I was on a Zoom call with my aunties the other day and the word “Eudaimonia” was introduced as something that my generation has resurfaced from the ancient Greek times of Aristotle. 

The translation to english could simply be “happiness,” but it’s so much more than that. 

Just as the Danish hygge is that untranslatable feeling of contentment and taking pleasure in the small things in life (stepping onto heated tile in a cabin during winter, the first sip of hot chocolate, getting a moment to read the last chapter of your book), Eudaimonia cannot be translated into a single word. 

I want to liken it to that feeling of  “flow” that Angela Duckworth talks about in her book Grit. When you completely lose yourself in what you’re doing. The escape from time because you’re doing what you’re meant to do. A complete retreat from the physical world around you. 

But, then again, eudaimonia isn’t exactly like that either. 

Instead, to quote the Encyclopedia Britannica, it “follows that eudaimonia consists of the good performance of the characteristic function of human beings, whatever that may be, and human virtue or excellence is that combination of traits or qualities that enables humans to perform that function well.” 

Of course, the fact that the Encyclopedia Britannica refers to humanity’s greatest purpose as “the characteristic function of human beings, whatever that may be” leaves the definition of eudaimonia a bit nebulous.

If we’re striving to perform well at our characteristic function, yet don’t know what our characteristic function is, how are we supposed to strive to perform at it?

No wonder ancient philosophy (and contemporary philosophy for that matter) is so complicated!

A simplified (perhaps overly simplified) version of Aristotle’s answer to this question is that our function is to live a good life that is guided by our ability to reason. Since no other animal (that we know of) has a conscience, he reasoned that this must be—or at least be a part of—our characteristic function.

As a Capricorn and Myers-Briggs moderator, I am thrilled with this definition.

However, that’s not where the definition ends. In accordance with those who came before him (Plato, Socrates), Aristotle brings virtue into the mix.

It is not enough to live with reason. We must use logic to create a life that is virtuous.

Here, however, we pump the brakes once more.

What does it mean to live a virtuous life? What is a virtue? Below, we have the dictionary definition of a virtue and a moral.

Virtue - behavior showing high moral standards. A quality considered morally good or desirable in a person. A good or useful quality of a thing. Virginity or chastity, especially of a woman. In Christian angelology, the seventh-highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy. 

Moral - a lesson, especially one concerning what is right or prudent, that can be derived from a story, a piece of information or an experience.

Once again, we’re left with vague definitions or definitions that were later claimed by Christianity which wouldn’t fall into what the ancient philosophers were talking about.

On top of that, if morality comes from experiences, is it fair to judge anyone’s morals who came from a background of violence and neglect? How are they supposed to use reason to discover what’s “morally good” when the lessons they have learned have shown that taking things by force is what people do.

Actually, Aristotle does bring up the inequality of eudaimonia. He goes on to reason that those who are poor and friendless (among some other dated attributes) will face far more obstacles in achieving eudaimonia because a virtuous life is further out of reach.

This is extremely obvious and relevant in this post. I have the time and luxury to contemplate all of these things while others are wondering if they’ll survive to see tomorrow.

What I (and I believe many of my contemporaries) am doing is tweaking the definition of eudaimonia to fit the world we live in today. Let’s dissect the word: eu meaning “well” and daimon meaning “spirit.” Good spirit.

Side note: I was obsessed with Phillip Pulman’s His Dark Materials trilogy and am just now discovering that his dæmons were a direct reference to our daimon, spirits.

So for me, what I see as the highest virtue or goodness is taking a steward’s (or caretaker’s) approach to all things in life.

This includes relationships: caring and growing friendships, familial, and colleague relationships in my life.

This includes caring for my body: exercising regularly (post-broken toe), eating whole foods, stretching, taking time to relax when needed.

This includes taking care of my apartment: doing that Sunday clean even when I don’t want to.

This includes caring for my mind: reading, learning new words like eudaimonia, picking up new skills.

This includes caring for the earth: striving for less waste, searching for Bay Area farms who are practicing regenerative farming, picking up trash when I see it, donating when I can, staying aware of what’s happening to our planet.

I have to admit that just thinking of myself as a steward brings a sense of happiness and purpose to my life. I am here to care for those around me. I am here to care for the earth. This doesn’t have to look nurturing. It can be tough love sometimes while other times it can be a sympathetic shoulder for someone to lean on. But through it all, it is striving to be someone who helps things grow, rather than lets them wither.

I’m not sure if this post really covered what I was trying to say or if it was even correct in defining eudaimonia, but I felt that it was something that I wanted to write while staring out at the trees that surround me.