The Good Life

For many, the good life may include an ending like that of a fairy tale, with an ending that is happy forever after, but for those of us who reside in reality, the definition of good can be a blur. For me, I could be relatively content with a fairy tale ending, but as Einstein once wrote, "I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves - this ethical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty", and like Einstein, it is the people and activities around us that keep us connected to what is real, good and bad. For me, the good life would of course include being financially ahead, not just making it check to check, but being able to reserve the type of money that actually counts. The good life would mean having a job that I am efficient at and enjoy enough that the workday doesn't necessarily feel like work. The good life would revolve around those who are closet to me and would also mean there is stability not only in my life, but theirs as well.
In order to attain the good life, one must work hard so that the many things we take for granted have value, and with the hard work we gain the discipline necessary to move ahead to the good life, having the intelligence to make rational decisions necessary to be truly free and independent yet still weaved into society. The most crucial conditions required to live the good life are education, a childlike sense of amusement and having the patience to deal with all of life’s screwballs. We must not forget the essentials of living together in an ever shrinking world of respect, discipline and ingenuity. Contemporary society helps us all come together in a respectable fashion allowing us to coexist and create something greater. The main issue in our current society is the massive amount of competition and "lack of resources" for those of us who aren't at the top of the totem pole. As everyone strives for the same good life, we negate other options that may be available to us, thus creating a society all chasing after the universal coin, placing ourselves in the pockets of monopolies and enterprises. Some may consider this good, others the root of evil, but there are more paths to the good life than one. Essentially, I feel that one is living the good life when they treat others as they would want to be treated, as for the most part people want to be treated well and as logical human beings.