The honors seminar The Good Life and How to Live It, facilitated by the incredibly kind and intelligent Professor Grundy, was one class that I eagerly looked forward to each week. One never knew what fascinating discussions would arise, but the coalescence of students with such varied backgrounds, interests, and beliefs ensured that it would be lively and thought-provoking. You always hear the names Plato, Epicurus, Cicero, Maslow, etc. thrown around in the popular vernacular, but they mean so much more when you can actually put ideas to those names, instead of just a word you invoke when you want to sound smart. In the turbulent times that are the college years, the Good Life seminar provided some much needed focus to, and at times, critique of, my plan for achieving happiness.
As much as we honors students like to think we are free thinkers and non-conformists, aren’t we still constrained by what society deems to be an acceptable level of individuality? Our goals of becoming experts in our fields, of attaining fame and fortune and reputation, do we want to achieve these things because we think it will make us happy, or are we just going along with what our culture has taught us? And even if we do achieve that level of success, will we look back and realize that we were so focused on the end result that we missed out on opportunities to find happiness all along the way – whether it was relationships not pursued out of fear of rejection, hobbies and talents left undeveloped because there is no time for leisure in the race to the top, or even core values and morals ignored because it was simply more convenient to not have to think about the ethical consequences of our decisions? These are just a few of the many questions we explored during the Good Life seminar. And it is important that these topics be explored, for the Honors Program is preparing us to be leaders, and when it comes time for us to lead, we will have an advantage, because we have studied the greatest thinkers throughout history and discussed and debated the very issues in which one day we may be the deciding voice.
The culmination of everything I learned in this seminar was a paper titled "My Good Life Plan," a reflection on what qualities I believe constitute a good life and rough framework for attaining them. Here is an excerpt:
As much as we honors students like to think we are free thinkers and non-conformists, aren’t we still constrained by what society deems to be an acceptable level of individuality? Our goals of becoming experts in our fields, of attaining fame and fortune and reputation, do we want to achieve these things because we think it will make us happy, or are we just going along with what our culture has taught us? And even if we do achieve that level of success, will we look back and realize that we were so focused on the end result that we missed out on opportunities to find happiness all along the way – whether it was relationships not pursued out of fear of rejection, hobbies and talents left undeveloped because there is no time for leisure in the race to the top, or even core values and morals ignored because it was simply more convenient to not have to think about the ethical consequences of our decisions? These are just a few of the many questions we explored during the Good Life seminar. And it is important that these topics be explored, for the Honors Program is preparing us to be leaders, and when it comes time for us to lead, we will have an advantage, because we have studied the greatest thinkers throughout history and discussed and debated the very issues in which one day we may be the deciding voice.
The culmination of everything I learned in this seminar was a paper titled "My Good Life Plan," a reflection on what qualities I believe constitute a good life and rough framework for attaining them. Here is an excerpt:
Speaking of the Utilitarians, Mill also said, “A cultivated mind - I do not mean that of a philosopher, but any mind to which the fountains of knowledge have been opened, and which has been taught, in any tolerable degree, to exercise its faculties finds sources of inexhaustible interest in all that surrounds it; in the objects of nature, the achievements of art, the imaginations of poetry, the incidents of history, the ways of mankind, past and present, and their prospects in the future.” Mill goes on to talk about how, because of this universality of knowledge, humanity can accomplish anything that it sets out to achieve. I find these to be extremely inspiring ideas. The complexity of the universe makes some people feel scared and insignificant, but it makes me feel even more special. Of all the solar systems and planets, and of all the events that led up to this moment in history, somehow, I had the incredibly good fortune of being born into this world in which we can think, talk, and laugh. If even a single event had happened even slightly differently, I would never have existed. The fact that I have the opportunity to experience firsthand the awesomeness of life, if even for a brief moment, fills me with a sense of worth and belonging. I hope I never lose this sense of wonder, for as long as I remember how lucky I am to be alive, I am confident that I will continue to make the most of my time and live my best life. As my grandfather used to say: “The mystery of life is surpassed only by its beauty.”
