I am often thinking and worrying about my future.

Because for me, what I thought I really

wanted was to be financially stable and get my job—It was all I wanted. But as I was reading
through Nicomachean ethics, it dawned on me that, we may not realize that happiness and ends
are like dominos lined up—leading to another until the final piece. ‘So, in the future, even if I get
rich, I still wouldn’t be happiest? Because I really want to be rich. What is the end game then?’ It
was just a passing thought I had when I was halfway through reading Nicomachean Ethics.
Aristotle then solidified the thought in me, that as we achieve our goals, we wish for more, we
step up our game and aim for the bigger prizes. That human contentment is often temporary, and
in the end, even with all the riches, we do not want to feel happy, but to be happy.

Aristotle defined happiness, not as an emotional state but, as a way of life. I agree with this upon
realization that as we check off more achievements in our personal goals, we indeed feel
happiness and not satisfaction, but not fully, instead, we want happiness that feeds the soul. We
need happiness that we can enjoy successfully, the highest good, the final end—Eudaimonia, as
Aristotle mentioned. Moral virtues fall below in the standard of goodness, and as it turns out, the
spiritual are the larger and inclusive ones.

Aristotle also promotes that a good person is one who finds pleasure and satisfaction with his
own good that is in harmony with the good of others. I believe I can lead a virtuous and happy
life by being rational and serving my purpose. Being virtuous leads us to a good and happy life.

The importance of building good habits is that we can balance our lives and have proper control
of the elements within our disposition. Because from what I learned, we are not born good or
evil, we aren’t even born with a set of virtues embedded in our nature. Eventually we grow and
we learn, we realized what habits to keep, we develop a sense of judgment and rationality—a
characteristic unique to us. When we eliminate cruelty, injustice, and unfairness in our character,
we become more and more of a good person. Although it may be difficult at first not to succumb
to evil or resist being mean, when we continue to live virtuously and we make it our nature to be
good, we get closer to the good life.

I was also able to digest Aristotle’s lectures on keeping balance in order to live virtuously. One
must avoid deficiency or excess and follow the golden mean’s rule of keeping things in order and
having the right amount of something. The golden mean completely makes sense when I think of
virtue as a disposition or character trait. One must not be too silent nor too loud, one must not be
too cowardice nor too rash. Excess or deficiency, every action comes with a reaction. If I am too
silent, I miss the opportunity to speak my mind, if I am too loud, then I leave nothing for myself
to keep. If I am too much of a coward, I miss out on opportunities; if I am too rash, I can put
myself in danger by being impulsively reckless. Also, never be too humble and kind you become
a pushover, never be too proud and arrogant that you become an obnoxious person. Being
extremely lacking or overflowing benefits us with nothing. Comparatively, it’s also the same
with giving very little or too much love and/or attention. I agree that the median is just perfect,
that it is virtue. As a human who recognizes that I am rational, it’s important to make choices
that fits in the middle and act moderately. It lessens the possibility of having regrets from poor
life choices or improper behavior.

Reading the pages we were assigned to check and review made me realize a lot of things, made
me rethink and evaluate my definition of things and how they should work. I think I can say that
Aristotle’s ethical principle is good, I say this from what I learned—that being good means to
serve its purpose and do what it’s supposed to. In that sense, his ethical principle guides me to be
good and virtuous, two of the things’ ethics and moral philosophy aims.

References:

SparkNotes. (n.d.). Nicomachean Ethics Book 1. Sparknotes. Retrieved November 10, 2022,
from https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/ethics/section1/

SparkNotes. (n.d.). Nicomachean Ethics Book 2. Sparknotes. Retrieved November 10, 2022,
from https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/ethics/section2/

Milch, R. J., & Patterson, C. H. (1966). Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Google Books.
Retrieved November 11, 2022, from
https://books.google.com.ph/books/about/Aristotle_s_Nicomachean_Ethics.html?
id=RXpouAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Aristotle, & C., R. C. D. (2014). Book 1. In Nicomachean Ethics. essay, Hackett Publishing Co.,
Inc.
Aristotle, & C., R. C. D. (2014). Book 2. In Nicomachean Ethics. essay, Hackett Publishing Co.,
Inc.