Well It's Not The Bad Life...
The good life seems to be about minimizing bad decisions. How can we determine what bad decisions are? We must observe information well before coming to a conclusion. How can we observe well? Let me ask you an easy question. Do we observe more accurately when buzzed or sober? The answer is obvious: when we are sober.
A first principle then is: Determining the good life requires one to be sober. To determine what is good we must observe, and to observe as accurately as possible we must be sober. Sobriety gives us accurate information when compared to intoxication. We want the most accurate information possible to make the most accurate judgements possible.
What is information? Sensory input from the world. Sight, sound, touch, etc. Information also comes from thoughts, which are internal. When we observe a friend fall on hard times because of a behavior they perform, we use our senses to “see” what happens. We then use our rational mind to make a judgement concerning cause and effect. We do our best to look at the character traits involved, parties involved, motivations involved, consequences incurred, etc. We consider how the situation could have been avoided or changed for better. This output from our analysis is also information.
The Untamed Mind
Analysis of these events by the mind is not an entirely transparent process. Why? The mind is not exclusively dedicated to analysis but is simultaneously attending to other matters. Bodily functions. Sexual drive. Unconscious processing. Social cues. Sensory input. Desires. A song stuck in our head. Considering this, the output of conscious analysis is a synthesis of conscious analysis *AND* whatever else the mind is attending to.
If our mind is nursing us through a hangover from last night’s drinking, we should assume that the hangover is synthesized into our conscious analysis of our observations. The hangover and the analysis are one. They provide information as a whole. If our mind is craving a cigarette or actively under the influence of a substance this same principle applies.
The analysis of a sober mind and the analysis of an altered mind conclude differently. Which conclusion is true? Which conclusion formed from more accurate observations? The sober analysis must be the more accurate of the two. To observe accurate information from the output of conscious analysis, we should minimize intoxication.
Good Observation = The Good Life?
Interestingly we eliminate many bad behaviors from our life when we apply principles of good observation. Choosing to search for the good life in our observations and prioritizing getting accurate observations means that we will not drink or do drugs. We will sleep appropriately to ensure we are rested for good observation. We will eliminate unnecessary sensory input to ensure we are not distracted.
It may be that the good life is self-fulfilling. When we choose to search for it as accurately as possible we are eliminating bad behaviors that cause us to lose it. We hope our observations lead us to more than avoidance of what is bad. We hope that they show us what is good. However, eliminating behaviors that inhibit our ability to observe accurately is a good first step.
I hypothesize: the longer we are accurately focusing on observation the more accurate the information we gather from it will be. For example: two people focus for one year on observing well in hopes of figuring out the good life. One takes a night off to drink. The other continues their study. Who gathers the most accurate information the following day? What about a week later, after the hangover has worn off? The person with 1 year + 1 week of uninterrupted focus will gather more than the person with only 1 week. Simply, their focus is unbroken. An analogy is the first kept their car driving 100 mph and the other pulled over to stop. One is further down the road. The other needs to restart the engine, get back on the road, and accelerate. They are behind.
It may be the case that a good life requires uninterrupted accurate observation in hope of discovering itself.
Until next time. Cheers.