“The ultimate end of human acts is eudaimonia, happiness in the sense of living well, which all men desire; all acts are but different means chosen to arrive at it.” – Hannah Arendt
‘Eudaimonia’ is most commonly understood as meaning ‘happiness’ in Ancient Greek. Many scholars argue that a more suitable english translation for ‘eudaimonia’ is “flourishing”. Eudaimonia is the focus of the classical philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, who put great emphasis on the idea that the purpose of life is to seek the fulfillment of our true potential. Here are the basics concepts that have been outlined with living a eudaimon lifestyle.
The Purpose of Life Is to Flourish
Aristotle taught us that our overall purpose in life is to accept our human nature in seeking to flourish into the best versions of ourselves. In modern times, so many of us are inspired by notions of hedonism, whereby we are influenced to attain an expensive lifestyle and consume things that will only make us happy for a short period of time. This impulse-driven way of living has only accelerated through popularisation of social media and perpetual advertising. One way you can integrate eudaimonia is to practice 12 virtues that have been outlined by Aristotle in his text ‘Nicomachean Ethics’.
Practice Aristotelian Virtues
In developing your eudaimonia, Aristotle believed that an individual would be active in practicing his 12 virtues outlined in Nichmochaen Ethics, these include: courage (bravery), temperance (moderation), liberality (spending), magnificence (style), magnanimity (generosity), ambition (pride), patience (calm), friendliness (social IQ), truthfulness (honesty), wit (joy), modesty (ego), justice (sense or right and wrong). While this list may look overwhelming at first glance, there’s nothing wrong with sitting down, assessing where you currently are with each, and focusing on improving a couple at a time.
Eudaimonia Is Permanent Happiness
Unlike the happiness you feel after you go out for ice cream or frozen yoghurt, the sense of fulfillment you attain from acts of eudaimonia linger on within you. For example, choosing to live a more healthy lifestyle, through eating more vegetables and drinking less beer, will ultimately make you feel great in the long term. This is similar to practicing eudaimon concepts in your daily life. If you choose to implement concepts of eudaimonia into your everyday actions, you will be on your way to “living your best life” and feeling like your life is rich in fulfillment and meaning.
