Self-improvement | Self | Questioning
Weekly question #1
Asking a question per week, involving different perspectives and points of view
I do not know whether this publication will accept this project or not. It would be great to have different points of view and perspectives from different people around the globe, with different life experiences and different backgrounds.
The idea came to me thanks to my friend Alessia, who asked me one day “Do you have a daily question to answer?”
Whoa! I do not have such a question! Is there something wrong with me? Is it necessary to have a daily question to answer? No, it is not necessary. However, it could be interesting.
I started to journal about daily questions and I tried to give answers that most of the time led me to other questions, in a vicious cycle with some exciting, but also scary aspects.
Then the idea, why do not share questions with an audience trying to ask for different experiences and different perspectives? In a way to learn divergent thoughts, unique life experiences, and distinctive strategies to challenge the day?
Here is the deal. I will try to share this #1 question, with the idea to share one question per week, offering my own personal point of view, asking for an answering article where the writer gives her/his perspective, with productive critiques and respect. It could be a way to create a community of questioners, where writers bring their piece of sensations and ideas to create a virtual puzzle of thoughts.
Let’s start with the #1 question: what is necessary for a person to live a happy life?
What is necessary for a person to live a happy life?
Tough question, where, according to me it is impossible to give a unique answer. The concept of happiness itself would request its own question (and maybe it will have it). I asked myself many times when a person can be considered a happy life. Is it a matter of money? Of status? Is it a matter of relationships?
How would you define a happy life? In my opinion, many blocks contribute to a happy life.
Many blocks contribute to a happy life: the “relationships” one and the “becoming who we are” one
One of the most important is the relationships one. Having strong relationships can help you in facing bad times and celebrating good moments. Life is a matter of ups and downs, one day you are the top, the next day you can reach the bottom, to get up after two days, and so on. More than the final goal it is important the journey, the path. At the end of the day, we have limited time to stay on this planet. Sharing our daily activities with other humans and animals can be a surplus; it gives a sensation of warmth and safety. It can give us the opportunity to experiment with very different emotions: fear, anger, love, sadness, enthusiasm, disgust. I think that in a sense it can help us to be better humans.
The relationship block challenges us to discover all the possible interactions between our strengths and our weaknesses. I suppose that, in a sense, it gives us the possibility to explore the world, to do not ignore some dark corner of life. In this sense, having a happy life would mean to live all possible combination it offers to us. The comparison and discussion with other individuals is a way to understand better events of life. It is a chance to highlight good events and to forget earlier (or elaborate better) bad events.
Aristotle said that it always possible for matter to reach a precise form. It tends to put in action a possibility that within itself. Any transformation in nature is a change of matter from possibility to reality. It is not so different from becoming who we are
However, relationships are just one block. I think that another important block is ourselves. I think that to have a happy life we have to become who we are. I know that it sounds a lot like Lion King and Disney stuff, but becoming the right version or the best version of ourselves is not a simplistic concept. Neither an easy path. The life journey to become who we are is full of questions. According to me, it is important to not become the version of someone else. It is a very demanding task. Especially nowadays, we are overwhelmed by others’ opinions, comments, information. And here it is necessary to make a distinction.
Hearing others’ opinions and having some mentors (family, friends, professors, colleagues, bosses, etc.) it is natural and it can inspire us. Being certain about too many things can have the opposite effect of being aware of who we are. It can convert us into know-it-all and arrogant people. We risk isolating ourselves from the outer world without any possibility to be open to innovation. It can prevent ourselves from being open to traditions too. Indeed, if you are reluctant to hear from others may be older and wiser than you are, you cannot now your heritage neither.
Nonetheless, following your inner voice is one necessary element to have a happy life. Becoming who we are asks for struggling in fighting for all the things we believe in. These things can comprehend a lot of different battles: from having a family to become a billionaire, from being a writer to have fun with your friend until old age. Most of the time who you want to become is exactly who you are. Suppressing your inner voice, do not follow your passions, and avoiding any kind of struggle can lead you to become something different. According to me, this is a certain way to live a non-happy life. I live in a beautiful city on the seaside in Tuscany, Italy. Here there are many people dreaming of just spending time with their friends and family going swimming, having fun, etc. is this wrong? Not at all. I have different goals and dreams; dreams that include also, but not only these activities. However, I cannot judge what they want. However, they cannot have what they want without a job as an example. Their job is just a way to achieve their goal. In any case, they follow their inner voice. They work in order to be who they are.
From this point of view is important to use our all potential, our talent. Following who we are, we can live a happy life. After all, according to Jostein Gaarder, in his book “Sophie’s world”, Aristotle said that it always possible for matter to reach a precise form. It tends to put in action a possibility that within itself. Any transformation in nature is a change of matter from possibility to reality. It is not so different from becoming who we are. With others around us.
Yes, maybe what is necessary to live a happy life!
Feel free to answer in a contrasting and discordant way with your article and your point of view!
