“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.”
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 350 B.C.

In the heat of the summer and of the racial protests here in the US, we realize that the virus was only one of the symptoms of a much larger pandemic. The world has been suffering for a long time, and it seems that now we are finally able to realize it and hopefully act on it.

Thomas Jefferson’s “original rough draft” of the Declaration of Independence, reads: “We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness.”

Interestingly enough, this document was drafted on 1776 A.C., while a stunningly mirroring 1754 B.C. is the date attributed to the code of Hammurabi, which was a set of 282 laws based on social stratification depending on social status and gender, of slave versus free, man versus woman [1]. We may wonder at times like these, which code we are really living by.

Right now, though, something different is happening: rather than spending time wondering what is and what has been, we see space for what it could be, space for change. Thanks to COVID19 and the measures taken to contain it, old systems, rules and patterns of behavior have been changed, removed, refused, revisited. Things have been crumbling down and now we are left looking at what has been exposed. And what do we see?

This is an open question, and the feeling is that it will remain open for a very long time, that the vase of Pandora has been uncovered and more waves of upheaval will be coming out. But let’s not be scared, for no matter how difficult, sad and painful, it’s also incredibly powerful and hopeful and alive. This is not the time to close our eyes or look away. Let’s dive into the wave and swim profoundly towards the opportunity for change and the pursuit of happiness under the guide of a wise soul of the past.

Subjective Happiness – The Exercise of Virtue

“He is Happy who lives in accordance with complete Virtue and is sufficiently equipped with external goods, not for some chance period but throughout a complete life.”
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 350 B.C.

2300 years after their enunciation, Aristotelian Ethics, which introduced the “science of happiness”, encompass all the characteristics of the contemporary concept of subjective happiness: self-realization, finding a meaning and the flow of creative involvement with life. As a matter of fact, for Aristotle happiness does not mean fanatically applying rules and principles, but rather engaging with the texture of life, doing the right thing in every situation, even if it’s not immediately pleasurable but will bring the best outcome in the end. In his approach, instant gratification finds little place.

The philosopher pushes us to act towards goals that are inherently good, whose reward lies in their own experience, and not in the expectation of some future benefit. Acting this way, a person conquers that state of “flow” that is a decisive component of happiness and is guided to behave righteously and always aim at being the best version of himself.

Happiness, for Aristotle, depends on acquiring a moral character, where one displays the virtues of courage, generosity, justice, friendship, and citizenship in one’s life. As the main protagonist of our life, we need to choose virtuous actions on every occasion, while adapting to different circumstances. Virtue doesn’t have to be intended as a rigid set of rules and guidelines, but comes with flexibility in that every individual is unique, and being a good person through daily acts will vary from individual to individual. Each of us needs to get in touch with his/her conscience and find his/her ethical way of acting.

For Aristotle, the Virtuous behavior lies, at an individual level, in the “Golden Mean”: a middle way between excess and deficiency of certain characteristics that vary according to the nature of the individual. A passionate nature for example, would have a middle point in his fiery approach to life that would probably be considered an excess by someone with a mellower disposition. As soon as the philosopher begins to lay down some moral rules, he relaxes them in order to take into consideration the variety and contingency of particular temperaments.

Compared to other philosophical views, Aristotle’s approach is indeed profoundly human, his philosophy is ingrained and centered around human experience. In our pursuit of happiness we can’t disregard limiting conditions such as primary needs for shelter, nourishment and social bonds in order to reach long lasting contentment and realization. For him, happiness requires the fulfillment of all our human potentialities and needs to have a theoretical as well as a pragmatic aspect.

“Ethics”, he says, “unlike the other branches of philosophy, has a practical aim. For we are not investigating the nature of being a good person for the sake of knowing what it is, but in order that we may become good, without which result our investigation would be of no use.” [2] In other words, this ancient pillar of wisdom is telling us that talking about being good and doing good, or intellectually acknowledging ethical philosophy is of no benefit, if we don’t use this knowledge to actually modify our own ambitions, behavior and thoughts, towards ourselves and others. We need to ACT in a good way, not talk about or understand Virtue, but EXERCISE VIRTUE, a moral conduct, constantly, according to our own natural disposition and temperament.

