Ethics

"Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor." When first glancing upon this quotation which comes directly from the reading "Sermon on the Mount", one might find themselves in a state of utter confusion. However, once this quotation is analyzed it becomes obvious as to what it is attempting to imply.

For as long as I can remember, several times throughout my life I have heard people ask if it would be better to be rich and unhappy or poor and happy. Rich, meaning actual items as well as having strong morals. In my opinion, I have always believed that it would be more beneficial to be spiritually poor and happy. Honestly, if one is unhappy with their life the point of life itself seems almost nonexistent. For example, if an individual has everything they could possibly dream of but no one to share these things with and express their spirituality to due to the fact that they live an unhappy life, what good are all the desired things?

Of course, if one had to make a decision of how to live their life, it is pretty safe to say that almost everyone would choose to be happy and rich and also have high morality. Realistically speaking, this concept is almost never the case. Really, who wouldn't want that as a lifestyle? Knowing that this particular lifestyle is quite rare, it seems logical to actually want to live a happy life no matter what the cost.

Now, this particular quote discusses being spiritually poor which is regarding morals. Referring back to the conflict of whether one would want to be rich and unhappy, or poor and happy, this could also be interpreted in a whole other light. If one is rich and unhappy, they may act as though they have high standards and morals. However, these particular individuals may in reality be "spiritually poor". On the other hand, if one is aware that they are spiritually poor, they will work harder to achieve goals throughout their lives. This in fact makes them "spiritually rich". Anyone who lacks morality or faith usually appears to be happy to others, but in reality is unhappy on the inside.

Happiness in life is the "supreme good"; meaning that once one achieves supreme happiness, they have accomplished a giant goal in life. Being happy with life and what one is able to put into it has great rewards. If an individual is not happy, their outlook on life becomes a very pessimistic one. Because of this, the feeling of pessimism