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I prefer to focus on the virtues that bring happiness and joy to my life while I'm alive. Money is one of those things. I don't care about what people will say

I prefer to focus on the virtues that bring happiness and joy to my life while I'm alive. Money is one of those things. I don't care about what people will say at my funeral because I won't be there. If being brave and honest makes you happy and brings joy to your life then go for it. If the challenges of becoming a billionaire is what makes you feel alive, then go for it.

bumby 7y ago
I think Brooks would probably push back on the hedonic idea of "do whatever makes you happy" somewhat. He seems to advocate cultivating moral character over chasing "happiness". In The Road to Character he writes, "All human beings seek to lead lives not just of pleasure, but of purpose, righteousness, and virtue. As John Stuart Mill put it, people have a responsibility to become more moral over time. The best life is oriented around the increasing excellence of the soul and is nourished by moral joy, the quiet sense of gratitude and tranquillity that comes as a byproduct of successful moral struggle. The meaningful life is the same eternal thing, the combination of some set of ideals and some man or woman’s struggle for those ideals. Life is essentially a moral drama, not a hedonistic one."
- blueboo 7y ago
  What makes that last line so powerful coming from Brooks’ pen is that he wrote it as he was having an affair with his research assistant, for whom he later divorced his wife of 28 years. That must’ve been so morally joyful!
  - brabel 7y ago
    Holy shit, that seems to be actually true!! Man, how hiprocate can people be?!
  - damontal 7y ago
    Do you know the circumstances of his divorce? What led up to it? Or are you just saying divorce is immoral?
AnimalMuppet 7y ago
It's pretty hard to become happy by focusing on what you don't have.
- diehunde 7y ago
  Not really. Learning new things really makes me happy. Some people spend their entire life trying to solve a problem or find a cure for a disease. It's all about finding something that you enjoy. That could be spend time with friends or family but that doesn't mean it's the same for everyone.
netsharc 7y ago
But those virtues make one likable, and sometimes people give people they like things like investment capital. Or party invites where you can have fun and network. Of course in today's world you get the social butterflies/climbers who fake all that shit to get the same stuff, and to get, as the article says, status and prestige.
pete762 7y ago
> I don't care about what people will say at my funeral because I won't be there. Sorry, that's just stupid. Having people (honestly) say something nice about you at your funeral is not the end goal, but it's a _symptom_ of heaving lead a life that brought your closest people joy over a long time, and that is the end goal.

bumby 7y ago

I think Brooks would probably push back on the hedonic idea of "do whatever makes you happy" somewhat. He seems to advocate cultivating moral character over chasing "happiness". In The Road to Character he writes, "All human beings seek to lead lives not just of pleasure, but of purpose, righteousness, and virtue. As John Stuart Mill put it, people have a responsibility to become more moral over time. The best life is oriented around the increasing excellence of the soul and is nourished by moral joy, the quiet sense of gratitude and tranquillity that comes as a byproduct of successful moral struggle. The meaningful life is the same eternal thing, the combination of some set of ideals and some man or woman’s struggle for those ideals. Life is essentially a moral drama, not a hedonistic one."

blueboo 7y ago
What makes that last line so powerful coming from Brooks’ pen is that he wrote it as he was having an affair with his research assistant, for whom he later divorced his wife of 28 years. That must’ve been so morally joyful!
- brabel 7y ago
  Holy shit, that seems to be actually true!! Man, how hiprocate can people be?!
- damontal 7y ago
  Do you know the circumstances of his divorce? What led up to it? Or are you just saying divorce is immoral?

AnimalMuppet 7y ago

It's pretty hard to become happy by focusing on what you don't have.

diehunde 7y ago
Not really. Learning new things really makes me happy. Some people spend their entire life trying to solve a problem or find a cure for a disease. It's all about finding something that you enjoy. That could be spend time with friends or family but that doesn't mean it's the same for everyone.

netsharc 7y ago

But those virtues make one likable, and sometimes people give people they like things like investment capital. Or party invites where you can have fun and network. Of course in today's world you get the social butterflies/climbers who fake all that shit to get the same stuff, and to get, as the article says, status and prestige.

pete762 7y ago

> I don't care about what people will say at my funeral because I won't be there. Sorry, that's just stupid. Having people (honestly) say something nice about you at your funeral is not the end goal, but it's a _symptom_ of heaving lead a life that brought your closest people joy over a long time, and that is the end goal.