Russell NathersonAlexander TorresHum2305 November 3, 2014The pursuit of the good life: individual or societal effort In the readings Five-Fold Happiness and Symposium, Sung and Plato attempt respectfully to formulate a method. about achieving the good life. In Sung's work, Five-Fold Happiness, the good life (GL) is linked to the contentment of the individual. According to the work, satisfaction is only found when all five virtues are fulfilled. In Symposium, Plato composes the Ladder of Love, and considers the GL as the capacity to see the beauty of all things; and love this beauty. Regarding the views presented in their works, one will observe the pursuit of GL as an individual effort and as a societal effort. After analysis, to achieve prosperity, the individual must call on the collective to help him in his quest. Longevity is described as “the desire to live long” (Sung-94). To embody this virtue and live a long life, a healthy attitude and lifestyle are essential. The choice to live this way is an individual conflict. Society can influence these choices, but the decision to achieve longevity is uniquely individual. The fourth virtue, Double Happiness, “is synonymous with one of the most important celebrations of life: marriage” (Chanté 156). Marriage obviously cannot take place without two individuals, which means it cannot be achieved alone. But for love to be found and marriage to take place, individual effort must also be made. A person must be willing to be vulnerable so that another can learn to love them. To determine whether double happiness can be achieved individually or through society, one must be aware that the choice to pursue this virtue is individual; but for this to happen, society is needed. The last virtue is wealth. According to Sung, wealth is the material aspect of life: prosperity through “business, commerce, or good harvests” (Sung 210). To achieve this level of materialism, one must work hard and be attentive. Preceding his description, he enlightens Socrates with a warning; pursuing the Ladder of Love, even in a right spirit, does not guarantee the fulfillment of the GL. The Ladder of Love metaphorically connects a ladder to the higher concept of appreciating the beauty of life. As one moves up the ladder, a shift occurs between the roles of the individual and those of the community. At the lowest level of the scale, an individual has only one job; recognize the beauty of oneself. If similarities are recognized between one individual's body and that of another, a domino effect occurs. This effect leads to realizing the beauty in everyone; their physical aspects, their talents and their spirit. Further enabling the recognition of beauty in knowledge, understanding and beauty itself. Objects and concepts do not possess beauty, but beauty possesses them. Once beauty is recognized in all things, love easily follows. It is human nature to love physical beauty, but since beauty takes many forms in all things, it can be loved by anyone. To pursue GL individually, one can use the steps presented by Plato as a guide. When one is able to recognize and love all forms of beauty (animate, inanimate and abstract), then one can achieve GL. In the same way, society can also use this method to enjoy the beauty of everyone. A flaw can easily be spotted in the conclusion that the Love Ladder can be used by a society-emptying individual to find