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The Good Life

Updated: Jan 27

For my 250th article I wanted to write about 'The Good Life' and what it means to live it.


'The Good Life' is the ideal conditions of life: Wisdom and purpose. It has ancient roots in Greek philosophy, with the earliest known use of 'The Good Life' in Plato’s Phaedrus (375 BC) dialogue.


What is 'The Good Life'?


But the meaning of 'good' is not universal. The wisdom of ancient thinkers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle is still surprisingly relevant for a good life today.


Socrates challenges us to question everything. Plato inspires us to seek higher Truths. Aristotle wants us to find balance. They observed that 'inner goodness' was the only way to live a good life.


Their wisdom is transforming my life. I hope you find their practical advice on living a truly good life useful.


Classical Greek philosopher Socrates famously declared, “Know thyself.” This was inscribed above the entrance of the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He thought our hidden core beliefs, feelings, motivations, and actions were key to our best lives. He observed true Self-awareness is the foundation of good and virtuous life. Socrates didn’t write down his ideas; he engaged people in dialogue, asking questions to reveal underlying assumptions. This process, known as the Socratic method, teaches humility and a relentless pursuit of Self Truth.


For everything you know to be the only way forward, Socrates would ask you to explain yourself. Why do you believe that? What if you are wrong? Examining what we know about ourselves or the world to be the only Truth is how we grow wiser and live a more purposeful life. Knowing oneself is about questioning our fundamental beliefs about the good life and how we can refine, redefine, and even discover new paths. I use the Socratic method to reflect on my experiences, reactions, desires and motivations. I’m learning more about how I react in different situations. What triggers my joy and sadness? What are the patterns? How can I do more of what brings out the best version of my Self?


Socrates said “Be as you wish to seem.” Self-knowledge shapes you and reveals your inner brilliance. It’s not about getting the 'right' answer. It’s about realising you might not have all the answers for your unique path in life. The more you question, the more you learn to make informed life decisions. Sometimes, the most valuable takeaway is the realisation that you know less than you thought. The Socratic spirit is a way of the good life. Approach everything with a healthy dose of scepticism. Question everything to know thyself. “Not life, but good life, is to be chiefly valued,” Socrates said.


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Pursue ideal forms

Plato, Socrates’ student, took his mentor’s ideas further. He believed our internal struggles stand in our way when we pursue the good life. He argued that the “First and best victory” is to conquer yourself by looking within. Your first enemies are your own desires, fears, illusions and bad habits. To build your great life, look inward. Self-knowledge is your golden key.


In 'Allegory of the Cave', Plato describes prisoners, chained in a cave, who can only see shadows on the wall. One prisoner escapes and discovers the outside world, realising the shadows are mere reflections of true forms. Plato advise us to break free from self illusions to find higher Truths.


But why is conquering yourself so important? Because, according to Plato, life itself isn’t the goal. We all exist; that much is certain. But what matters most is the quality of that existence. You deserve purpose, meaning and fulfilment. Plato called this the “good life.” “The most important thing is not life, but the good life,” he said. Plato also observed, “The good life is a life of virtue.”


He thought the material world was a shadow of a higher reality. The good life means aligning yourself with the world of ideal virtues - unchanging philosophical concepts such as being, beauty, morality, and equality. Virtue, in his view, wasn’t just about being 'good.' It meant acting with courage, wisdom, temperance, integrity, justice, and pursuing excellence in all you do. This, according to Plato, is the recipe for a truly good life. But, like any skill, all virtues require practice.


Focus on the golden mean

Aristotle, Plato’s most famous student, expanded Plato’s ideas on the good life. He thought we could achieve a virtuous life through the golden mean - finding a balance between extremes, the sweet spot right in the middle. Appreciate good things in life, but don’t overdo it. “Virtue is the golden mean between two vices, the one of excess and the other of deficiency,” says Aristotle.


Courage, for instance, is a mean between recklessness and cowardice. And temperance, enjoying pleasures in moderation, and not overindulging or depriving yourself. Confidence is presenting yourself well without putting others down. “It is the active exercise of our faculties in conformity with virtue that causes happiness, and the opposite activities its opposite,” Aristotle said. Aristotle’s 'Nicomachean Ethics' shows how to develop these virtues. He says habituation - performing virtuous acts until they become second nature, was a vital approach to a good life.


Aristotle analysed the golden mean in his book, 'Nicomachean Ethics Book II'. He thought virtue lies between two extremes. “At the right times, about the right things, towards the right people, for the right end, and in the right way, is the intermediate and best condition, and this is proper to virtue,” he writes. His framework for a good life was balance and practical wisdom. “Life is a gift of Nature but beautiful living is the gift of wisdom,” he said.


