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How do you see the world? Whether we realize it or not our lifestyle decisions are heavily influenced by the worldviews and philosophies of the culture around us. Worldview can be defined as the overall perspective from which we see and interpret the world or a collection of beliefs about the creation and life itself (34). Philosophy can be defined as a particular set of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life or how to live (35).
We all have a worldview and accept certain philosophies as being a guiding force for how we live, but are the “beliefs” we are living by helping our health and wellbeing or hurting it? For purposes of addressing the philosophical roots of the lifestyle behaviors that have contributed to our current health status and the lifestyle factors that lead to good health I will compare the Christian worldview to that of the dominant secular view observed in society and in popular media such as news telecasts, TV sitcoms, movies and popular music.
Common philosophies lived and observed in the secular world view include:- Happiness = pleasure, possessions and prestige
- Love = Fuzzy emotional feeling
- Relativism
- Utilitarianism
- Egoism
- Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die; Hedonism
Happiness = pleasure, possessions and prestige
Everybody wants to be happy. There is a hunger for a deep and satisfying happiness in the heart of every person and our decisions, relationships, jobs, goals, self-value and behaviors are purposed in the pursuit of what we think will fill our hunger for happiness. Generally speaking, we are happy when our desires for what we think will make us happy are met and we are un-happy when our desires for happiness are not met leaving us in a state of heartache, frustration and wanting. In this pursuit of happiness each person’s goals are to make decisions that lead to their happiness. Unfortunately, these decisions often leave people unhappy and constantly seeking new routs of fulfilment as happiness is not easy to find. Since lifestyle behavior is fundamentally driven by the purpose of achieving what we think will make us happy it is important to examine just what happiness really is.
Over the last 3,500 years philosophers from the early Greek Academy like Plato and Aristotle through the early to middle ages with St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas and to more modern times with Abraham Maslow and Viktor Frankl have pondered the subject of human happiness seeking to answer the questions about what it is and how to fulfill it. Built on a foundation of the views of Plato, the work of many philosophers, psychologists, theologians and historians throughout the centuries has developed into a common 4 part model that explains the philosophies of human happiness. Modern day philosopher and theologian Fr. Robert J. Spitzer has compiled an anthology of this philosophy of happiness in his book Healing the Culture which will be referenced below (36).
This model of happiness contains 4 levels of happiness:- Level 1: Laetus in Latin, Immediate Gratification (i.e. pleasure and possessions)
- Level 2: Felix in Latin, Ego Gratification and Comparison
- Level 3: Beatitudo in Latin, Happiness and good beyond self and contribution
- Level 4: Ultimate Good, Participation in Ultimate Truth, Love, Justice, Beauty and Being
Happiness Level 1: Laetus is the Latin word meaning to like something, feeling well disposed or delighted. This is the most basic level of happiness and refers to the immediate gratification received from sensual pleasures such as appetizing food, massages and sexual gratification or possessions such as a new Jeep or iPhone. Typically resulting from physical pleasure or possession the immediate gratification level can be intense and direct but does not last very long. While pleasure and possessions are a necessary part of life this level of happiness becomes harmful to a person when it is the only type of happiness they are aware of or seeking. When a person rooted in hedonistic philosophical thinking (maximizing pleasure while minimizing pain) where this level is the only aim of life it results in feelings of emptiness, boredom, lack of self-worth, meaninglessness and fear of losing pleasure. Mental health practitioners often advise that living only in this level of happiness greatly increases the risk of addiction as the feelings of emptiness and boredom lead to a more concentrated seeking of short lived pleasure contributing to a loss of self-control. This points to the human person having a hunger for happiness that is beyond the physical body and more spiritual in nature. If humans consisted only of physical bodies and no spiritual soul then simply feeding the body would lead to lasting happiness (Healing the Culture pg 66). When applied to lifestyle behaviors, rootedness in this level will lead a person to avoid the pain of physical exercise and toward an unlimited indulgence in the pleasures of food.
