Big Think

Jesse Gregoris on January 16, 2008, 8:49 AM

The measure of a good life is determined by the evaluators priorities. I believe regret and ignorance are mitigating factors when determining the value of a life. If a self evaluator believes that remaining interested only in themselves and second guessing are qualities then a life I might deem wasted is actually considered to be good. We can only truly evaluate our own lives.

Jesse Gregoris on January 16, 2008, 1:49 PM

The measure of a good life is determined by the evaluators priorities. I believe regret and ignorance are mitigating factors when determining the value of a life. If a self evaluator believes that remaining interested only in themselves and second guessing are qualities then a life I might deem wasted is actually considered to be good. We can only truly evaluate our own lives.

John Jackman on January 17, 2008, 10:53 PM

Ready: I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment as I don't believe people always know what's best for themselves (which is also why I'm not a libertarian). To take an extreme example, a crack addict may think he or she is leading a 'good life' (and that may well be), but in all likelihood, that person would find a life under Chopra's principles far more fulfilling. The subject in question need not be an addict; he/she could just as easily be a business executive or a stay-at-home parent.

Our society has developed entire industries around helping people achieve a 'good life', from psychotherapy and self-help books to pharmaceuticals and weight-loss programs. Apparently, happiness is not yet something we can purchase at Walmart.

John Jackman on January 18, 2008, 3:53 AM

Ready: I have to respectfully disagree with your assessment as I don’t believe people always know what’s best for themselves (which is also why I’m not a libertarian). To take an extreme example, a crack addict may think he or she is leading a ‘good life’ (and that may well be), but in all likelihood, that person would find a life under Chopra’s principles far more fulfilling. The subject in question need not be an addict; he/she could just as easily be a business executive or a stay-at-home parent.

Our society has developed entire industries around helping people achieve a ‘good life’, from psychotherapy and self-help books to pharmaceuticals and weight-loss programs. Apparently, happiness is not yet something we can purchase at Walmart.

Johnny Tran on January 21, 2008, 7:13 PM

I agree with all those but to put it in simpler terms, I would say that a good life consists of no regrets. A good life is all relevant to who's life it is.

Johnny Tran on January 22, 2008, 12:13 AM

I agree with all those but to put it in simpler terms, I would say that a good life consists of no regrets. A good life is all relevant to who’s life it is.

Glyde Barbey on January 27, 2008, 11:41 AM

I agree with Chopra and with jonnytran. Chopra suggest what I understand to be a noble life and I understand jonnytran's perspective to be satisfied and accepting of your actions, at the end of the day. Personally I would like to be satisfied with trying to lead a noble life.

Glyde Barbey on January 27, 2008, 4:41 PM

I agree with Chopra and with jonnytran. Chopra suggest what I understand to be a noble life and I understand jonnytran’s perspective to be satisfied and accepting of your actions, at the end of the day. Personally I would like to be satisfied with trying to lead a noble life.

johnnie otis on January 27, 2008, 7:07 PM

this question is too hard to quantify. though this guy made his genuine attempt. to survive and procreate are the aims in life and along the way to help a few close friends, have a few drinks and laugh, and exercise mind and body. there are so many ways to get through, but no one measure of a good life

johnnie otis on January 28, 2008, 12:07 AM

this question is too hard to quantify. though this guy made his genuine attempt. to survive and procreate are the aims in life and along the way to help a few close friends, have a few drinks and laugh, and exercise mind and body. there are so many ways to get through, but no one measure of a good life

Holly Gilroy on February 6, 2008, 10:08 AM

I definitely agree with this brief explanation of the good life, and think the end is essential, about participating in the lives of other.

I think a necessary component of the good life is connecting oneself to the world in which we participate and beginning to understand the processes that we are enabling.

A lot of current self-help books are outrageously selfish, and unfortunately many people who are already quite self-involved gravitate to them. There is a tricky but necessary distinction to be made between self-betterment (which will thereby lead you to love, compassion and the urge to participate) and perpetual, aimless, self-development. This reckless drive to excel is deeply troubling.

Holly Gilroy on February 6, 2008, 3:08 PM

I definitely agree with this brief explanation of the good life, and think the end is essential, about participating in the lives of other.

I think a necessary component of the good life is connecting oneself to the world in which we participate and beginning to understand the processes that we are enabling.

A lot of current self-help books are outrageously selfish, and unfortunately many people who are already quite self-involved gravitate to them. There is a tricky but necessary distinction to be made between self-betterment (which will thereby lead you to love, compassion and the urge to participate) and perpetual, aimless, self-development. This reckless drive to excel is deeply troubling.

Sreeparna Lahiri on February 20, 2008, 8:42 PM

Definition to good life is relative and it varies from person to person. A good life for a materialistic person will be very different from a spiritually aware person.

Sreeparna Lahiri on February 21, 2008, 1:42 AM

Definition to good life is relative and it varies from person to person. A good life for a materialistic person will be very different from a spiritually aware person.

