In the last two posts I described two pyramids of contentment: the first premised on engagement with the world and the second premised on limited involvement in society beyond a small circle of devotees of atarxia. Today we scale the final pyramid of contentment, one predicated on a complete or nearly complete withdrawal from the world and even from the society of others. This model will generally appeal to a small number of persons, particularly those seeking a purity of internal purpose – usually conceived either as enlightenment or as mystical union. Virtue is still foundational, but here internal virtue – self-mastery and self-transcendence – surpasses all other considerations. Single-minded internal virtue demands renunciation, not only of passions and desires, but even of many civilized necessities such as shelter, diverse diet, change of clothing, and of course technology. However the critical renunciation involves one’s long-cherished personal beliefs and one’s individual ego. This degree of withdrawal demands isolation from the world of humanity and non-intervention even in the proceedings of Nature.
The means to contentment, enlightenment, and the divine is disciplined and patient meditation (or contemplation) performed on a regular basis. Within that program one must confront death not as merely inevitable, but as integral to internal peace and the attainment of enlightenment and mystical union. The death of the ego or (its denial) is fundamental. Of course these foundational layers are enhanced by a supportive environment, either an uninhabited location (such as the desert Fathers preferred), a pastoral setting (such as Laozi and Buddha chose), or at least an insulated residence within a community.
PYRAMID OF WITHDRAWAL
Along the way, the seeker of the contentment through worldly withdrawal must also come to terms with his or her chosen or imposed lot as we learn from imprisoned sages such as Boethius, Sir Thomas More, and St. John of the Cross. Each came to a kind of contentment in stark solitude and deprivation. Complete, voluntary self-denial may not be necessary as Buddha teaches with his “Middle Way,’ but neither can one achieve contentment while protesting one’s misfortunes.
Purpose in this model is generally singular – the achievement of enlightenment or union with ultimate reality – perhaps with the subordinate purpose of being an example for others (e.g. the Cynics). The drive to other goals must be overcome for the practitioner of withdrawal to be successful. In fact, an intense desire to achieve enlightenment or mystical union may undermine their actualization. Last, friends are of limited importance except to the extent one requires a guide or master who may also train others, some or all of whom may be seen as friends.
This completes our synthesis on contentment. The reader should exert significant effort to determine which model to utilize depending on logistics, personal beliefs, desired purpose, and stage in life. To me the most difficult model is that of engagement with the world while the most accessible is that of restraint. The Pyramid of Withdrawal is the one we must likely climb to reach the fourth component of the meaningful life, ultimate reality, which is the subject of the next section on this site.
The major thesis of this site is that a meaningful life is assembled on four parallel tracks: virtue, purpose, contentment, and the experience of ultimate reality. In the last 63 blogs we have examined many facets and viewpoints of contentment, but one still might ask how to best negotiate the labyrinth of seemingly endless disturbances and impediments modern life throws at us on the road to it.
From that table, we can construct three pyramids with the factors most influential for achieving contentment forming the lower levels and less vital or less emphasized factors at the top. Since I believe the life path for most readers and, in fact, for most modern people is one of engagement with the world, that pyramid comes first. A smaller number of individuals may choose the partial withdrawal of Epicurus, so that comes next. Few people born into our time will choose to renounce society and pursue a path similar to Buddha, the Cynics, or the medieval monks, so I place it last.
That takes us to scientific pathways presented by psychology. Models include: (1) Erich Fromm’s humanistic paradigm of meeting authentic needs buttressed by self-respect, ethical behavior, and a capacity for relaxedness, (2) Psycho-analytical treatments of chronic anxiety which eradicate its causes and redirect energy into healthy and productive lifestyles, (3) Cognitive/behavioral techniques that facilitate tranquility and insight, (4) Positive psychology with its focus on subjective well-being, (5) Self-guided programs involving practices such as breath control and progressive muscle relaxation, and (6) Pharmacologic therapy adjunctive to psychological and philosophical efforts. To a large extent most psychologists encourage the guidance of a professional but I still believe some of these techniques and eventual success are possible by the individual alone for many of us.
We ended with Horace, part poet/part philosopher, who provides insights into contentment that sort into two broad categories: (1) individual actions, such as living each day fully and embracing one’s lot in life, and (2) special considerations – such as the value of friendship, the perils of romantic love, and the need to confront and prepare for death. Success, for Horace, is measured by a steady mind which we are assured is entirely within the grasp of the individual.
From the ancient Western philosophers of Greece and Rome we saw that contentment distills down to freedom – freedom from wants and from worry and to order the soul for inner peace. Theirs is an inviolable freedom no person or law can threaten. Three ancient Greek terms ataraxia (untroubledness), apatheia (detachment), and euthymia (spiritual peace and well-being) enclose a triangle of tranquility located within a mental retreat beyond the crowd and its disquietudes where one can contemplate the harmony of one’s existence with Nature and the universe.
Arthur Schopenhauer tempers excess expectations, asserting that contentment is not happiness but the acceptance of a moderate life and freedom from anxiety, society, unnecessary mourning, and the folly of excessive desires, enhanced by ceaseless learning. Sigmund Freud is pessimistic, finding happiness and lasting content are improbable, but after considering several approaches, offers sage advice: there is no universal recipe, rather one must find one’s particular means to peace and be careful in pursuing any means to the extreme given the disappointment of possible failure.
In this section we have seen that contentment accompanies virtue and purpose as the third key ingredient of a meaningful life. For our purposes, I defined contentment as lasting tranquility combined with genuine satisfaction with one’s lifestyle, virtue, and purpose. It is not pleasure, joy, or salvation, nor is it contingent on leisure, the absence of responsibilities, or a good life, although several of these may be conducive to it. It is not the same as happiness, nor sufficient to sustain happiness. One cannot have too much contentment as in the case of pleasure nor share it as one can share happiness.
We began on the path to finding contentment by looking at its antagonisms: emotional states such as anxiety, fear, dread, and unease (especially guilt); and empirical states such as suffering, want, dissatisfaction, and absurdity. The former are alleviated by meditation, atonement, psychological techniques, or even medication. The latter are overcome through embracing four critical truths: (1) suffering is universal but manageable, (2) desires are either readily satisfied or illusion, (3) dissatisfaction is merely a temporary setback on the road to contentment, and (4) the apparent absurdity of life, is in the larger sense, a deception. From this analysis we discover that contentment entails radical freedom, that is, freedom from the experience of ourselves and reality in negative terms.
Last time we began our investigation of the thoughts of the ancient Roman poet, Horace, on contentment by addressing internal and behavioral adjustments he advocates to bring it about. Today we consider three special areas Horace believes influence personal tranquility. The first is friendship which Horace, following Epicurus, believes is advantageous to lasting contentment as long as it is based on character and virtue, not social status. Friends offer relief from public pressures, an environment for relaxation, a positive influence on happiness, and service in consoling one another. They also form the community of peaceful retirement. Consider this poem by written by Horace to a friend:
“…carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.”1 – Horace, Odes 1.11.
He goes on to urge us to avoid stress and excess in an age of anxieties and extremes (like his and ours). He repeatedly recommends living in the country, citing his preference for the quiet residence of his Sabine farm. A rural environment enhances our ability to live in accordance with nature, is quieter and less disruptive to sleep, offers milder weather, and provides an idylic landscape (locus amognus). Horace again: “Avoid great surroundings: in a humble house you can surpass kings and kings’ friends in living.”4 Truth in ethics, rustic meditation, and country life are likewise more conducive to preparation for inevitable changes in fortune. Consider this segment:
