The Good Life

For a long time now I have thought about how I could best live my life and worked hard to pursue the activities I identified as worthwhile. This topic is about sharing what I considered and pursued and what it brought me, as well as considering how this fits with my Guiding Principles and what bearing it has on my thoughts on the Meaning of Life.

One thing I can say with certainty: develop both body and mind, they interact a lot. When I practice Karate, I feel much better and my thinking is more optimistic than when I don't work out. Consider how much the state of your body influences your mental well-being: (lack of) sleep, stress, love, the use of alcohol, the use of drugs etc. Or think of people that lose (the use of) a portion of their brain and turn into different persons. The state of your body will greatly affect the state of your mind. It is an interesting topic for some more reflections, because while I have no examples of scientists doing their best work while not being clear of mind there are definitely artists who created great works like that.

It is interesting how little attention is paid to the body in philosophy and religion. At least most of what is known to me doesn't mention it at all or maybe very superficial. In religious thinking, the material world is sometimes even condemned entirely, being of the devil separate from the divine. But I guess the focus in that case is the afterlife and this world is only to be temporarily endured anyway. But the only life we can be sure of is this mortal one, not one after death (see Principle 3). Ignoring or worse disapproving of the body is a sure way to drag you down. You'll feel bad because you dislike your bodily needs AND because you neglect it. Don't go that way! Exercise if you can, and allow yourself the things you need as a corporeal, social being. More on that later.