What are the most important things needed to live a good life?
Definition of a Good Life
First of all, what is a good life? Is it a life of riches, with everything at your beck and call? When you watch “The Haves and the Have Nots” by Tyler Perry, you realise that this is far from the truth. Money is indeed not everything.
Moreover, is it about wielding a lot of power over others? Or about having great influence over others? What about being popular and famous with the whole world acknowledging your value? Does having many likes on your Instagram account mean you’re living a good life? Is that what brings happiness and fulfilment? Does that make life worth living?
On the other hand, if we are to shun worldly possessions and attractions, is a good life about being pious and acting as if butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth? Some people believe in a Spartan approach to life and abstain from all worldly comforts. They thus view luxuries as an exercise in hedonism. Therefore, they prefer to deprive themselves of things that you and I may regard as being necessary for our wellbeing. For them, there is nothing necessary beyond food, clothing, and shelter.
The Most Important Things Needed to Live a Good Life
It appears that defining what a good life is or entails is relative as we each have different values. However, for me, these are the most important things needed to live a good life:
1. Purpose
Finding our God-given purpose and working towards it to the best of our ability is one of the most important things needed to live a good life. The Bible in Colossians chapter 3, verse 23 states that, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for human beings.” When we work as if for the Lord and not for man, we are motivated to give of our best. As such, we excel in our vocation and we leave our footprints on the sands of time.
2. Peace of mind
Another important thing needed to live a good life is having a peace of mind. All other achievements or possessions lose their relevance when you do not enjoy a peace of mind. There are people who have anxiety attacks about everything and others whose incessant worrying leads to insomnia.
The Bible in Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 and 7, encourages us not to worry but to ask God for what we need and in turn receive God’s peace. It states: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all human understanding, will guard your hearrts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Having the love, patience and humility required to get on peacefully with others also ensures a peace of mind. This is because, no man is an island onto himself and we rely on one another.
3. Good Health
As they say, “Health is wealth.” This means that our physical and mental wellbeing is far more important than wealth with regard to satisfaction. Hence, you need to be healthy in order to enjoy that exotic vacation. All the money in the world can not make up for poor health, general discomfort and having to undergo endless surgeries. We see the importance of good health in the quote, “You can have one thousand problems in your life until you have a health problem. Then you only have one problem.” We note that all other problems pale in comparison to a health problem. Therefore, we need good health in order to live a good life.
4. Means of Sustenance
It is important to have enough to live on without being a burden to society. Having too much or having too little each has its challenges as seen in the quote from Proverbs chapter 30, verses 7 to 9 of the Bible: “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonour the name of my God.” Hence, even though money is not everything, we need an amount of it in order to survive.
5. Contentment
Learning how to be content is necessary to live a good life. The Bible states in First Timothy chapter 6, verse 6 that “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” It is tempting to envy what others have, be it material possessions, good looks, opportunities, etc. However, this is a vicious cycle that we should not be caught up in. This is because, no matter how much you have, there is always someone who has more than you do. As they say, your salary is someone’s tithe. Being content with whatever we have is therefore invaluable. As the Stoic philosopher Seneca said, “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
These are the most important things needed to live a good life, in my opinion.
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