Eudaimonia presupposes a comfortable material situation.

It still amazes me how most key philosophic concepts are essentially just well-defined versions of terms we use everyday. Take the Greek notion of "eudaimonia" for example. Made popular by Aristotle as the goal of one's ethical development, and the end-result of living a life of virtue, eudaimonia is often conceptualized as this quasi-mythological, perfect state of existential happiness.

In reality, eudaimonia is nothing more than "chilling".

Thanks to our nihilistic pop-culture, "chilling" is often pictured as engaging in a mindless state of relaxation. It's achieved by temporarily ignoring one's problems, often by a mix of drug-induced euphoria, unconditional emotional validation by others, and the adoption of a careless attitude towards life. This state of mind, which roughly amounts to "yeah, life is pretty awful, but that doesn't really matter, and I don't have to care about it now", is closer to Buddhism's Nirvana than it is to Aristotle's Eudaimonia.

This is not chilling - at least, not proper chilling, as a rational adult. This is deliberate, childish self-deception.

Proper, eudaimonic chilling is a state of complete mindfullness and, at the same time, relaxation, reflection and happiness. To chill is to be perfectly aware of oneself and one's life - to contemplate one's existence, with no immediate goal in mind, and feel happiness as a result of that contemplation. If you want to bring the idea down to a perceptual level, do not picture a stoic monk meditating on a mountain top, but a successful old man sitting on his porch, looking at his grandchildren play, happy about the sum of his existence.

Sounds simple, right?

Well, it's not.

For starters, eudaimonia presupposes a comfortable material situation. It means you've accumulated enough wealth so that pleasant survival is no longer an issue - you can't chill if your fridge is empty, or if you're struggling to pay your bills. Life, however, is not a static thing, but a dynamic process. The challenge isn't simply to own enough things, but to be able to provide for yourself and those in your care in a way that suits your nature, and allows you to enjoy your life. You can't chill if the way you provide for yourself is by working long hours in a job you hate.

Eudaimonia also presupposes a comfortable spiritual situation. You can't chill if you're haunted by your memories, or your future expectations. This can only be achieved by being proud of the life you've led so far and, since people aren't perfect, by identifying your mistakes, making amendments to those you've hurt, and forgiving yourself for your wrongdoings. It also requires having something to look forward to, which in turns means you must live in a relatively free society that allows for long-term planning; having a good, realistic purpose; and being comfortable with the knowledge that your life will eventually end.

Finally, chilling requires the proper integration of the material and the spiritual. It's not enough to have a comfortable life - you must have the life you know you deserve. A billion dollars is very little money for someone who's convinced they deserve two billion. It also means you own the correct things, which in turn means you've identified your own nature. You can't be happy with a personal french chef if, like Warren Buffet, all you want is a burger and some coke.

That's all for today. It's good to be back after a somewhat rough time, and I hope you all get to chill with your loved ones on this unusual holiday season!