Authentic happiness is a by-product of the search for meaning.

Freedom without responsibility is an oxymoron.

The “good life” involves both inner and outer prosperity.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Most Americans are familiar with these words in the introduction to the 1776 Declaration of Independence. The full phrase is: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The concept of happiness has evolved significantly since this phrase was first introduced. Now we often associate the thought of happiness with living “the good life,” a concept hijacked by advertisers and portrayed as a life in which we seek pleasure, relaxation, and material goods. In effect, our postmodern society has told us that we can achieve happiness through consumption.

But more choices and personal freedom have led to higher expectations, which have led to never being satisfied with what we have! We think we want more, but when we get it, it is not enough. “Enough” becomes a moving target. And we spend so much time working to pay for things we don’t really want, let alone need. In the pursuit of the “if only,” we have sacrificed our relationships, our health, and our sanity.

We’ve also been taught that we should expect to have it all and have it now. In other words, we are driven by instant gratification—and justify it with thoughts like “just put it on credit,” “there’s no need to earn the money today,” “pay for it later.” Not just individuals but cities, states, and nations have embraced and become addicted to this belief.

Left unchecked, motivational forces such as the search for pleasure and power comprise a vicious cycle and manifest themselves as an endless—and joyless—undertaking much like that experienced by the Greek hero Sisyphus, who was ordered by the gods to push a big rock uphill for eternity, only to see it slip out of his hands in the very last moment and roll down the hill once more.

The ancient Greek philosophers encouraged us to live the so-called “good life,” but what they really meant was the complete life, the meaningful life. They suggested, among other things, that we strive to build our character, virtues, or excellences. Importantly, they encouraged us to do so not only to benefit ourselves but also to benefit all of society.

Aristotle, for instance, believed that the........

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