The good life reemerges

Camus, a French philosopher, author, and journalist, had a lot to say about absurdity, freedom, the meaning of life, and the good life. He grew up in poverty but that didn’t hold him back. Camus “Spent his childhood in a poor neighbourhood and later studied philosophy at the University of Algiers. He was in Paris when the Germans invaded France during World War II in 1940. Camus tried to flee but finally joined the French Resistance where he served as editor-in-chief at 'Combat', an outlawed newspaper.”


Camus received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957, at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. He lived through the horrors of World War II. And witnessed the devastating effects of ideologies that sought to control and suppress human rights. It’s one of the many reasons he saw life as inherently absurd, lacking inherent meaning.

But in that absurdity is a significant aim of life - the freedom to be, to do or to choose our own meaning.“ The aim of a life can only be to increase the sum of freedom and responsibility to be found in every man and in the world. It cannot, under any circumstances, be to reduce or suppress that freedom, even temporarily,” he said.


The very foundation of a good life is the freedom to be who we are, to make choices, and to live with the consequences. Camus spoke against oppression, religious beliefs, rigid social rules and forces that limit the freedom to question our own direction in life. He warned against the dangers of suppressing freedom, even for seemingly good reasons. A world built on restricting liberty, even if done with the intention of creating order or happiness, leads to a stagnant life. People will or may survive, but they will never reach their full potential.


“Freedom is not a gift received from a State or a leader but a possession to be won every day by the effort of each and the union of all, he said. The aim of life, then, becomes breaking out of the forces that confine us and expanding our personal space to breathe, think, and act for ourselves. In the most fundamental sense, we are free to define who we are and how we want to live. But freedom also means responsibility for personal choices. It also means freedom, not just for ourselves, but for everyone. Use the principles of reciprocity and consciousness to guide your actions.


Looking out for the rights of others expands freedom for everyone. Speaking up against injustice is an act of both freedom and responsibility. Choosing to be kind, even when it’s difficult, expands the circle of freedom and responsibility. It’s the golden rule, also in the Gospel of Matthew 7:12: “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” Philosopher Immanuel Kant said, “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end.”


Personal freedom is the sum of the small choices we make every day. We can speak our truth, pursue our true north, and do more of what makes us come alive. We can challenge the expectations placed upon us. We can choose to think, do, be and question our paths. It won’t be easy, but it’s how we can take control of our meaningful lives when everything feels absurd.


According to Camus, life may be absurd, but it’s also an amazing experience if we get it right. Without freedom, we lose personal meaning. We lose the right to think, be, and evolve into our best selves. Rules and beliefs that seek to control and confine won’t do humanity any good. Choosing to be a personal rebel with a cause expands the sum of freedom and responsibility, not just for ourselves but for all.


He said that “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion... Live to the point of tears.”


Conclusions

How do you apply the wisdom of the intellectual giants of ancient Greece?


Socratic self-examination: Regularly reflect on your life. Are you living according to your values? For many life-changing decisions, ask yourself, “Why did I choose this?” Think of the consequences in the first, second, and third order. Are you living an examined life? What beliefs have you challenged lately?


Platonic ideals are to aim for higher principles. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Aim for excellence in your career, relationships, or personal growth. Turn Truth into actions. What ideals are you pursuing? How do you align your actions with these higher Truths?


Aristotelian balance: Virtue is a balancing act. Are you too extreme in some areas of your life? Adjust your actions to find the golden mean. Practice makes perfect; repeat virtuous acts until they become second nature. Where can you find a better balance in your life? What virtues do you need to cultivate more? Reflect, aim high, and find balance.

Namaste.


Sending you love, light, and blessings brothers.


Olly



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Hello,

I am delighted and enchanted to meet you. I coach men with 'Deep Coaching', 'Supercoaching', and Transformative Life Coaching (TLC). Thank you for reading this far. I very much look forward to connecting with the highest version of you, to seeing your highest possibility, and to our conversations. Please do contact me via my email for a free connection call and a free experience of coaching on Zoom or in person. 


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I have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge; a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge; a PhD Doctorate in Scientific Research from University College London (UCL); a Medical Degree (MD/MBBS) from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London and have been a doctor and reconstructive trauma and cancer surgeon in London for 20 years. I have a number of other higher qualifications in science and surgery. I have published over 50 peer reviewed PubMed cited scientific journal articles, have been an associate editor and frequent scientific faculty member, and am the author of several scientific books. I have been awarded my Diploma in Transformative Life Coaching in London, which has International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accreditation, as well as the UK Association for Coaching (AC), and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). I have been on my own transformative journey full time for over five years and I am ready to be your guide to you finding out who you really are and how the world works.




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