Examining the “Unexamined” Life: How to Lead a Happier Life
Gerlynn· – May 1, 2020
Thousands of years ago Socrates lamented that “An unexamined life is not worth living.” Later on, Aristotle further added, “An unplanned life is not worth examining.” Put them together and we get this — “We must examine our lives, but it’s really more important to examine a life that has purpose in it.”
Aristotle had believed that having a purpose was necessary to living well and happy. In other words, what Aristotle meant by an unplanned life is one where we don’t know what we’re doing or why we’re doing it. As a result, we don’t know where we’re going or how we’re going to get there.
This begs the question, how do we find our purpose so that we can live well? According to Socrates, to find our purpose we need to first examine our lives. In simple terms, it is to ask questions. Socrates is proposing that it is in the act of searching for meaning and purpose and following it that we will find contentment. And it is only by rigorously questioning our actions, thoughts, beliefs and values that we can get to know our character. And in understanding our character, we will then discover our purpose.
“Know Thyself”
So it comes down to this — knowing yourself. It’s about finding answers to the question, “Who are you?”
Sounds simple, but how exactly do we do that? How do we not fall into the trap of “going with the flow” and following the vox populi? This is where Socrate’s point comes in: it is important to look critically at our own lives.
Knowing yourself is to have the insights to our innermost self — what makes us who we are; what makes us do what we do; what drives us and fuels our passion; and what makes us feel uncomfortable and think negatively.
A good way to begin the thought about who you are and what’s your most purposeful self is to think of yourself when you’re at your best. What adjectives would you pick to describe yourself? Think about what matters the most to you. This thinking process is a form of self-affirmation, which helps you reflect on personally relevant values. The next step is then to think about what are the roles you can do to fulfill these values and pursue a life that represents this the version of the “self”.
Once you have it figured out, you can then dedicate resources to these motivating directions and goals. By resources, we are really talking about your time, energy, money or other things. In this way, having a purpose in life helps you to focus on the things that matter most in your life instead of spreading yourself across too many things.
And it is also important to remember that “thyself” is ever-changing, which is why the examining your life should not be a one-time reflection but an on-going process.
As Aristotle says, “for as it is not one swallow or one fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy.”
Written by Gerlynn
Thinker. Hobby writer. gerlynnn@gmail.com