Chapter 49

Aristotle said that happiness is not really found in amusements or pastimes, but in virtuous activities.. Not sure I agree with the whole happiness - virtuous activity spectrum. Seems there would be less entertainment and more virtuous people if this were accurate. I mean think about it, unless Aristotle is the only happy person out there . . .. he wasn’t and he isn’t. And since he is no longer around, its rather difficult to ask him what he meant by “virtuous activities” and I am pretty sure he did not mean overweight Americans dieting or some other inane thing like that. Honestly I have no idea what he meant, and you probably don’t either.

The meanings of the words have changed so much in the eons past, that unless he listed specifically what he thought were virtuous activities, then we have no possible hope of knowing. However if the principle is correct them, our virtuous will supplant his virtuous list. Principles endure. Lists don’t. This principle is likely accurate, as it shows up in other writings, the Bible for example. The real question is what is virtuous?

And then the second real question is what is happiness? Is it a momentary passing feeling that results from watching Friends on TV, or is it the satisfaction  of seeing the seven little girls that your rescue operation freed from trafficking? As you can see its complicated and your happiness watching Friends may not be the same kind of happiness as my rescue operation and honestly are either of those feelings happiness? Is happiness a feeling?

Probably not, but at least we are talking about it now.