What is the Good Life?

For some time now, I’ve been pondering the significance of the American Dream in our pursuit of happiness. I’ve often wondered how much our adult happiness depends on making our childhood dreams come true, given how little we knew about what we should be dreaming about as children. I’ve been thinking about whether or not our aspirations lead us to turn inward, toward our families, and whether or not we view turning outward, toward our communities, as a hindrance or a slowing down of the process of achieving our dreams.

Darwin explains that these emotions are motivated by natural selection’s action at the level of the individual. My offspring inherit my genes. It’s easy to get stuck in the rut of prioritizing my immediate family’s well-being over the welfare of my neighbors. As a mother of a 3-month-old infant, I can relate to this sentiment. There is an undeniable biological element to my retreating inward to shield my child from harm. My passion for my child is all-consuming. When I go to bed at night, I tell myself, “Well, I kept this human being alive today. That seems like a sufficient amount. The term “own” is used loosely, but we do look out for our own.

Finding the Good Life

Finding The Good Life through one’s own efforts is a good starting point, but I don’t think it’s the final destination. When other people are happy and healthy, I am happy and healthy. Darwin would concur with this interpretation. Darwin recognized that it is at the tribal level that civilization thrives. Collaborative groups who look out for one another have a greater chance of success than those who operate independently. No single human being has ever been able to successfully hunt a large predator. Personal and social flourishing depend on being part of a strong community.

The best way to turn a diverse, disconnected group into a team is to get them to build something together, as Jonathan Sacks points out. Through communal experiences, we grow in virtuousness, fortitude, and dedication to the common good. We all know each other on a local level. It’s civilized life with a face. It’s not a governmental body. Whoever we pay to ensure the safety of others is not responsible for this. It’s the effort we put in individually and collectively. I’ve witnessed it in many settings, including sports teams, classrooms, churches, community groups, and vacationing groups. The antidote to isolationism is fellowship.

How do you define a life well-lived?

Things I kept to myself are still bothering me. I’m taking it as a friendly prod to slowly reintegrate myself into the group and find out how people are doing.

Continue Reading...

Enough With Free Clothes

I attended my first clothing swap eight years ago and was immediately hooked. As I began training for my first triathlon, a woman who was retiring from triathlon competing gave me all of her running clothes. Women who had finished their pregnancies gave maternity clothes to new mothers. A woman wearing the same jean size ... Read more

The Joys and Challenges of Moving to a New Home

I’m suddenly on the move again. Most people dislike moving, but I’ve always enjoyed it. There are so many lovely places to live, so many different environments to inhabit. I also like the reminder that people are my primary residence and that space is secondary. The Excess of Material Possessions Another thing I enjoy about ... Read more

What is the Good Life?

For some time now, I’ve been pondering the significance of the American Dream in our pursuit of happiness. I’ve often wondered how much our adult happiness depends on making our childhood dreams come true, given how little we knew about what we should be dreaming about as children. I’ve been thinking about whether or not ... Read more

Summers at the Farm

The “farm” features a lake, some canoes and kayaks, a permaculture garden, and several acres of woods in addition to a rustic four-bedroom, two-story farmhouse, an old red barn converted into an events rental, and a granary converted into a screened-in porch. We have the place to ourselves and don’t run into anyone the entire ... Read more

The Power of Purging [Your Possessions]

The act of purging is vital. This helps get unused items into the hands of those who can make better use of them. In order to be resourceful and effective with our recirculation methods, we need to find means to purge on a regular basis. After 27 years in the same house, a friend of ... Read more

The Pitfalls of Personalization: Isolation in a Customized World

Do you know about the new personalized Coke cans? It’s your coke can now, begging the question, what were you drinking before? Coca-Cola generic? Coca-Cola meant for everyone? Thanks to modern technology, you can finally have a can made specifically for you. Having a lot of stuff isn’t satisfying anymore. Our society places a premium ... Read more

Guilt and Gratitude

All of us are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. However, I believe that it is more common for people to feel guilty until they are able to convince themselves of their innocence. ‘Catholic guilt’ is a common punchline in pop culture. Rather than being raised a Catholic, I was raised as the daughter ... Read more