Aristotle's Wisdom: The Value of Friendship and Community in a Post-COVID World

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on every aspect of our lives, including the way we think about success. While success has always been a primary goal for many people, the pandemic has caused many to re-evaluate their priorities and question the true value of success. In this newsletter, we will explore some of the ways the pandemic has changed our perceptions of success and what leading thinkers and theories have to say about it.

The pandemic has caused significant disruptions to our daily lives, with several individuals losing their jobs, businesses closing down, and the economy taking a hit. As a result, our traditional definitions of success, such as career advancement, financial stability, and material possessions, have been called into question. People are realizing that success cannot be measured solely by these traditional metrics and that other factors, such as personal well-being and social connections, are equally important.

One thinker who has long championed this idea is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. According to Maslow, human needs are organized into a hierarchy, with basic physiological needs at the bottom, followed by safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and finally self-actualization needs at the top. Maslow argued that people cannot pursue higher-order needs until their more basic needs are met. In the context of the pandemic, people are focusing more on meeting their basic physiological and safety needs, such as having access to healthcare and a stable income, before pursuing other forms of success.

Similarly, the economist Amartya Sen has argued that success should be measured in terms of "capabilities" rather than material possessions or financial wealth. Sen believes that people should be empowered to pursue their own goals and aspirations, and that success should be measured by the extent to which people can exercise their capabilities. In the post-pandemic world, people are beginning to recognize the importance of being able to pursue their own goals and aspirations, even if these goals do not necessarily lead to financial wealth or material possessions.

If we redirect our attention towards the traditional notions of success, we shall then consider the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who developed the concept of "flow." According to Csikszentmihalyi, flow is a state of mind where people are fully immersed in an activity and experience a sense of timelessness and enjoyment. Csikszentmihalyi argues that people are happiest when they are in a state of flow, and that success should be measured by the extent to which people can experience this state of mind. In the pandemic era, people are recognizing the importance of finding activities that bring them joy and fulfillment, even if these activities do not necessarily lead to financial success or career advancement.

The pandemic has also made people more aware of the importance of social connections and community. As people have been forced to stay at home and limit their interactions with others, they have come to appreciate the value of human connection and the role that community plays in supporting mental and emotional well-being. This has led to a renewed focus on relationships and a recognition that success is not just about individual achievement, but also about our connections to others.

Similarly, highlighting the relevance of social connections is a must-go-through in today's social ecosystem, and who is better equipped to comment than the philosopher Aristotle. According to Aristotle, human beings are social animals and that our happiness and well-being depend on our relationships with others. Aristotle argued that the highest form of friendship is one in which each person desires good for the other, and that this type of friendship is essential for a fulfilling life. In the post-pandemic era, people are recognizing the importance of friendship and community, and the role that these connections play in our overall well-being.

In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to re-evaluate their priorities and rethink their definitions of success.

We shall just wait and see what the future brings for socialisation.