Thursday 25 August 2016

Auckland Shoe-shining man Larry turns away from money and discovers human happiness

Watch the video here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/496745/millionaire-turned-shoeshine-man/


The video above reminds me of Aristotle and the virtue ethics approach to life. Which for people who don't know is an Ancient Greek philosophy that informs how one approachs life by pursuing virtues such as bravery, compassion, love etc and by respectping others through an ethical life of mutual respect. It's aim is to lead one to human happiness and a meaningful life encapsulated by the Greek word eudaimonia - the flourishing life that sees a human being bloom like a flower to their full potential. 

Surprisingly Aristotle believed one still had to have a ton of money to achieve the eudaimonian life, as he put a lot of weight in the virtue of magnificence to which he thought only the rich and rulers of society could carry out. 

In contrast the shoe shine man in the video seems to have turned his back on wealth altogether which is a more epicurean move I reckon.





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