Real Suffering, Joy And An Objective Ethics

     Joy and suffering are immediate realities to all of us. The desirability of joy and undesirability of suffering can be experienced directly. There is nothing theoretical about them. The status of suffering as bad, and the status of joy as good, are not matters of opinion. Suffering and joy are right in our faces, slapping or caressing our cheeks.

     Pain and pleasure and their benefits and drawbacks are certain. Pain has its benefits in warning us of danger, or showing us the costs of growth. But those benefits are not desirable in themselves. Pain is a means to the end of a happy and prosperous life.

     You might argue that some people enjoy pain. To call these people authentically happy wallowing in their pain, however, seems rather absurd to me. I have been in their position. Abusing myself and others was not a truly fulfilling life.

     Good and bad experiences - all experiences - are objective realities. Most of what goes through our heads, on the other hand, is interpretation of these experiences. What we can be sure of is that something is happening, and that this happening appears a certain way to us. We cannot be sure of causes or a host of other things. But happiness and unhappiness are happening. And they really do appear a certain way to us.

     Objective reality starts with facts. The happenings and their appearance to us - our perceptions, like satisfaction and dissatisfaction - are such facts.

     So a life spent fostering true happiness and reducing suffering in ourselves and others is - objectively - a good life. There is nothing mystical or relative about it. Spreading authentic cheer, creating happiness in ourselves and others, preventing and treating suffering: this is demonstrably good.

     It is not a matter of taste. It need not be a commandment from God. We don't need a long line of reasoning, such as that I just gave, to justify battling evil harms and pursuing prosperity for all.

     I believe we all intuitively sense that this should be the ethical code that guides us. Let's stop listening to the "philosophers" and religious leaders who tell us otherwise. Philosophy literally means love of wisdom. Denial of what's right in front of our eyes is not wisdom.

****

    A final thought: All of life is literally life and death. Since we don't control even our next heartbeat, there may be only seconds of this life left for us. So let's define our lives carefully.