eudaimonia

This note last modified September 1, 2024

The joy of a life well lived.

The feeling of “I’ve worked hard, and I’m tired, but I feel good about myself.”

warm fuzzies
- Things that make me happy in a eudaimonia sense (ok probably not using that term exactly right but whatever)
pain is a motivator
- At the same time, simply living contently is key to eudaimonia. Should you throw yourself into things, or should you be happy with who you are?
jealousy
- money can't buy happiness. Fulfillment, happiness, and eudaimonia can only come from the work you do, and are entirely within your control.
hedonic treadmill
- This isn’t specific to money though. Any event that provides happiness will eventually fade. Instead of looking for happiness, look for meaning, look for eudaimonia. There is no meaning treadmill. No one can ever take that away from you.
happiness
- There are lower pleasures (a cheeseburger, a nice massage, unexpected money) and there are higher pleasures (eudaimonia, justified pride, stability). Both are intertwined, but there is a sense in which lower pleasures are fleeting while higher pleasures can last years or even your entire lifetime.
fragility
- I think the key to becoming happy is finding sources of happiness that avoid fragility, e.g. eudaimonia
The Eudaimonic Gameplay Experience-Cole
- eudaimonia, serious experience, emotional challenge