What is the mission of your life? I’m not asking what you want to have in your life, like kids, a house, or a career. It is a bigger question. Why are you here on this Earth? What is your mission? If you don’t know, how can you tell whether you are living a good life and whether you achieved your purpose? If you don’t have a mission and possibly a life philosophy, how do you ensure you won’t mislive your life?

When you look 2,500 years back, you will see a stunning picture: globalization. We may think about it as a recent phenomenon. Still, Socrates, Buddha, and Confucius asked the same questions and came up with the same answers even though they lived in different cultures and a world apart. The Chinese and Greek philosophers were not aware of each other, but they had very similar beliefs about how the world needs to change.

Practical philosophies

Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BC, was the first great Chinese philosopher. However, if you expect to hear from his questions about the meaning of life, you might be disappointed. Michael Puett and Christine Gross-Loh quote from his Analects, a set of writings compiled by his disciples: “He would not sit until he had straightened his mat.” “He would not teach while eating.”

“The ancient philosophers were very practical, and so were the philosophies. Instead of asking, ‘What is the meaning of life?’ they have asked, ‘How do you live your life every single day?’”

For Confucius, it was all about our own inner lives and what small things we can do ourselves that will impact the way we live and influence the world around us. It is these little things we do every day that help us to become better human beings.

The ancient Chinese philosophers were very practical, and so were the Stoics. Philosophy wasn’t about the theory of asking life-shattering questions. It was about a practical way to live. Instead of asking, “What is the meaning of life?” they have asked, “How do you live your life every single day?”

As James W. Williams points out in his book Stoicism, this particular philosophy is already part of our lives. Stoicism has been around for more than two millennia and has thus profoundly influenced our way of living, especially in Western society. Sayings like “live in the moment” and “fortune favors the well-prepared” have roots in this ancient philosophy.

Ancient Stoics were striving for eudaimonia, the life worth living, something that is very relevant for life in the 21st century when we look for meaning in everything we do.

Hedonia and eudaimonia

The ancient Stoics have much to teach us about satisfying and fulfilling lives. The modern consumer would benefit from understanding what truly makes us happy and that endless consumerism is not the way to lasting happiness.

Since the early days of economic theories, hedonic well-being has taken a prime spot in our effort to achieve happiness. It is the notion that infinite growth is necessary for society to prosper. To live a better life, you need to produce more and consume more without considering the depletion of natural resources. That is obviously neither sustainable nor scalable.

The so-called eudaimonia puts a more significant emphasis on living in accordance with who we are and on the well-being of everyone in the universe. Stoics then promoted prudence, self-control, courage, and justice as tools to get there. All that we need to achieve happiness is hidden within us.

“Eudaimonia puts a more significant emphasis on living in accordance with who we are and on the well-being of everyone in the universe.”

This thinking appears significantly more sustainable as it doesn’t require infinite growth for everyone to flourish. There is an interesting paper written by Kai Whiting, Leonidas Konstantakos, Angeles Carrasco, and Luis Gabriel Carmona that elaborates on this topic.

The term eudaimonia, first popularized by Aristotle, doesn’t have a direct translation to English. It is commonly translated as a combination of fulfillment, flourishing, well-being, and happiness. In short, for the Stoics to achieve eudaimonia means living a life worth living. As a byproduct, happiness and tranquility are achieved.

“For the Stoics to achieve eudaimonia means living a life worth living.”

How do you do it? You live a virtuous life. The ability to act virtuously is not dependent on your social status, gender, economic power, or anything else external. It is available to everyone. All that it requires for you is to live by the Stoic principles.

We can summarize the fundamental differences between the most famous ancient philosophies and their path to happiness in this way:

• Epicureans (hedonic well-being) – propose that you obtain well-being by maximizing pleasures and minimizing pains. We may argue that it is close to how many people live today.
• Peripatetics/Aristotle (eudemonic well-being) – propose that well-being is achieved through virtue. But one also has to be well-educated, wealthy, healthy, and even good-looking to get there.
• Stoics (eudemonic well-being) – propose that virtue is the only necessary component to achieve well-being, and it is available to everyone.

I would argue that even though it may not be particularly attractive at first glance, as it looks like a lot of work and even some pain, Stoicism is the way to go if you want to achieve sustainable happiness.

Is the pursuit of pleasures and comfort all bad?

You have probably heard the saying that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” You may believe it applies only to corrupt politicians and business tycoons. You may think it doesn’t apply to you. In reality, it applies to everyone. Be honest with yourself and consider whether there was a change in your behavior when you got a promotion or when you got kids to care for. Consider whether you ever abused, at least a little bit, some formal power you have. Many of us would be ashamed to admit that we did. Power doesn’t corrupt. It reveals. It reveals who we truly are.

“Power and money don’t corrupt. They reveal. They reveal who we truly are.”

Consider another saying, “Money amplifies the character of a man.” Again, it doesn’t apply only to billionaires. Consider how your worldviews and behavior changed when you started going to work and making money. If you earn more than a minimum wage, enough to cover just the basic living expenses, consider how you are using the excess. If you don’t have an excess, consider why not. Could it be that you live a life above your means? Could it be you bought a big house when a small apartment would suffice? Could it be you drive an expensive car when public transportation is available? Could it be that you are buying things you don’t need to survive but to make things comfortable? Could it be that all these ways of spending money amplify the character you have?

Hedonia and eudaimonia are often seen as opposing pursuits, yet they may be both valuable as they contribute to well-being in different ways. As researchers Veronika Huta and Richard M. Ryan discovered, people whose lives were high in both eudaimonia and hedonia had higher degrees of most well-being variables than people whose lives were low in both pursuits. The findings show that hedonia and eudaimonia occupy both overlapping and distinct niches within a complete picture of well-being. Their combination is associated with the highest levels of well-being.

I don’t want you to give away your worldly possessions. I don’t advocate asceticism. Having money is alright with the Stoics as they didn’t shy away from luxuries, fame, or riches if they got it. They didn’t seek them on purpose, but it was okay with them if they got famous as a byproduct of their efforts. They accepted it and used it for good. In fact, many Stoics had great power and influence in their times.

What does it all mean for you?

The Stoic philosophy, deeply entrenched in the pursuit of eudaimonia – a life worth living – remains strikingly relevant in the 21st century. It teaches us that true fulfillment and sustainable happiness do not stem from external acquisitions like wealth or power but from internal virtues such as wisdom, courage, justice, and self-control.

As we navigate an era marked by rapid technological advances, environmental challenges, and complex social dynamics, Stoicism offers a timeless guide. It encourages us to focus on what we can control, cultivate inner resilience, and live in harmony with our true selves and the broader community. By embracing these principles, we can find a path to a meaningful and contented life, regardless of our external circumstances.

This ancient philosophy doesn’t just survive in the modern world; it thrives, providing a compass for living well in an ever-changing landscape.

If Stoicism picked your interest, subscribe to this blog as I will dive deeper into the Stoics teachings and its relevance in the 21st century in a series of posts over the next few months.

Photo: Generated with ChatGPT/Dall-E