The sweet spot where happiness meets meaning
Although these two apparently conflicting values seem to demand a choice, striving for a life in which there is plenty of both offers a way out
On the face of it, there are many situations in which doing something that makes us happier fails to make our lives more meaningful. Some recent examples from my life include: having taken a gloriously hot shower, watched several episodes of the HBO comedy series "Veep" while eating chocolate ice cream, and having worn a particularly smart-looking suit. Professional philosophers illustrate this point with "fantastic" or "hypothetical" thought experiments, imagining a life spent in a virtual reality machine that gives the occupant the vivid impression he is doing interesting things that he is not, or a life of rolling a rock up a hill for eternity but enjoying it because of the way the gods have structured one’s brain. Conversely, there are many occasions when doing something that makes people’s our lives meaningful appears not to make them happier. Consider taking care of a sick, elderly parent who needs constant attention, or slaving away at an alienating job so as to provide for o...
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