Let's Live A Good Life

Everybody lives a little differently; different things have more or less importance and no two people will have the exact same life goals and life morals. Some people live to please others, and some people live solely

to please themselves. I have always been the type of person that will put others before myself. I thrive off of other peoples' happiness. My friends and my family are definitely the top things that give my life real meaning. Without them, I would have nothing and I wouldn't be the person I am today. Another thing that gives my life meaning are my morals. Certain things that I believe in, such a gay rights and treating others how you want to be treated, are extremely important to me and contribute to what I consider "the good life". 

I believe that "the good life" is a life that you can tell others about and just be proud of. The good life is one that may not be perfect, but one that makes you happy, and at the end of the day, makes others happy too. The good life is one that fulfills your life goals and dreams, even though it may be a tough road to get there. In my opinion, a good life does not revolve around money and wealth. Happiness and health for yourself and your loved ones should be more important than being able to buy expensive material items. Some people will always believe that without money, happiness ceases to exist. I believe that is only if you let it happen that way. Although wealth does make certain aspects of life easier, there are many other things in life that should be more important and contribute more to living a good life.

One other thing that I believe greatly attributes to "the good life" is taking advantage of all of the opportunities that we have to get a good education. Neither one of my parents went to college, so it has always been really important to them that both my brother and I graduate from college, giving ourselves more chances to have a good career. I know that when my parents scold me for getting sub-par grades, it is just because they believe in me and know that I can do better and push myself farther. Every day it becomes more and more clear just how important getting a good education is in this country. Not only because it provides a better future, but because we have the chance to reach our full potentials as human beings, and have the ability to change the world because of it.

One theory that we discussed in class that I really believe encompasses many traits of leading a good life would be Kantianism. A Kantian believes that "it is nonnegotiable that people ought to treat others respectfully - as equally worthy (Salazar 1392)." And that "there are duties that people owe to themselves, such as developing their talents, as well as duties owed to others, such as being charitable (Salazar 1392)." Both of these concepts are important principles in my opinion, to be able to say that you lead a good life.