Happiness Level 2: Felix is the Latin word meaning “lucky or successful”. This type of happiness is driven by personal achievement in relation to other people. In this level the feelings of gratification come when a person is viewed by others as more successful, gains some type of power, popularity and admiration or even becomes better looking. Examples include striving to be the most educated, well liked, fastest, funniest or well esteemed person in your sphere of influence. Modern day slang would define this person as a “one-upper”. The satisfactions experienced in this level are not long lasting and are a good thing when experienced in a healthy relation to the overall picture of happiness and not as the end result happiness itself. A healthy experience of happiness in this level uses the achievements, popularity, victory or power received for the good of others and self in a way that contributes to healthy relationships. An unhealthy experience in this level is when a person makes it their only aim based in competition with others in achieving power, admiration, victory or popularity in order to appear superior to others or to use their power and control over others. When living exclusively in this level of happiness the only things that provide meaning to a person’s life are winning, control and admiration. When even the slightest setback in the comparison game occurs a person in this level will feel a great sense of loss if identity, self-worth and purpose. The negative consequences of living only in this level of happiness are jealousy, contempt, fear of failure, suspicion of others, anger, oversensitivity, isolation, loneliness and cynicism (37).
Happiness Level 3: Beatitudo is a Latin word that means a blessed type of happiness. Happiness in this level consists of the happy feeling you get when you do good for or chose to see the good in other people. It consists of shifting focus away from yourself toward other people to contribute to or help them in some way. Happiness in this level can be seen as a self-sacrificing investment of your own time, talents, treasure and energy for the greater good. When operating in this level of happiness the gratification level is long term, pervasive, deep and enduring. Along with a more enduring level of gratification in this level is a peace and joy that are not experienced when operating in levels 1 and 2. As virtuous and necessary as this level of happiness is it still does not bring the human person to perfect fulfilment. It was noted earlier that even pagan philosophers such as Plato agree that there is a need in the human heart for Unconditional Love and Truth. The ultimate and perfect fulfillment of these things cannot be found in imperfect human beings or the previous three levels that only provide partial glimpses of complete and total love, knowledge, justice, truth, beauty and being.
Happiness Level 4: The Latin word gaude means to rejoice. In this level is found the satisfaction and fulfillment of the hunger for the perfection of happiness, truth, beauty and love in the human heart. The Christian view of this level is popularly described by St. Augustin in his book The Confessions where he says “You have made us for Yourself O God and our hearts are wrestles until they rest in You” (38). This level of happiness is found in consciously seeking a relationship with God who is Ultimate Truth, Love, Justice, Beauty and Being. Living in this level of happiness is characterized by a continual and personal relationship with the Trinitarian God where love is given and received on a personal level. In this relationship with God a person receives the Shalom Peace that Jesus promised when He said “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). When living in this level of happiness all three previous levels are still experienced in a healthy way that is purposed in giving God glory and doing to others and self.
Love = Fuzzy Emotional Feelings
The word divorce is an ugly word and the reality of it is even uglier. The current divorce rate in America is estimated to be in-between 40-50%. Additional stats report that 60% of couples who stay married report being happy in their marriage (39). The facts that close to half of all marriages end in divorce and just over half of all remaining marriages are considered “happy” suggest there is a philosophical confusion as to what the purpose and meaning of marriage actually is. What does the word “love” mean anyway? We throw the L word around so much that the potency of its meaning has been lost. We say things like “love my mom, I love my dog, I love pizza, and I love my spouse” all in the same conversation.
A person’s concept of happiness will always influence their concept of “success” which in turn leads to their concept of self-worth. If they are achieving the aim of the level of happiness (Levels 1-4) they are living in they will view themselves as successful. The attitude with which we view our personal happiness, success and self-worth will also influence the attitude in which we love and relate to others (40). Just like with the meanings of happiness, the English language uses the word love to designate at least 4 different meanings.
Reaching back again into ancient philosophy, the author C.S. Lewis described these different meanings in his book The Four Loves published in 1960 (41):
- Storge: Love in Affection
- Philia: Love in Friendship
- Eros: Love in Romance
- Agape: Love in Self Sacrifice
Storge Love is the type of love that two people share through familiarity such as sharing the same ethnicity or the family bonds of parent and child or sibling to sibling. This is a natural and emotional love. Natural, because it is present without compulsion and emotional because the family bond produces fondness (41). This is the type of love that is often termed unconditional as a family bond can never be broken despite any adverse behavior.
Philia Love was first talked about by Aristotle and is described as “brotherly love” or the love that exists in virtuous friendship. Aristotle stated that this type of love required loyalty, equality and virtue to be made effective in a lasting friendship (42). CS Lewis considered this type of love in high regard as it required a free will choice to make work but also felt it was a lost art as loyalty, virtue and equality in friendships were hard to come by (41). Philia Love in friendships is best related to Happiness Levels 3 & 4 where both friends are interested in a common good and the betterment of the other person in light of the Truth. When philia friendship is developed on a foundation of Happiness Level 4 each person seeks to help the other grow in relationship with God and making the decisions that lead to eternal salvation.
