HEDONIC V EUDAIMONIC

 A

TWO KINDS OF HAPPINESS Philosophers, spiritual teachers, and scientists have identified two forms of well-being: hedonic and eudaimonic. Hedonic well-being, what we often call “happiness,” is transitory and characterized by attaining pleasure and avoiding pain, whereas eudaimonic well-being focuses more on meaning, realizing one’s potential, and contributing to one’s community, and, ultimately, is longer lasting. The debate over which of these two kinds of well-being makes for a truly happy life has raged for centuries. In ancient Greece, the philosopher Aristippus taught that the goal of life is to experience the maximum amount of pleasure, and that happiness is the totality of one’s moments of pleasure, while Aristotle argued that wellbeing is to be found in doing what is truly worth doing. Although these two kinds of happiness are related and often overlap, they can differ sharply and their differences have profound implications for our behavior, relationships, physical health, and our longevity

A

In terms of its etymology, eudaimonia is an abstract noun derived from the words eû ('good, well') and daímōn ('dispenser, tutelary deity'), the latter referring maybe to a minor deity or a guardian spirit

A

A

SUBCONSCIOUS/  ICEBERG 

Although we may not be conscious of it, that huge 90 percent of the iceberg under the water exerts a powerful influence on our behavior. Thus, the subconscious is working around the clock, taking care of us and making many decisions automatically. On some level, we are consciously aware that there are vast and complex processes churning away below the surface, but our experience of it is that we are often surprised by its workings. The subconscious can seem strange, magical, and even frightening because we are not seeing how it is working or what it is doing. We may even feel it is like a shadow government, pulling the strings of our lives behind the scenes. The sources of most of our reactions to people, places, and things are at a subconscious level, or just beneath the surface, and we do not realize we have any agency over them. Consequently, we often ignore them, with the result being that they drive our behavior without our knowing it

A