Living Well by Dr. Jones

WE CAN ALWAYS ALLOW GOOD TO COME OUT OF ANY CHALLENGING AND DIFFICULT LIFE SITUATION. IF WE DO, WE WILL HAVE DONE OUR BEST.

The Stoics’ greatest legacy is their ethics eudemonia. This Greek word means ‘happiness’, but eudemonia doesn’t just describe a pleasant mood; it has a much more hearty nature to it.  For Aristotle, eudemonia was achieved through living a life of purity or what we might describe as being righteous. This doesn't assure 'happiness'. It is 'doing and living well'. Epicurus recognizes the good life with the life of pleasure. Pleasure for a virtuous person is doing the right thing at the right time. This was considered as moral excellence. Zeno the founder of stoicism believed happiness was a "good flow of life" (334 – c. 262 BC). A rational life in line with reality. 

Cleanthes suggested it was "living in agreement with nature". He believed that those who do not freely accept the guidance of fate find themselves unhappily reactive to the changes fate brings into their lives and Chrysippus believed it was "living in accordance with experience of what happens by nature." According to the Stoics, virtue is necessary and sufficient for eudemonia.

The really difficult question is to specify just what sort of activities enable one to live well. Existential well-being refers to a person's present state of subjective well-being across existential sphere. Ellison is of the opinion that the area of spirituality has been mostly ignored by researchers . Despite this omission, spirituality seems to be an ever-important dimension in the lives of individuals and in their quest for well-being.

Maslow stated the specific characteristics of self-actualization are spontaneity, and simplicity. Self-actualization has been defined as an inherent propensity in attaining fulfillment and autonomy. It is hypothesized that self-actualization will significantly predict overall well-being. For Erik Erikson, Gordon Allport, and Abraham Maslow  self-actualization is well being.

Hedonism is yet another theory of well-being that is built into classical utilitarianism. The hedonistic conception of well being covers not only paradigmatic instances of sensory pleasure but also other positive experiences. Hedonists claim that all of these enjoyable experiences are intrinsically valuable for the well being of a person. In short Hedonism is of the view that well-being consists in the balance of positive over negative conscious experiences.

What science and Buddhism really share is the goal of understanding the nature of reality. Science uses that scientific method and a lot of technology – it starts from the outside and probes the nature of reality. Buddhism uses the human mind, reformed through meditation, starting from the inside, finding answers to the same question. What sort of activities enables one to live well?

Eric Berne in his book Games people play: “The attainment of autonomy is manifested by the release or recovery of three capacities: awareness, spontaneity and intimacy. Eric Berne describes well being as a form of energy inherent in human beings. Wellness is interpreted not only as the outcome of intra psychic and rational functioning derived from adequate strokes, awareness, Okness, and intimacy but also from the fulfilment of innate drives which are survival, belonging, knowing, and self fulfilment.

According to the resent research findings the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, lowered well-being by 74%. However, research suggests that wealth has a smaller impact on Well-Being than people generally think.

Quantifying traits like virtue and wisdom as well as concepts related to well-being is mostly done by self rating. When rated as “good” or Excellent the individuals tend to experience better well-being compared to those who rate their well-being as "fair" or "poor". People who are rated as good or excellent are persons who have learnt to appreciate and experience power in the ‘Here and Now’ ethos.

Dr Jones,

TRACK HERE AND NOW.