St. Pope John Paul 2 (JP2), in his book Love and Responsibility, echoes the work of Aristotle in further describing the different types of “friendship”. In Love and Responsibility St. JP2 describes what he calls the “personalist principle” which should be the foundation for all human relationships be they familial, romantic or friendship. The personalist principle states that a person must never be viewed as the means to an end for another person (43). In other words, friendship should never be based on using a person to for self-centered reasons. CS Lewis in The Four Loves lamented that all too often people participated in friendships that were described by St. JP2 as “pleasant” or “utilitarian” (levels Happiness Levels 1 & 2) instead of truly philia (happiness levels 3 & 4).
Pleasant Friendship: Pleasant friendship is closely related to Level 1 happiness. The glue that holds this type of friendship together is the pleasure each person gets out of the relationship. One or each of the parties involved sees the other as a source of some pleasure and the foundation is on having fun or “good times” together. The friendship may start by sharing a common sport, music, hobby or social area. Pleasure in relationships is a good thing, but should always mature into true philia love in seeking the ultimate good for the other person. Friendships based only on pleasure tend to end over time as one or both of the parties involved may change interests or move to a different location thus ending the commonality that was shared (43).
Utilitarianism Friendship: Utilitarianism is a theory where people, places or things are only good insofar as they are useful in providing beneficial consequences and where the aim of action should have the largest net gain of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain (44 & 45). This philosophy is especially common in human relationships. We see it in romantic relationships where one or both parties may be interested in a relationship more as a means to cure loneliness and pain from the last break up, to indulge lustful desire or to find emotional security rather than choosing to make sacrifices for the good of the other person. This can also happen in any friendship, where one or both parties in the friendship are only interested in “friendship” insofar as they can use the other person for some type of benefit, like appearing to be popular on Facebook even though you’ve never even met half of the “friends” who “like” your posts, rather than giving of themselves to help the other person in their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. We see this in society as well where elderly people are pushed into nursing homes, denied health coverage or encouraged to take a suicide pill because they are no longer useful instead of being taken in by family. We see it in politicians who say the right things in order to get donations and votes. A society that only values people, places and things insofar as they are convenient and beneficial will reap a great deal of psychological and emotional damage to all who are treated this way as well as a pressure on all people to stay “useful” or face the consequences of rejection. This psychological and emotional damage has undoubtedly surfaced in unhealthy ways of coping which manifest in poor lifestyle choices as well as an increase in mental illness.
Eros Love is what CS Lewis describes as the emotional “being in love” that develops between a man and woman in a romantic relationship. He differentiates this from a simple sexual drive that orients men and women to be attracted to each other. Lewis elevates this as a more rational type of love that orients the man and woman specifically and particularly toward each other instead of just an overall attraction toward the opposite sex (41). This is the type of love that Hollywood promotes above all the other forms of love falsely portraying these fuzzy feelings as being the only thing necessary to build a marriage on. There are several problems with this false belief. Firstly, true and lasting love in romance requires all the forms of love with the natural affection of storge, the other centered good seeking of philia and the self-sacrificing and unconditional virtues of agape. Secondly, the phenomena of eros and euphoric feelings that come with it do not last. Scientifically speaking this is known as the phenomenon of limerence and is observed to go away within an average of 3 years (46). Thirdly, as St. Pope John Paul 2 points out in Love and Responsibility, this strong emotional reaction is blind and does not replace the use of our intellect in deciding whether or not a person is “the one” or not (47). CS Lewis concurs that eros is blind as well as neutral in that it can urge a person toward behavior that can be ethically good or evil (41). Hollywood does a great deal of harm to the culture in promoting the lie that the stronger the emotional feeling is the more meant to be any given relationship is. Coupling this lie with the glorification of pleasurable and utilitarian romantic relationships grounded only in the self-centered types of Happiness levels 1 & 2 and only in erotic fuzzy feelings has greatly contributed to the confusion as to what true love is and the increase in the ugliness of divorce. Eros love is a beautiful thing but it must be understood in the context of Truth. Eros love is an amazing gift given to us by God to facilitate a romantic relationship between a man and a woman and propel it toward the self-sacrificing forms of love and seeking the good of each other and the procreation of children. In order for marriage to be happy and enduring the other types of love must be present as a foundation to rest on when the fuzzy feelings wear off.
