Abstract
All human day-to-day activity is directed toward achieving a good living which is codified within good health, wealth, happiness, minimized-tensed life, a peaceful life, etc. In a world full of many activities and actions; some running independently while others concurrently, it becomes pertinent to be reminded of the two distinct ways in life: the way to happiness and the way to misery/self blame. To be in any of these ways, is chiefly determined by the “Self” who is the agent of acting. It is the fundamental actor in deciding what to do and not to do. Therefore, to focus in the right direction is to critically examine the Self since in the thought of Socrates, “An unexamined life is not worth living”. The bone of contention in this article is the justification that the focus of the Self towards the right part is very essential for living a good life and it is indeed the essence of good living.
Keyword: Focus, self, good-living, direction.
Introduction
Have you ever wondered how the world would have been if everything man needed was made available for him without needing to work for it? To have a clear understanding of the above hypothetical question, you can make a connection with the Christian story of Adam and Eve living in the Garden of Eden before they disobeyed God; how everything was at their disposal that they did not need to work or toil. Therefore, that is to say, all human endeavour in life is to gain happiness and comfort which is evidence of Good Living. Man who is a social animal according to Aristotle, lives in a society which is both minute and complex. In human society, there are many activities going on and in all these activities, they are grouped into two: one group leading to good life and the other group leading to suffering, however, suffering is caused and it can be ended.
To live a good life, one must focus on the right direction and to focus on the right direction is to be on the right path. Being in the right direction simply means, following the correct route. This is in consonance with the thought of Tim Ahrens, that where you stand will determine what you will see; whom you stand with will determine what you hear; and what you see and hear will determine what you say and how you act. In another sense, where you stand, that is, the place you are, determines how you think and definitely how you behave. In summary, the way you make your bed, so you lie on it.
In essence, it becomes pertinent to set principles toward focusing on the right path amidst every other path. The right path or direction leads to good health, riches and wealth, happiness, comfort, and in compendium, good living. The main object leading one to focus on the right part is the “Self”. Self in this context is a person's essential being that distinguishes them from others, especially considered as the object of introspection or reflexive action and the single human agent that carries out human activities. It is the individual person: The “Self” in the sense of “You” in the 2nd person’s singular. Hence, the battle to align oneself to focusing towards the right direction and even being in the right path is an intrinsic battle. Remember, the battle within is the fiercest battle that you shall ever face. We are made or destroyed from within. In the words of Ezra Taft Benson, “Some of the greatest battles will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.” The implication is that you have to be the master of yourself in order to set it in the right direction.
The Self as the Pivotal Factor toward the Right Direction in Life
Confucius views the “Self” as something that has to do with a person’s morals, values, background and really just everything that makes a person who they are. The self is therefore, what makes you who you are as a person. Having a good knowledge of the “Self”, that is, yourself is very crucial to focusing in the right direction. This is because the Self is a moral agent and every action taken an equal amount of responsibility comes back to the Self. The Self to direct itself is to act without being told what to do. In order for the Self to act in the right direction, it must gain self-concept and self-knowledge.
Nonetheless, to gain self-concept and self-knowledge becomes very paramount. According to Burns, Self-concept is self-esteem, self-worth or self-acceptance that includes all beliefs and judgments about ourselves; it will define who we are in our own mind, what we can do in our minds and what we become in our minds. In the other lane, Self-knowledge in the view of Henryk, refers to “the collection of representations believed to truly and accurately depict the Self. Self-knowledge is not learnt from any textbooks or media but essentially from introspection and interactions. Importantly, Self-knowledge exists in many forms, such as knowledge of our past, our personality, or our life goals”. Self concept and knowledge will help you evaluate where you are by looking at where you were and in view of where you aspire to be.
It is good to note that the important part of the Self is the “Mind” and for such a common adage says, “What happens to a man first happens to him in his mind”. The mind therefore, is the force vitae (vital force) of the self. Therefore, to set the Self in the right direction is to condition your mind towards thinking in a positive and good ethical path. The moral principle guiding the actions of the Self should always be; for the common good, for the good of humanity and to better the world. Again, the foundation principle of the Self should be, Bonum Faciendum et malum vitandum – Good is to be done and evil should be avoided.
The Self on the Right Direction/Path
To be on the right path or direction in life is to live a happy and good life. A happy life and good life here could be seen in the lens of Confucius and Mencius. In their views, “Happiness consists primarily not in pleasure, but in ethical pleasure; the good life is not a life in which all or most of one’s desires are fulfilled, but a life in which the satisfaction of prudential desires is subject to the constraint of ethical desire; the source of the greatest happiness lies not in the attainment of the greatest political power, but rather in the cognizance of one’s moral innocence. The relationship between happiness and the good life is that happiness is a critically important constituent of the good life. However, happiness defined in terms of pleasure, desire satisfaction, or a list of goods needs to be tempered by moral constraints”.
