What Is the Highest Good?

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Summum bonum. This Latin expression has been one of the cornerstones of philosophy since the ancient times. Many ordinary people as well as reputable philosophers attempted to identify what is «the highest good» for any human being. The idea of good life was commonly associated with the concept of happiness. However, for different people being happy meant different things. Some ascribed this condition to having good friends and family, other valued health, third searched for love, forth seen it in pleasure, and so on. The challenge to formulate a universal determinant of well being that will fit all mankind may seem impossible to accomplish; nevertheless, I believe there is one thing that everyone strives to achieve in the life and which constitutes the basis of happiness and the ultimate good.
Whatever a person strives to achieve on his way to the highest good, he acts accordingly to his own perception of this good. If one wants to be healthy, he exercises regularly and sticks to healthy diet. If one connects well being with love and commitment, he consciously and subconsciously searches for a person to create the relationships and probably to share the life with. When one associates good with living in peace and harmony, he tries to avoid any conflicts and prevent any kind of confrontations by calling for consensus and mutual agreement. The list may be continued and extended with the similar examples. However, its aim is not to show how differently the goodness may be achieved, but to demonstrate the underlying idea of all these human actions. In fact, to reach the state of the highest good implies doing certain things that varies in their form but not in their purpose. The need for self-realization lies in the core of such behavior. By fulfilling his own expectations and aspiration, a person satisfies his cravings for happiness and self-content. He actualizes
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