Reflection 2

Good Life: Transcending Mortal Barriers

Good---What assumptions do you make whenever you see this word? I bet you thought
of something pleasurable, something that excites the senses. It could be career advancement,
excellent grades, or even the sweet yes of the person you like. Don’t be flustered, we all see
‘good’ that way, well at least until we find something more rewarding. I guess it’s human nature
to seek for things that give gratification, so it’s only normal that we define a ‘good life’ as some
sort of a paradise. A place without suffering and where happiness is at its peak. But, is that all
there is to it? What parameters do we measure? And when do we stop chasing that ‘good life’?
It would have been easier if we just associate the good life with materialistic pleasures,
something quantifiable like wealth, properties, or designer bags. But, human life is much more
complex than that. We have dignity, rationality, and moral laws that unconsciously govern our
every thought and action. We seek pleasures that are in harmony with these laws and our
conscience because inner peace is also part of the many things that we desire. However, people
cannot know for sure if what they’re having is already the ‘good life’ since humans just continue
to crave and crave for more. It’s like we set parameters and conditions for that good life but
when all the criteria were met, we become discontented again. Consequently, we create another
set of parameters for a good life. In other words, people often see this good life as a destination, a
goal. But in our lifetime, we just keep on having different destinations and goals, hence, a variety
of definitions of a good life as well. That is why I refuse to define a good life to be a destination,
rather, I see it as a process. A process of becoming fully human by not only working on
happiness for the self but for others as well, because the desires of the self will never reach a
limit. Therefore, it is not a reliable parameter of a good life.
However, this reasoning leads us to the conclusion that people would only know if
they’ve really lived a good life once they finally meet death. Those we left behind, those lives we
touched, those whom we created meaningful memories with gets to decide if the life we’ve lived
was virtuous and worth remembering. These people would immortalize our lives after death, not
in flesh, but in spirit. Therefore, a good life for me is a life that could transcend death and could
continuously contribute to the humanizing process of the generations to come.
Looking at ‘good life’ this way would not be possible without the means needed to be
taken. By these means, I’m referring to the existence of science and technology, the knowledge
we’ve gathered from the natural world and the integration of this knowledge in our daily lives.
With the current advancements in technology, anything becomes possible, more people can be
connected to one another meaningfully and more passionate works can be perpetuated. As a
result, more lifeworks can contribute to the making of a world that genuinely seeks the ultimate
truth of our existence.