I would disagree - the value is about what you're optimizing for. When you say "No individual is required to live an optimal life, and many purposely and self-r

I would disagree - the value is about what you're optimizing for. When you say "No individual is required to live an optimal life, and many purposely and self-righteously shun one." it feels like you're assuming some value for which you're optimizing. If you're not trying to make a lot of money or be traditionally successful, you're still optimizing for something. You could be optimizing for the most relaxing life, or the life in which you do the most to help others. You can also go for more specific optimizations - maybe you want to help others but don't want to get investment banking and live like a pauper while donating every cent you can (which is generally going to be a more effective way to help others than, say, volunteering), then you might be optimizing for helping others while achieving some minimal level of enjoyment in your life. This is all to say that I would argue that you can't pursue optimality in and of itself, because you have to be optimizing for something.