Sincerity to the Self is one of the keys to a happy living. Happiness hence, presupposes sincerity and therefore, self-consciousness, sincerity in self-feeling, or sincerity in intentionality and relationship with another person is necessary for one to be truly happy. Commenting on the above, Xunwu Chen opined that “values respecting sincere relationships such as trustworthiness are emphasized both as a component of humanity and a paradigm of righteousness. Being trustworthy produces happiness; conversely, being untrustworthy produces shame. Happiness requires one to have an authentic relationship with the culture in which one is brought up, e.g., rites and other institutions. Happiness implies self-realization. Self-realization always occurs in the world that is cultured. In other words, the world that is cultured is the social theater or platform for one to perform one’s drama of existence. Self-realization presupposes a sincere relationship with the cultured world in which one exists”.
In Confucianism, the existential hallmark of living is not only by the very reality a distinctive self living an examined life and by a self’s creative activities and sincerity, but also by a self’s true experience of happiness of living as a self, being creative, and being sincere and therefore, to live a sincere life to live an authentic life.
How to Focus towards the Right Direction: Some Considerations
Like Rene Descartes who set a guiding principle for himself in his “Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy” before journeying towards achieving the knowledge of the “Self” as Cogito Ergo (I Think), it is good to set a principle for yourself or to have a guiding principle for yourself to serve as a hand bag before embarking on any serious business. This will help curtail unwarranted distractions along the way. O focus towards the right direction, there are things you ought to put into consideration:
i. Self-determination: Self-determination is the ability and right to make a decision or to choose for yourself what your destiny shall look like. This is to say that making a choice is an act of acting. What you choose to do or not to do becomes magna Carter for your happiness or misery. You must therefore be very careful with your choices. You must also be self conscious of your decision. Before making any decision, you must take your time to subject it to the crucibles of right thinking. Where it seems not distinct, consultation to people whom society takes as sage is advised.
ii. Definition of Aims: It is important to highlight from onset what you wish to do. This is very vital since a person who does not know where he is going, will end up roaming around aimlessly and purposelessly. To define your aims, you need to sit down in your right consciousness, to do a road-mad within yourself and to advise yourself. Road-map in this sense is to write in your heart and memories, allowing them to be mixed with your blood of the things you wish you to and what to be. Possibly, you proffer a method of achieving such aims.
iii. Goal Definition: A goal in the common parlance is the final end towards which an effort is directed. To define is to explain something. Goal definition is the explanation of what the final end of each effort or action you shall take would lead to. Goal definition shall help you envisage, guess or make permutations of the future and how it may look if this or that is done or of this or that is not done. This is done by considering the pros and cons of every action taken. The best way to do this is by using the principle of analogy; comparing similar actions performed by you or another person with the proposed action and how the former ended.
iv. Avoid Procrastination: The thought of “I will” and not acting every time is a very serious disease that rustles many to damnation in life. Do not prolong an activity chosen after your goal definition. Procrastination leads to dormancy in life. You will just be stagnant and in the words of Prof. Amaku, you will forever be Nwa Mummy (mummy’s son). A Nwa Mummy is a person who is always dependent on people for survival: without being given food, he cannot put food on his cloth, without given clothes, he cannot have a cloth to wear. Act now there is no time to waste!
Finally, recall what was said at the beginning of this work and it is good to reiterate it again: where you stand will determine what you will see; whom you stand with will determine what you hear; and what you see and hear will determine what you say and how you act. Therefore, where you go, determine what you get, whom you move with determines who you are, what you will become, therefore, be mindful where you go, whom you move with.
Conclusion
Your desire should always be to be on the right path no matter how tough it gets. A very slow movement on the right way is better than overwhelming speed on the wrong path. Note that your focus determines your direction. Similarly to the gospel of St Matthew 6: 22- 23 that says, “The eye is the lamp of the body; If your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness and if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness”, where your focus lies, there, you happiness and sorrow lie. If it is on the right way, it gives happiness and if it is on the narrow way, it brings miseries. You are the sole architect of your being and destiny. Hence, know where you are, know where you go, know whom you go with!
Work Cited
George, Burke. “The Two Ways of Life and Death”. April 28, 2013. ocoy.org/the-two-ways-of-life-and-death/. Assessed 2 December 2022
Ahrens, Tim. “Where You Stand Determines What You See”. /reflections.yale.edu/article/seize-day-vocation-calling-work/where-you-stand-determines-what-you-see/. Assessed 2 December 2022
Better Essays. “Confucius on the Self”. /www.studymode.com/essays/Confucius-On-The-Self-39393619.html. Assessed 2 December 2022
Burns, Rabbis. Konsep Diri: Teori, Pengukuran, Perkembangan, dan Perilaku. Jakarta: Penerbit Arcan, 1993. p. 87
Bukowski, Henryk. “Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences”. Self-Knowledge. 2019. 10.1007/978. 3-319-28099-8_2004-1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331224631_Self-Knowledge
Luo, Shiron. “Happiness and the Good Life: A Classical Confucian Perspective”. Dao 18, 41–58. 2019./doi.org/10.1007/s11712-018-9640-8
Luo, Shiron. “Happiness and the Good Life: A Classical Confucian Perspective”. Dao 18, 41–58. 2019./doi.org/10.1007/s11712-018-9640-8
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