Agape love is described by CS Lewis as the highest form of love. Agape love is characterized by the word charity as a self-sacrificing love that is compassionate, forgiving and caring for those who are unable to give something in return. It is the type of love most related to Happiness levels 3 and 4 as it is completely centered on doing good for another, not for any type of benefit or rewarding feeling, but solely for the purpose of serving God and the good of the other person. It is what Jesus means when He gives us the commandment to love one another as He has loved us and the type of love described in John 3:16 where we read “God so loved the world that He gave up His only begotten Son”. In addition to Jesus proclaiming and modeling this type of love for us, philosophers throughout the centuries, both religious and non-religious, have also acknowledged agape as the highest form of love. Jesus modeled this type of love in enduring brutal beatings, humiliations, torture, unjust sentencing and death so that we could be freed from the chains of sin, healed and able to live in the peace of His friendship again. All the other types of love (storge, philia and eros) are good and necessary in and of themselves but are imperfect if they don’t ultimately lead to agape love. Agape love can be present with or without the other types of love as Jesus tells us to love our enemies and demonstrated as He asks God the Father to forgive those who are crucifying Him (Luke 23-34).
A few of Jesus’ quotes on agape love are as follows:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the dame? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” -Matthew 5:43-48
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. - John 15:12-15
St. Paul describes agape love in the popular 1 Corinthians 13:1-8
“If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.”
Relativism
“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in their own sight” - Judges 21:25
The philosophy of relativism is based on the belief that there is no absolute truth or ethical standard and different things are true and right at different times for different people according the groups attaching to each belief (48). This philosophy says “you’re ok, I’m ok, we’re all ok”, I won’t judge you for stealing from your employer if you think it’s right for you and you can’t judge me for lying to the state to receive unemployment benefits because I think it’s right for me. Take it a step further and we can justify the horrific actions of Nazi Germany, ISIS and proponents of legal slavery in the U.S. in the 1800s as each of these groups views these actions as doing right in their own eyes. Relativism is rampant in all of today’s ethical debates, but is it working for the good of society? Proponents of relativism are very careful to pick and choose the ethical debates they apply this theory to, but if there’s no absolute truth then they are opening the door to justify murder, theft, brutality and any crime as all these actions are done by people who are just doing what they think is right and have a right to be “equal and happy” in doing so. When applied to lifestyle the philosophy of relativism provides a “justification” for over indulging in junk food, not being physically active, abusing alcohol and using tobacco. Science proves the absolute truth that each of these lifestyle behaviors leads to poor health, but when popular opinion subscribes to relativism it becomes unpopular to talk about this truth in favor of enabling a person’s “right to chose”. This “right to chose” and do what is right in each person’s own eyes while not acknowledging Truth has helped bring us to our current state of cultural illness. Relativism is flawed and contradictory in its very definition as the statement “there is no absolute truth” is in itself a statement of absolute truth.
Egoism is a view related to utilitarianism and is characterized by a person making decisions that emphasize benefit to the individual making the decision. The actions of egoism are seen to first benefit the person making the decision regardless of the impact it may have on the wellbeing or detriment of any other person (45).
Mental Illness and Our concept of Happiness
As discussed earlier, living in levels 1 and 2 will always lead to frustration, restlessness and dissatisfaction. The toxic symptoms of level 1 (lack of self-worth, fear of loss or harm, boredom) and level 2 (jealousy, fear of failure, isolation, contempt, cynicism and loneliness) are proven to contribute to the negative thought patterns and the risk factors of stressful life conditions and traumatic experiences that lead to mental health disorders (37 & 49). Mental health disorders commonly cause a disturbance in a person’s thinking patterns, emotional state and ability to relate to others. They are often characterized by the inability to cope with simple everyday activities in work and family life settings. Living only in happiness level 1 (instant gratification) and level 2 (personal achievement) will not only lead to frustration and treating people as objects to be used rather than loved, it will also greatly increase a person’s risk mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety which in and of themselves are risk factors for deeper and more serious mental health problems. Based on the negative side effects of living in a self-centered level of happiness it is clear to see that a person’s philosophy of life and belief system can lead to illness of the soul (intellect, will, emotions, imagination, memory and senses). It is also an observable fact that mental health disorders such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder have significantly increased with the change in culture that emphasized happiness levels 1 and 2 over the last 40 plus years (49 & 50).