Why ADIO Soul?
What is the good life & how do I obtain it?
Philosophers and theologians have explored and discussed this question for milenia. Artist have tried to express it and more recently psycologists work to explain why we don’t have it. But perhaps no time in history have people been more interested in defining this question for themselves than we are now.
Socrates is one of the more famous philosophers who sat with these questions and he argued that a person who lives a routine, mundane life of going to work and enjoying their leisure without reflecting on their values or life purpose had a life that wasn’t worth living. However, he also argued that mere philosophical reflection was not sufficient for a good life.
So maybe we should first ask what is life and what is good? Or maybe this is where our problem lies, because it appears that there are nearly as many answers to these to questions as there are people on the planet! And this isn’t playing out too well for all of us.
If we continue to follow Socrates and Plato, they would say we need to reflect on the consequence of our actions based on our definitions for life and good in order to minimize human suffering, both individually and socially. For Socrates, the good life requires reflection and thoughtful action; self-mastery of our animal passions to ensure inner peace and the stability of the wider community. Community- ouch! That is another troubled arena in our society.
A person out of FLOW with LIFE is unable to regulate their behavior,
will be unstable and create suffering for themselves and others.
Religion is an organized communal way of relating to the divine. As such, religions give a definition of what is life and what is good, but religion as a system also seeks to impose regulation of behaviors.
Later in philosophy Kant would speak about the relationship between morality, reason, and freedom. One necessary condition of moral action is free choice. He would agree about the goodness of virtuous living, but say conduct is not freely chosen if it is driven by bodily desires like hunger, lust, or fear, or behavioral coercion that applies rewards and punishments to steer human actions.
The Bible tells of a time in the book of Judges where “everyone did that which was right in their own eyes”. This was a time when the people were not giving attention to their relationship with GOD and before there was a king to impose leadership and the result was anarchy- to the distruction of self and society.
We are a society focused on self, and yet longing for a true community experience. The “me” generation are now seniors citizens, followed by GENX and what TIME magazine nick named the Millenials in 2014 “the me me me generation” making up the adult work force. While we are in a season rife with strife, I believe it is equally a season for waking up to life. Within the space of focusing on me, we can be invited to slow down and listen to ourselves. In that space of reflection we can truly assess our sense of personal wellbeing. This can lead to a beautiful place for growth and change. In fact, personal developemnt has been a growing field from the early 1900’s on, but is currently exploding. This is cause for hope, hope of people finding a more integrated way of living personal well being within societal wellbeing.
I have been on this journey for sometime and invite all those who would like to learn and grow with me, to choose life. Life that flows from ABOVE-DOWN INSIDE- OUT.