The Lost Virtue of Happiness

….the Good of man is the active exercise of his soul’s faculties in conformity with excellence or virtue, or if there be several human excellences or virtues, in conformity with the best and most perfect among them. Moreover this activity must occupy a complete lifetime; for one swallow does not make spring, nor does one fine day; and similarly one day or a brief period of happiness does not make a man supremely blessed and happy."

Like many of the ancient wise men, Aristotle was more concerned with emphasizing and developing human goodness in his fellow citizens than bequeathing theoretical knowledge of what that goodness is. Yet Aristotle states, “goodness is simple, badness manifold.” As such, his chief ‘good’ is primarily composed of the excellent function of man and this he refers to as eudaimonia or “human flourishing.” Although Aristotle is not exactly clear on whether happiness is the chief end of man, he seems to imply that this may be the case. The best way for man to flourish and attain happiness is through virtuous conduct. Yet, despite the fact that we live in a culture that embraces a pluralism of spiritual propositions, we are weaker than ever before in the knowledge of goodness.

As I study Proverbs, I reflect on relationships and it seems evident that the condition of a man’s relationships are a moral reflection of his character. What a man believes about life, love and God determines whether he can know happiness. I’ve been reading The Lost Virtue of Happiness by J.P. Moreland and while the book is simply constructed, I have been greatly encouraged by his advocacy of spiritual discipline and character formation. In the words of one review off Amazon:

One of the first points made in the book is the difference between our modern concept of happiness and the virtue of happiness. The difference is an important factor in living the life God intends for us. Modern happiness is a feeling, usually a feeling of pleasure. The problem is that as a goal in and of itself it is usually fleeting and out of grasp. But the virtue of happiness is the byproduct of a life well-lived. Moreland quotes Plato, "There is no question which a man of any sense could take more seriously than...what kind of life one should live." If God has made us, He has made us to flourish in a certain way.

Part of the problem with our modern notion of happiness isn't that it's fleeting, but that it’s too small.

"Remember, the concept of eternal life in the New Testament is not primarily one of living forever in heaven, but of having a new kind of life now. This new kind of life is so different that those without it can be called dead, truly. This is a life of human flourishing; a life lived the way we were made to function; a life of virtue, character, and well-being lived like and for the Lord Jesus."

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This concept of happiness, a contentment of the mind and heart based on Jesus’ resurrection, is juxtaposed to our culture’s thrill seekers. I listen to bands like Coldplay, U2, Snow patrol and The Script and while there is much that I commend in their message, many songs pivot on the initial euphoria of finding love or the grief of failed expectations. While I know that God created us to feel and to anticipate heighted emotions, the weight that we evaluate our relationships in response to the thrills continues to disturb me. I think of Jesus and what horrors life would hold for us if He, in His grief with people failing to love and honor Him, the Creator, had paused on the way to the Skull and said, “You know what, I’m not feeling it right now. I have to make myself happy because you’re not healthy for my emotional well-being.” Or, “I think I need to take some time for myself and wait until I feel more comfortable with committing myself to putting your need for salvation ahead of my need to be exalted.” The character of God is the fulfillment of all virtues, most notably the four cardinal virtues (prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice) and the three theological virtues (faith, hope and love). With the virtuous man or woman of God, they alone may know true joy (as opposed to thrill and desire and fleeting pleasures) not because they are comfortable or they are admired, desired, or receive all that they want. They are fulfilled and happy in the truest sense because they are becoming true reflections of the One Who created us to know happiness as we live virtuously for Him.

Psalm 16:11 says, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

----Notes on Aristotle:

Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics. (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1947), I. vii.13-16.
Aristide Tessitore, Reading Aristotle's Ethics: Virtue, Rhetoric, and Political Philosophy. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996), 22-23.
Aristotle, NE, II. vi. 15-17.
Tessitore, 22.
Peter Kreeft, Back to Virtue: Traditional Moral Wisdom for Modern Moral Confusion. (San Francisco: Ignatius, 1992), 25.