These are the opening words to (I think) three chapters of Iris Murdoch's novel 'The Bell'. If you had to write the answer, what would it be today? (The Bell first published 1958).
2007-04-23 11:59:44 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
Finally, an easy question! Two words: Helping others. Everything in Life will eventually steer you toward this insight -you cannot be truly happy inside yourself until you help others somehow. You can try making lots of money. You can try being with someone. You can try education. You can try travel. But until you drop everything and reach out to someone who is having an awful time of it, you will not know the feeling of gratitude for being able to impart strength to someone else when he truly needs it. Watching someone improve because of your help, or learning your words have influenced someone for the better, seeing someone find his life easier to live, easier to bear, or his choices increase in number, or his prosperity develop, or his station in life come to include a roof over his head and good food for himself and those he loves, or possibly job security, or being able to once again dialogue sanely with a loved one because of something you were able to do to help make it possible - all of this is directly connected to the good life. I am strong on the intangibles. Things you cannot actually see. Being able to send your love toward someone else and transform his suffering or inertia into a healthy outlook, momentum, and a good life once again is one of the most rewarding things in the world. The good life cannot happen until you help someone else. It changes the quality of your own life. Everyone knows this. Some use it. Some ask about it. Some even take a lifetime to discover it. These are my thoughts. - C.
2007-04-23 14:05:17 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
She wrote: "The chief requirement of the good life is to live without any image of oneself"
But my chief requirement would be a clear, untroubled conscience.
I could never enjoy any kind of "good life" unless I first had that.
2007-04-23 19:06:13 · answer #2 · answered by johnslat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Peace of Mind.
2007-04-24 06:22:09 · answer #3 · answered by JT68 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You'll have to read it for her reasoning, I personally would say a good foundation and belief system that you can weigh your decisions against. Along with a good education.
2007-04-23 19:05:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A happy heart.
2007-04-23 19:13:50 · answer #5 · answered by pepper 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