find it, before stating any other goal.. like finding love, getting ahead in life, attaining affluence, winning in sports, writing a novel and so on.
Ignoring money madness, a "good life" should be having the means and opportunity to generate surplus goods and services, equitably traded and enjoyed. And with those proceeds, construct / obtain an autonomous, disaster resistant domicile. If practical, include edible landscaping, permaculture, and on-site food production. The goal is to be self sufficient, independent and at liberty to pursue happiness without impediment.
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Personal preference would be to have a superinsulated SCIP concrete house, capable of operating without grid based utilities, and unaffected by natural disasters.
Last edited by jetgraphics; 04-02-2022 at 01:01 AM..
My concept of the "good life" is about the same as yours.
While money can't buy you happiness in some absolute sense, basic financial and food security forms the basis for anything beyond the struggle for survival. It's been shown that increased income DOES increase happiness, TO A POINT. And that point is WAY before you're some high-riding billionaire with more money than sense.
After that, yes, curiosity and learning about the world and how best to be in it without angst is its own reward.
I would add that the good life should involve relationships that organically and without excessive effort, are mutually enjoyable and rewarding without significant cross-currents and undertows. That may be the only part of my dream of the good life that is unobtanium, though. I mean I'm not asking for effortless relationships, just ones where effort and intent are somewhat equal to reward. In general I find people far too complicated and inconsistent for that to be true, and the feeling is probably mutual by now, lol.
I might argue this is the ONLY requirement for a good life, especially if you have the advantages of being US born/naturalized as it seems... most everybody on CD Forum is.
I'd have to say my own personal definition of having a good life is fairly similar in the material sense to that of those who have already answered , though IMHO achieving a permanent state of living a good life in the non material sense is illusory .
Life as such is rather transitory in my view , especially in the non material sense , therefore one can certainly be in a very miserable state of mind in spite of having no material difficulties .
Of course that is a subject of its own altogether , so to round off my thoughts I may as well state that in my opinion living the good life in the non material sense means doing your best at achieving emotional/psychological/spiritual peace on your own terms to the extent that is possible .
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