Written by Xiao, 2021 Cohort
I recently watched a TV Interview with Luoxiang, a famous lawyer in China. He talked about “what is a good life,” which was relatable. He said,” There are countless standards to define what is good. But if we add an “S” with it, good becomes goods.” At the age of 30, I tend to rethink life, dreams, and living these things more. So, today I also would like to talk about what is a “good” life.
One thing I feel sad about is that our society admires wealthy people. People like to judge you through the size of your house, the property you own, the brand name of your car. If we see things this way, maybe wealth and fame could represent a good life. Does this criterion fit my value? Not so. That’s why I felt so in tune when Luoxiang talked about “good” and “goods.”
But I partly agree with it. I have to admit that money is significant as the premise of a good life is that we can stand on our own feet, which is the cornerstone of pursuing good objectives afterward.I said I wanted to get rid of the low level. For now, I think I have just figured out my definition of a good life: Living on my own, being capable of clarifying and following my value system. In other words, a good life should not be measured by only one source: “money”; if so, we belittle ourselves; we treat ourselves as a commodity, always being weighed and measured. Value orders, having them is more significant than making them unified. We may have different value orders due to the situation being inconsistent. My experiences told me that a precise value order or a criterion for measuring life is key to a light heart, peace of mind and the ability to face the tough world. I can be firm inside and tell myself that it is the right thing to do, and I want to keep going when others shake their heads at us and deny it.
Happiness itself is a subjective feeling, and we should define it on our own. After we define it and set up our value order, there will be fewer complaints and powerlessness because we know they are our choices.
Many people always say “there is no choice,” in fact, this is not true; when we say there is no choice, the subtext behind us is, “I want everything.”But life is not where we can have our cake and eat it. We need to think clearly if we only choose two (money maintaining our basic life must be one of them), what is the other?