Is there really an 'Ideal' lifestyle?

[Thrasymachus]

You've all heard the age old general census, "The philosophical life is truly the best life." But is this really so? Indeed, here is the life of a politician, the life of a businessman, the life of a student, the life of a scientist, the life of the celebrity, the life of the mediocre man, the life of the degenerate man, and of course, the life of the philosopher. Can these lifestyles really be compared and contrasted if it be that we all desire different things in life, if we all indulge in different pleasures, and if we all have different goals or ambitions? Can we objectively say that one particular lifestyle is more fulfulling than the other, or is it all relative?

 

[Master Vigil]

I would say the best life is the life in which you lead without trying. The life that allows the days and months to come and go as easily as dreaming. This life is different for each and every one of us. Therefore, I do not believe in an ideal lifestyle. Only ones ideal life they lead.

 

[ooen]

I would say the best life is the life in which you lead without trying. The life that allows the days and months to come and go as easily as dreaming. This life is different for each and every one of us.

I think "Flow" is an important element of "ideal life", but I disagree that the best life is the life in which you lead without trying. One third of the population in this world do not have sufficient food to survive; they need to try in order to survive. They need to survive in order to have "ideal life" whatever it means. Then, perhaps, after survival is granted, we can debate whether the best life is the life in which you lead without trying or not.

 

[DontFearMe]

Well, first lets say that not every man desires to be a doctor, lawyer, or astronaut, and there is nothing wrong with that. I think we all should lead a lifestyle that does not infringe, or hurt other people first of all. When I say that I mean that everyone has the right to be safe from eachother, from your neighbors, friends, family. I am musim and have perhaps a slightly different outlook on this issue. The life of this world is just temporary, and we should not be attached to it. The Prophet said something like, "Live in this world as you are a stranger." Do not get too comfortable and do not live for its temporary comforts. I know Islam is not the only religion that preaches this concept of detachment. Buddhism to my knowledge also does. So, live your life safely, care for others, and do not be too attached because none of your personal belongings will go with you when you die. Peace

 

[Lilith]

[align=center:157bca5ace]I say the best life is how you want your life to be. I would love to live a peacefull life with friends, lovers and family and I do. Life is what you make of it. No one lives a certian life the same as someone else. That is the problem is that we are all diffrent and this is what causes fights and hate and makes the world a nasty place because people do not realise everyone is not the same. It is sad to say it is so but it is true. We just need to be free to be ourselves.[/align:157bca5ace]

 

[Ardhanariswar]

OMG SAILOR MOON. i loved that show.


i guess the rite way to live is an ideal balance not in the xtremes. (look at the life of buddha)

 

[Sunstone]

I think you need to find your excellence in life – your passion, your boon – the sort of work that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning. Whatever that is, that’s your ideal lifestyle.

Aristotle said, “Where your talents intersect with the needs of the world, there you will find your passion (arete).”

 

[Runt]

We humans have religion because we don't know how we ought to live. We understand the how of many things, and most of us are confident that, in time, science will reveal that which we presently do not know. Yet we do not know how we ought to live. We know how we CAN live, but whether or not we should live in some of the ways we can live--in a manner best for us as individuals (self-serving or for survival), as a community of humans (for your country, religion, or humanity as a whole), as part of a web of life, or as a part of our planet--is simply beyond us.

Everyone has ideas; nobody has authority.

So, we as individuals do one of two things. We either admit that the question of "How we ought to live" is completely subjective and do our best to live well with that always in mind, or we seek an authority which will tell us how we ought to live and thus give us the comfort of believing that there is a purpose for our actions.

Because other mortals have the same problem we do, (not knowing how they ought to live), we need more than a mere human authority; we need an authority guided by divine inspiration. Without this, we are forced to admit that we aren't really sure if the way we are living is "right". If it is possible that we are not living correctly, then every action we do during our lives becomes questionable. For example, if the purpose of our lives is not to serve God, then we've been wasting a lot of time going to church. If we're not supposed to conquer the earth and bring it under our power, then we've been destroying nature needlessly.

For many of us, that is just not acceptable. We want our lives, and the things we do during our lives, to mean something. We don't want our actions to be wasted, unnecessary, or flat out wrong. We want to believe that our way of life is helping keep the world on track, helping the world fulfil whatever destiny it is "meant" to fulfil, for this means that there is a purpose to our lives; we exist because we have a purpose to fulful--to help the world (planet or humanity) as a whole achieve its destiny.

 

[Sunstone]

I know some happy people who have scarcely no religion in their lives. Is that unexpected? Is it more often expected that religion is necessary to happiness? To meaning? To a sense of fulfillment?

 

[trishtrish10]

i agree with dont the muslim who said we should be able to lead a lifestyle which is harmless to ourselves and others. God gives us each different gifts so we are dependent on each other, which is a test of our hearts that we would love by giving of ourselves to others.
i like the lifestyle of saints who are ordinary yet have extra-ordinary gifts and do extra ordinary things. but each saint is different. we are all called to be saints.

dont: could u email me the ninety-nine different names the muslims call Allah. my email address is [email protected]

 

[trishtrish10]

i'm waaiting

 

[trishtrish10]

may i add that God has an individual plan for everyone that would make them the best they can be, whether slave or free.

 

[true blood]

No there is no ideal lifestyle, just respect God. There isn't a single just man upon earth that does good and sins not. Live joyfully, eat, work and be merry. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy it with thy might because absolutely nothing, no work, no knowledge, no wisdom will we take with us unto our grave. Live in the ways of a good heart because God will bring every work into judgment, every secret whether it be good or evil.

 

[HelpMe]

"The philosophical life is truly the best life."

that's a lie because philosophers and intellects are rarely if ever satisfied with the amounts of answers they have attained.

the best life simply is one filled with love, not necessarily easy, working is usually good for your personhood.There is basically no universally appealing specific life/lifestyle as i believe you were questing for.


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