Aristotle and relationships at work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Aristotle and relationships at work - Essay Example Happiness, to Aristotle, can easily be misjudged. Aristotle thought that people think happiness is a result of virtue, and through virtues like honor, pleasure and reason a human being can achieve happiness. But, according to Aristotle, this is not so: the pursuit of these does not equal happiness but leads one away from happiness. In actuality, happiness is achieved through self-sufficiency. But Aristotle clarifies this in his Nicomachean Ethics: â€Å"Now by self-sufficient we do not mean that is sufficient by a man himself, one which leads a solitary life, but also for parents, children, wife and in general for his friends and citizens (Aristotle 7).† Man is born of citizenship and through the adherence to the people he loves he will find happiness. But Nicomachean Ethics goes on to describe self-sufficiency as â€Å"that which when isolated makes one desirable, and lacking in nothing: and such we think happiness to be (Aristotle 8).† Happiness within self-sufficienc y is the end of action, not the experience of doing right by close members of friends and family, but the result of these actions. To Aristotle, happiness also has a â€Å"snowball effect.† Happiness comes from continuous good actions, and though a couple small blunders won’t make someone unhappy, per se, it is the combined results of good deeds and general goodness one achieves self-sufficiency and happiness. Though it is easy for a man to be distracted by the unhappiness or happiness of his fellow man, Aristotle continually emphasizes the fact that self-sufficiency, an independent motivator, should take precedence and one shouldn’t be flummoxed by the successes or failures of people around him. This could lead to unhappiness, and this lack of focus often does. One can certainly apply these ideas of Aristotalian happiness to