Getting To Good: Your Spontaneous Woo Quotient

As I was driving to a friend's house, I passed the Dublin Pub, a local watering hole known for its live music. On the reader board, one band's name caught my eye: Spontaneous Woo.

I did a little digging and learned that the band hails from Bay City, Michigan and offers a funk/jazz blend. The term "spontaneous woo" refers to an audience response often seen during concerts in which a rising tide of enthusiasm culminates in a distinctive eruption of happy exclamations.

Now, there's a universal human experience. There is nothing quite like letting out a joyous, spontaneous "Woo!" when things are going our way. We might personalize our woo, making it come out as "Yesss!" or "Sweeeeeet" or even "Woo-HOO!"

There's an appropriate word for this in every language. No matter what elicits this response, we know it means something good has happened. We recognize these woos, whether inspired by simple pleasures or major milestones, as a celebration of goodness. What makes us woo tells us a whole lot about what we value, and what we value is all that is "good".

What is "good"? How do we define it?

The British poet, W.H. Auden, said: "Goodness is easier to recognize than to define." Isn't that the truth!

We know "good" when we see it, just like we know when something is woo-worthy. Putting this into words in a consistent way is tough. This is where your personal philosophy comes in. Realize that your ideas of what makes a life "good" come from the people you know, the books you've read, the movies you've seen, and a host of influences you can't remember right now.

We use "good" to describe everything from a haircut to a mathematical theory. Essentially, something is "good" if it satisfies a certain expectation we have of it--it hits the target. A "good" cup of Coffee could be strong, weak, bitter, sweet, milky, steaming hot, black, organic, shade-grown, or free, depending on what you value.

"Good" may be a moving target, but Aristotle happened to like the whole idea of targets. He used the Greek word "telos" which was the term used to describe an archery bulls-eye. It's a simple mental image--a big circle with a dot in the middle.

Teleology refers to the study of the purpose of things. Aristotle believed that everything in nature has a purpose, or target. A thing is good if it serves its purpose, fulfills its mission, or hits its target. The whole world is made up of these interrelated purposes.

According to Aristotle, our purpose is to think in order to live a good life. We're supposed to use our brains to contemplate, to appreciate the complexity of the universe, to attain greater understanding of our role as humans, and to be happy. By fulfilling our role as thinkers, we are living to purpose-we are living a good life.

What does that mean exactly? What do we use as guidelines or markers to help us determine if we are getting close to good?

If, as Aristotle says, our purpose is to live a good life and be happy, why isn't there some simple formula we can apply to everyone? What's the minimum woo-quotient of a good life? Can we be happy if we're not living a good life? Can we live a good life if we're not happy?

How much do we need to be happy? We all know plenty of people who never seem to be happy no matter how much they have. One of our greatest challenges as humans is figuring out how much is enough.

Aristotle believed that we need to use courage, honesty and moderation in pursuing pleasure. He considered moral goodness and enjoyment in life as the same thing. He believed it was okay to pursue anything you want, as long as you don't go overboard. This concept of moderation became known as the "golden mean".

Not surprisingly, this golden mean became a popular idea, especially among the rich. It was just what they wanted to hear! Remember that the majority of Aristotle's students were wealthy--who else had the time to study philosophy all day? Aristotle himself ended up being handsomely paid--especially for a philosopher!

Aristotle had his work cut out for him trying to remain moral