I would argue that compassion and detachment are the key components of a well-lived life. The person living with compassionate detachment will act in the interest of fellow beings, both present & future, while realizing there exist limits to individual influence in a complex social environment and to seemingly limitless personal imagination in a bounded physical cosmos.

“Living a good life” is certainly subject to interpretation differently by each of us. Different people pursue different goals, sometimes under the illusion that accomplishment of a particular goal will bring forth “happiness.”

Sadly, too often, that remains illusive. Financial success, for example, without personal happiness, may leave a void, an abiding emptiness. Similarly, close friendships without a feeling of a meaningful impact may also lead to feelings that a well-lived life has not been achieved.

Each of us needs to find comfort in his or her own skin, and realize that Superman (or woman) does not exist, and that we can make a difference in many different ways, regardless of wealth, education, or station in life. Touching the lives of others can be global, through financial efforts or volunteerism, or individual, through random acts of kindness or assistance.

The Boy Scout Law charges Scouts with being Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. Living a life in concert with these principles should certainly be considered “well-lived.”

Perhaps the best advice for a “well-lived life” appears in Paul’s letter to Philippi, at Philippians 4:8: ”...Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is loyalty, whtever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

I suspect, regardless of station in life, following these words of wisdom may lead to self-actualization and a feeling that a life has been well-lived.

An option I didn’t see listed was that there is no such thing as the “good life”. As any way one defines the “good life” will carry normative implications, and since there has been a strong movement against metanarratives in general for over a century now, isn’t it possible that the “good life” is a myth? Isn’t this something that should at least be entertained?

There is definatley a fine line to draw with that question. A man can always look toward the future to realize that there is much to plan for. When we first graduate college or start thinking about a relationship, our main focus is that girl and providing a stable life for the both of you.

We stop thinking selfishly and begin to realize that our actions no longer exist solely for oneself, but also that other person. We start to begin a relationship with eachother. Sooner than later this turns to children as well. Without realizing it, our actions now affect everyone around us. As a man gets older his family grows to a size that he never really planned for. Extended family, grandchildren, etc.

With that being said, we have to live everyday like it is our last. Live as if every action we make directly affects those around us, because they do. In my own experiences I have made dumb decisions as well as the wrong choices, but i know that I am the man am because of those choices. No matter what life throws at us, we have to take the good with the bad and realize that everything is a blessing.

In regards to what the philosophy undergrad said above- the “good life” is not a myth, it is just what WE make of it. There is no script to the good life. Remember to live with standards, morals and with a clean conscience. Life can only be as good as we make it.

The Yiddish language has a word for a person who lives a good life…a “mensch.” For this discussion it’s probably important that the word literally means “human being.” So a mensch is someone who lives with the best traits of humanity. While there is no agreement on these traits, the critical insight is that the qualities for living a good life are inherent in our humanness.

Living our lives with future generations in mind would do nothing to make the lives of those living in future generations better, but would do much to make our lives less fulfilling than they could be. I say the lives of future generations would not be made better because we would expect them to live in the same way; with future generations in mind. The cycle of each generation doing without so that the next generation can have more would continue.

Perhaps instead we should live how we wish and be confident that the next generation will find a way to fix any problems we may cause. We should do everything we can to not harm (in any way) any living organism. But everything else should, perhaps, be fair game.

The fundamental component to a good life would be happiness. However you achieve that happiness will be different for each person. For some individuals it might be financial success. For others it could be having many friends. And for a few it may be living in a way that assures the next generation will have it easier. However a person achieves happiness should be what that person does, so long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.

We should try our best to promote happiness in our own lives and in the lives of others. Other people should matter!

What IS happiness people. Each of us here has a different concept of happiness. Each of us here thinks differently. If all of us thought the same thing, would we be human? Would we not be human? There is always a counter question to everything. Some are more stupid than others because they have been proven, but the fact remains. Happiness to me is different to the next person. Society says a well-lived life is one where you went to school, graduated, got a job, got married, raised kids, and died happy, but is that what all of us want? It’s not what I want.