Think again
HOW TO LIVE A GOOD LIFE Philosopher Frank Martela believes that a meaningful life means more than happiness. TEXT AND PHOTO LAURA IISALO
F RA N K M A R T EL A , 3 6
Philosopher, non-fiction author, and researcher at Aalto University and Filosofian Akatemia consultancy. W H AT I T H I N K
“Our culture’s current overemphasis on individuality is harmful as it makes us blind to the many ways our personal success, happiness, and even our selfhood is dependent on the people around us.” W H AT I H AV E L EA R N ED
“Empathy and compassion are not something we are born with but something we must teach and learn.”
36 BLUE WINGS MAY–JUNE 2018
T
fruitful to study what makes life here is one theme central to meaningful. He sees this as mainly philosopher Frank Martela’s stemming from two things: finding work, a question he keeps ways to realise oneself, and connecting coming back to again and again: How with others. “A good life consists of to live a good life. According to the UN more than just wanting to be happy. 2018 happiness report, which ranked We want to live well according to our Finland as the happiest country in morals and we want to feel that our life the world, the Finns are certainly on is valuable. A balanced combination of to something. Based on subjective self-expression and the ability to support reporting, all Nordic countries scored others produces both wellbeing and well on income, healthy life expectancy, meaningfulness,” he says. social support, freedom, trust, and To apply this theory, generosity. Martela agrees Martela theorises that that all these indicators “Happiness it would be beneficial support both individual and communal wellbeing. happens to you to loosen the traditional hierarchical system where Martela is nevertheless when you’re one person decides and a firm believer that others obey. Instead, the key to achieving busy doing everyone should be personal happiness is to meaningful given responsibility stop chasing it. It’s all and autonomy. When too easy to believe that things.” everyone is committed to happiness will follow a mutual goal – whether after we fix certain to stop bullying, reach financial targets, aspects of our lives – buy a bigger or tackle environmental challenges – home, get a better-paid job, or enjoy a each individual can be given freedom to lavish holiday – but Martela argues that decide how to get there. When people life doesn’t work that way. “Striving feel valued they become more engaged, to constantly optimise one’s happiness which improves productivity and leads makes a person unable to be satisfied to more personal fulfilment. with anything. Chasing one personal “John Lennon sang that life is what goal after another means that we are happens to you while you’re busy constantly living in the future and working our way towards happiness, but making other plans. I like to say that happiness is what happens to you when never quite getting there – which is also you’re busy doing meaningful things,” called the hedonic treadmill,” he says. Martela concludes. Martela maintains that it is more