Monday, August 14, 2017

What defines a "Quality Life"

A quality life for all is a fine guide, but what exactly is a quality life? This is reminiscent of the Stoic guide to live virtuously and naturally or by nature. Sounds good, but what exactly does it mean? Actually, when we unpack the Stoic virtuous life, it is a quality life, and would also be approximately what Buddha would have recommended or allowed. Buddha did not address seventeen issues, as the proper answer would violate other directions, necessities of life, or prevailing society believes in his time and location. These are only the issues that he refused to address.

No life is without drama; however, some people just create needless drama. Drama that is the result of an long list of thins, delusions of how life of the world should be, delusions of how others should act, our expatiation's, our unfulfilled desires, and our aversions all cause us emotional misery, and that is up to us to let go of. We may, at the same time need to let some people also go, or detach from them.  The Mangala Sutra defines what a good life is, looking from the tail end. Having reached retirement, I can say that I have lived a quality life, with a few exceptions each way. Oh well, in the end we all just die anyway.

The Stoics do likewise, but they also define it by characteristics to practice, which they hold as virtues, but do not get around to defining what they think those named virtues consist of. Justice for example changes with society and with time. So in the end we have a list of conflicting concepts which we can pick from, which gives us enough room to be disgusting people, and be within there definition of leading a good life. Oh well, in the end we all just die anyway.

The US has its Alt Right, which would likely not be tolerated in Canada; with our in-sighting hatred laws. We, Canada, are not any longer a "christian" country, but a multicultural one, which implies multi-religion. The rights of others to impose there beliefs on others has not been tested in a big way, but is coming. We have just seen those uppity natives object to some road names, building names, and a few historical monuments. These needs to be resolved, otherwise our society will continue to fragment further, rapidly.              

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