The way in which we exercise virtue is by the active engagement with our own communities. Without engaging with others, he thought, we couldn’t possibly train and practice that Virtue that is at the origin of our happiness. A Virtue that “comes as the result of goodness, along with a learning process and effort”.

Collective Happiness – A State of Friendship

“Being loved, however, people enjoy for its own sake, and for this reason it would seem it is something better than being honored and that friendship is chosen for its own sake”
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 350 B.C.

For Aristotle, individual happiness was not possible if there was a lack of collective happiness. We can’t be happy if others are not happy, we can’t be free and safe if others are not free and safe.

In his Ethics he urged the creation of a State-system based on “civic concord”, which describes an attitude of unflinching responsibility and goodwill toward the fellow individuals constituting your State. He believed that a base of friendship among citizens was necessary and the State had the moral duty of ensuring and encouraging the possibility for these trustful bonds to happen, securing what is opportune for everybody in a morally and conscientious way.

Aristotle’s ideal state is therefore a magnification of personal relationships, of virtuous friendships. A virtuous friendship is one that is most enjoyable since it combines pleasure and virtue together, thus fulfilling our emotional and intellectual natures.

Those who can’t form meaningful bonds would hence be the ones to take unfair advantage of the system and their fellow citizens, gaining maybe possessions but losing respect and not fulfilling their pursuit of happiness, for if they don’t create goodness they won’t receive it, and their emotional and rational mind will remain unfulfilled. A balanced and harmonious environment would be one where everyone takes his share of gains and burdens, in the reciprocal attention to everyone’s wellbeing, which will in turn reflect onto their own happiness.

Goodness directed toward other people is therefore a foundational constituent of your own happiness. This concept of interconnectedness that is so relevant and present today for all of us, was very clear to Aristotle. The Aristotelian thinkers would be living in families and actively engage with their communities, and would be using their rational mind to behave morally and pursue wholesome pleasures, creating happiness for themselves and others.

The creation of a balanced system as the base for happiness, is not just limited to the realm of human relationships. It extends organically to the relationship with Nature and our surroundings. The Greek philosopher in fact cherished harmonious relationships not only among people – which he considered wonderfully gifted animals – but also among all living beings, Nature and the Cosmos. Son of a well-respected doctor, Aristotle was not only a philosopher, but also an empirical natural scientist (among many other things), interested in the granular aspect of the world and fascinated by the materiality of the universe perceivable through our senses. He had a luminous awareness of the importance of combining with love our intellectual and physical nature: in his view our rational mind (which, differently from his predecessors, he positioned in the HEART) and our body, are an inseparable tool conducive to truth and goodness.

A very simple application of these principles

How can we make all this happen? According to Aristotle, big changes are the result of repeated small actions, therefore we invite you to start by simply and easily applying actions that you repeat daily, let’s say, for one month. At the end of each day take 2 minutes to reflect on how you felt while acting that way and what were the consequences on others.

So, here’s the daily plan: the objective is to choose ONE small action that makes someone around you happy or happier:

• Something you’re not used to doing and you want to start experimenting. For example, starting to express gratitude towards people who did something good for you, like your partner who prepared your meal, or a collaborator who gave you a well done document, etc.
• Something you are used to doing and you want to stop doing. For example, protesting when things are not done EXACTLY the way you wanted, stopping to say “yes but” when someone is giving you an idea, stopping to say to someone “you always act that way”, etc.

 

If we look deeper, we may find that happiness, peace and love are the ultimate things our heart and our consciousness are longing for; and maybe, following Aristotle’s steps, we can move from being a smaller version of ourselves to connecting to this higher truth and find fulfilling, long-lasting happiness.

See you in one month!

By Anna Gallotti and Selika Cerofolini

[1] Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Vintage Books, 2014.
[2] Edith Hall, Aristotle’s Way: How Ancient Wisdom Can Change Your Life, Penguin, 2019.