Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter

Aristotle and the Pursuit of Happiness

I’m reading Aristotle. Well, not exactly. I’m reading a book about Aristotle’s philosophy written by British classics professor Edith Hall. It’s fascinating, and there are so many things that make more sense to me now. Like why the pursuit of happiness is in the constitution.

I love that this philosophy aligns the pursuit of happiness with the pursuit of self-improvement. I know that some people can be too tense and too driven, but I also know that, though it seems counterintuitive, the happiest people are often those engaged in trying to be better.

It also goes back to the F in my FLOW philosophy: Forgive yourself. I want to be better, I want you to be better, but we aren’t bad, so we don’t need to beat ourselves up. We are constantly evolving, and becoming the best version of ourselves.

Aristotle thought that people were happiest when they reached their fullest potential by actively improving their virtues (yours might be going to the gym, mine might be dealing with my paperwork), and overcoming their vices (yours might be binge-watching Netflix, mine might be drinking too much coffee). Aristotle wanted people to strive to improve, but he also acknowledged that we are all human and have weaknesses, he just didn’t think we had to surrender to them. I like the idea that self-improvement isn’t a chore or a burden, but actually the key to happiness.

So stop beating yourself up, turn off the Netflix and sit down with that pile of papers. You’ll be happier—and you’ll be on the road you achieving your highest potential.