By the time I arrived at the quiet little café on the corner, he was already there waiting. The morning sun streamed through the windows, casting a soft glow on his face. His robes seemed out of place, yet no one else seemed to notice. The barista, completely unfazed, poured him a steaming black coffee.
"You are late," he said, not unkindly. "But time, as we know, is a construct of perception, is it not?"
"Traffic," I muttered, sliding into the seat across from him. "It’s a mess in the mornings."
"Ah, the polis," Aristotle mused, taking a slow sip of his coffee. "A city is much like a body—when its roads clog, so does its progress."
I blinked. How does one even respond to that?
"I was hoping you could help me with something," I said finally. "Life feels… overwhelming. Everything moves so fast. Social media, work, expectations—it's all too much."
He set his cup down and studied me. "Tell me, what is your definition of happiness?"
"Uh… I don’t know. Maybe having enough money? Success? Feeling free?"
He smiled. "Eudaimonia."
"Bless you?"
"Eudaimonia," he repeated. "The highest good. A flourishing life. Not mere pleasure or fleeting satisfaction, but living in accordance with virtue and reason."
"So, what? I just have to be a good person and everything will be fine?"
"Not quite," he chuckled. "Excellence is a habit, not an act. We become what we repeatedly do. If you seek fulfillment, do not chase it—cultivate it. Engage in meaningful work, nurture friendships, seek knowledge."
I stirred my coffee, letting his words settle. Maybe happiness wasn’t about constantly searching for the next big thing. Maybe it was about finding purpose in the small, everyday moments.
"And what about failure?" I asked. "What if I mess up?"
"Then you learn," he said simply. "Even the wisest among us once knew nothing. The unexamined life is not worth living—but nor is the life spent in fear of making mistakes."
I sat back, watching the steam rise from my cup. Across from me, Aristotle sipped his coffee, content as if he had all the time in the world. And maybe, for the first time in a long while, I felt like I did too.
.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment