Is happiness really so far away?

Is goodness really so far away?

Is goodness really so far away? If I simply desire goodness, I will find that it is already here.

Confucius

Think of a morally excellent person. Not the saint, an ordinary person who you admire for their kindness, self-control, generosity, and courage. How hard is it to be as good as they are?

The Stoics are always pointing to athletic analogies, especially when it comes to reminding their students that philosophy is about practice and just like the athlete we must train. But what if becoming happier is even easier than becoming an excellent athlete?

The basic insight is that becoming morally excellent doesn’t require innate talent but is possible now.

Virtue doesn’t require cognitive skill, physical attributes, or a certain personality. It’s not like math that, at some level, becomes impossible for people without the abstract gift. Nor is it like basketball. Even if I had devoted my life to the game, the probability of success was effectively zero. Nor does it require a specific disposition. Running a massive public company would be too stressful for many. If you don't care at all about becoming an accountant, it will be hard to be a great one.

Is being morally excellent – the Stoic definition of happiness – like any of this? Not really.

It just requires doing the best you can.

That second insight is that happiness is possible now. You can do your best.

But are you? Following this argument the American philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel wrote:

With a little thought, I'm sure you could think of lots of morally good things to do that you aren't doing.

Instead, if you're like most of us, you choose to do other things. You watch videos or play computer games or scroll through Twitter. You spend some extra time and money having yourself a delicious meal instead of a simple lunch.

Sadly, we don't even try:

Morality isn't hard like calculus and rock climbing are hard. In fact, it's almost the opposite. Just trying to do it typically gets you at least halfway there! ("Is goodness really so far away?") You might try and fail to be helpful; but even if you try, that's already (usually) morally better than not trying at all.

If we did genuinely try, that would go towards our virtue. It may not seem like it at first, but according to nearly every ancient wisdom tradition failing to transform ourselves into someone good leads to unhappiness.

In meditation, there are many reminders that the insight that you're aiming to uncover is already there. Whatever it is: the reality of the present is here. All you need to do is notice it. And then return to it when you forget — which you will. Whatever you think of that, it's a useful take on cultivating virtue: if you simply desire goodness, you will find that it is possible. You can turn to it and it will be so easy! Yet, you forget to do so. You will become distracted and prioritize other mundane desires.

Becoming morally excellent may be hard, but that's not a good reason not to pursue it.

Do you want it? If so, it's already here. It just needs to be prioritized. Again and again.