Examined Life vs Best Life
(Questions/thoughts swimming through my head at the moment, as I feel a bit flat and on the verge of internet-binging: does creativity give shape to the chaos of experience? Is there something orderly and necessarily good about creative activity? Does activity necessitate a certain suspension of doubt?)
About a month ago, I thought briefly about what it means to live an “examined life.” If i’m remembering correctly, this was at a time when it felt more like I was going through the motions and in need of some sort of change/inspection of my activity. The past month hasn’t brought this necessarily, but things certainly seem more hopeful and full of potential, as I make more friends, strengthen existing bonds, and make more confident decisions about the kind of community I wish to cultivate here in Philly. At the same time, old wounds are healing, or at least receding further into the past. I seem to be making positive strides in the direction of “leading my best life.”
This leads me to wonder what the similarities/differences might be in the expressions “examined life” and “living your best life.” Again, if I remember correctly, Socrates is the classic proponent of the examined life. I have no idea where the latter expression comes from though.
On one level, the two expressions seem interdependent - for someone to live their best life, they must have some notion of the different decisions available to them and strong judgment in decision-making (this sounds like the dollar-store version of Nicomachean Ethics, although I don’t pretend to know the book very well or remember many of its details). At the same time, the “examination” of the examined life implies a critical awareness of the different ways one can live. “Going through the motions” seems antithetical to any of this.
Or is it? To me, in feeling, “examined life” has a serious tone, whereas “living your best life” has a tone of fun and borderline hedonism (probably taking it too far). The citizen leads an examined life, whereas the consumer lives his best life. The philosopher leads an examined life, whereas the itinerant, bohemian artist lives her best life. The mature adult lives an examined life, whereas the carefree, personable adolescent lives their best life. One is critical and the other is uncritical.
At the same time, “best” might carry overtones of perfectionism and unattainability - maybe the phrase is best understood when uncritical of itself. In other words, it functions best off the cuff, whereas “examined life” opens itself to contemplation. In this way, my head is inclined to trust more the notion of the “examined life,” but my heart is inclined towards leading my best life. Maybe each expression speaks accurately to a different aspect of my being.
In conclusion for now: Is it possible to have your cake, eat it, and analyze it too?