Jeremy Hager on February 27, 2008, 12:06 AM

Once again, Deepak Chopra speaks with a wisdom that some day I can only hope to emululate. One of the more enlightened, brilliant thinkers of our time.

Jeremy Hager on February 27, 2008, 5:06 AM

Once again, Deepak Chopra speaks with a wisdom that some day I can only hope to emululate. One of the more enlightened, brilliant thinkers of our time.

Neko Ng on May 19, 2008, 6:39 AM

How to measure good life is subjective. Based on the individual's yardstick. Although I have to agree with Deepak Chopra that a good life is realisation of one's goal,his measure is more altruistic. In different backgrounds, a poverty-stricken countries like Zimbawe, a good life is having a meal a day and able to live to see another day.

Neko Ng on May 19, 2008, 10:39 AM

How to measure good life is subjective. Based on the individual’s yardstick. Although I have to agree with Deepak Chopra that a good life is realisation of one’s goal,his measure is more altruistic. In different backgrounds, a poverty-stricken countries like Zimbawe, a good life is having a meal a day and able to live to see another day.

wilubi author on July 3, 2008, 11:45 AM

Hopefully, a good and wise life would include some laughter. In my recent book, "Wilubi's Wizdum" I have tried to blend laughter with wisdom.

wilubi author on July 3, 2008, 3:45 PM

Hopefully, a good and wise life would include some laughter. In my recent book, “Wilubi’s Wizdum” I have tried to blend laughter with wisdom.

Pastor Jennifer on July 15, 2008, 9:23 PM

Hey Deepak:
You should know! You sure made money enough from your TM Ayurvedic snakeoil to live a very comfortable life in suny California. Except it isn't so noble conning money out of the gullible is it? And that quantum twaddle about being able to stop ageing doesn't seem to be working…you just keep on getting older and older…

Pastor Jennifer on July 16, 2008, 1:23 AM

Hey Deepak:
You should know! You sure made money enough from your TM Ayurvedic snakeoil to live a very comfortable life in suny California. Except it isn’t so noble conning money out of the gullible is it? And that quantum twaddle about being able to stop ageing doesn’t seem to be working…you just keep on getting older and older…

pure doxyk on September 2, 2008, 8:21 AM

Once again, Mr. Chopra uses many words to say very little…are all goals equal? Is one person's goal of having a million dollars just as "good" as another person's goal of feeding starving children? What is the "ability to have love" and compassion—are we born with that, or do we need to (pay a "spiritualist" to help us) learn it? And I dare, DARE someone to put the verb phrase "to participate in the evolutionary process of" in a form that means something concrete.

Half-seriously? A good life is one where I don't have to listen to B.S. masquerading as deep thinking. ;)

pure doxyk on September 2, 2008, 12:21 PM

Once again, Mr. Chopra uses many words to say very little…are all goals equal? Is one person’s goal of having a million dollars just as “good” as another person’s goal of feeding starving children? What is the “ability to have love” and compassion—are we born with that, or do we need to (pay a “spiritualist” to help us) learn it? And I dare, DARE someone to put the verb phrase “to participate in the evolutionary process of” in a form that means something concrete.

Half-seriously? A good life is one where I don’t have to listen to B.S. masquerading as deep thinking. ;)

Rob Alexander on January 10, 2009, 6:30 AM

The more I have a chance to speak to people who have lived through wars and other times of extreme hardship, the more I hear that after everything else is gone, the value of life can be measured in the smiles of those we love and the ability to eat good food.
We’ve got the luxury of the food. Let’s make sure that we are using our energy efficiently to enable more people to feel happiness.

Jim Stiene on April 24, 2009, 6:32 PM

Well to enjoy it is probably one. If someone spends twenty or eighty happy years on this planet, they have someone over those that are miserable, regardless of other factors one could use to call them sucessfull. The other would be to do something useful or important. Leave more than you came with. Clean up after yourself. Raise a generation that learns from our past so they can shape a better future.

Either way, it is a subjective question without a definitive answer. The fact that we all have our own answers to this question is what makes life interesting. So people can ignore my definition. They should define their own measure of success, happiness and meaning.

Anyone can ask the meaning of life, but in truth their are about 7 billion different answers, as it should be. Our job is to measure our own life, not others, and come of with satisfying answers.

Shanta Bhalla on May 9, 2009, 1:32 PM

Self-fulfillment, certainly – but the ability to love?  I think that’s just glib.  It’s the kind of thing all self-help gurus feel compelled to say – but probably cannot define or quantify.  

Love.  What kind of love?  How much love?  Who should one love?  Romantic love or universal love?  And is the latter even possible.

I think a good life begins with the dawning of wisdom.  If this leads to enlightenment – WOW!

Renee Alexandrea on June 3, 2009, 2:06 AM

Can “good life” be measured? In my own opinion, I don’t think so. Happiness is intangible. Also, how one perceives good life can vary from another?