After my great aunt’s death, I visited her apartment with my mom and sisters. Her husband told us something like, “We lived the best life. It was ideal, really,” and listed some of the things they did that made it so.
I’ve thought about that comment many times over the last few months. His list of things that defined the “best life” were so different from my own and honestly, that is ok with me. Our different definitions about the “best life” have initiated some thoughts for me about contentment.
I think that our hearts search for common things, such as comfort, meaning, growth, and acceptance, but we all choose to find these things in different ways. So many factors influence and hinder our efforts, but I think there are common themes among happy and content people. I think they are grateful and they are hopeful.
I am most happy when I have a balance between contentment and yearning, and that takes work. More than any other quality, gratitude keeps me content, but not complacent. The quality of hope keeps my yearning focused on eternal things, not worldly things.
There’s that part in Plato’s Republic where the people sit in the cave, perceiving only the shadow of reality on the wall in front of them and only a few enlightened people see a higher truth. Most horrifying to me in that scene is the idea that people are missing the really important things, but compelled to watch shadows, they become totally absorbed in the act of looking at imitations so they come to believe that “this is all there is”. Unlike Plato, I think enlightenment about important things isn’t saved just for a choice few. The best lives always include family, good pursuits, and faith and a lot of us are living well. These things are not shadows, they are some of the only real things we have.
If someone were to ask me today if I think that I live the best life, I would say YES, despite some worry and heartache today. These are shadows and will pass. The realities are clear and life is good.