A Little Bit About Happiness: The Eudaimonia Theory by Aristotle
What is true happiness? What actually makes us happy? This question is complex because everyone perceives happiness differently. What makes you happy is not necessarily what makes me happy, but after all, we are all human. Most of the time, the answer will be things such as family, health, friends, money or career. All of these are true, but have you noticed that most of these depend on external factors that we often have no control over, sometimes even material things.
In today's video, I will introduce a different and very interesting concept of happiness that originates from ancient Greek culture and dates back more than 2,400 years. It is derived from Aristotle's ethics and is known as eudaimonia. In simpler terms, it represents the highest human good, and I will explain it soon.
Aristotle is clear that humans are mistaken when they equate their happiness with wealth, family, or similar things. In his opinion, these things cannot truly satisfy us as human beings. Although they may provide some sense of pleasure and enjoyment, this feeling quickly fades and does not constitute true happiness.
Moreover, in his opinion, the pursuit of external pleasures actually makes a person miserable rather than happier. A person who seeks pleasures will find that the happiness they receive fades quickly and may even drain them, causing them to constantly chase after new and additional pleasures. Their threshold for excitement increases, and their dopamine levels drop quickly. As a result, the person loses their freedom because they are enslaved to the pursuit of their pleasures, which actually makes them more and more miserable and leads to a growing sense of emptiness over time. Look at any drug addict, and you will understand the point.
Then, what is true happiness?
Aristotle explains that happiness lies in something entirely different: and it is self-fulfillment. I'll give an example to simplify the topic.
For example: If he wanted to know whether George Clooney is happy, he wouldn't ask him how much money or how many luxury watches he has, or what his house looks like. Instead, he would ask him a simple question: 'Are you the best actor you can be?' If his answer is yes, then Aristotle would say that he is a happy person.
But pay attention to something very important-he didn't ask him, 'Are you the best actor in the world?' or 'Are you a better actor than Robert De Niro?' he asked: “Are you the best actor you can be?”
He would continue and ask him if he believes he is the best father, the best partner he can be, if he is taking care of his health in the best way he can, etc. If most of his answers are yes, then Aristotle would conclude that he is a happy and satisfied person.
In other words, did you make the best of yourself? Did you use everything that God has given you?
Because what will really make you happy is to flourish as an individual and to get the best out of yourself.
Aristotle talked a lot about learning and growth. We should always educate ourselves and strive for continual development and learning. We should check if we're a better version of ourselves than we were a year ago, we should ask ourselves what we learned this year? how we developed? how we grew personally, socially, professionally etc.
Today, in our modern Western society, we live in a world of abundance and intense competition. We often define happiness by how much money we make or by the level of pleasure we experience. But happiness isn't about material things; it's not about buying another bag or driving a fancier car. This mindset leads to over-consumption and chasing false pleasures, leaving us feeling empty because it never truly satisfies us. The enjoyment from these things is fleeting and fades quickly. That's just how our brain works, evolutionarily we're not meant to be on a constant high, to find true satisfaction and happiness we should seek meaning, not just pleasure.
One thing that can bring down our happiness these days is social media. Because it makes us compete with others instead of with ourselves. We spend all day seeing people who seem more successful, better-looking, and happier than us. We compare ourselves to them, and it ends up frustrating us.
decades ago, people lived in more difficult conditions, but they were happier. They compared their lives to the people in their neighborhood and their city. They didn't have the world's richest people all day long making them feel like their house or their clothes weren't good enough.
Remember Aristotle? Are you the best you can be, not are you better than this person you just saw their story. This competition with a fake, unrealistic reality makes us miserable. Beware of it!
So in conclusion, seek personal excellence to achieve lasting happiness, because real happiness comes from the realization of one’s full potential, morally and intellectually.