Psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan tried to find the core of living well. Their research in self-determination theory conducted over the course of four decades with a network of 500 participants in 39 countries, has found that the experience of happiness is affected by the satisfaction of basic psychological needs to feel competent, self-determining, and positively related to other people in the activities of one’s life. These are universal needs, observed across all stages of life and in every culture in which studies have been conducted, and they help explain the truth in the ancient ideal of happiness, or human flourishing (繁荣).

According to this ideal, living well involves fulfilling one’s human potential in ways that are admirable, sustainable (可持续的), and personally satisfying. Ryan and Deci identifies three broad forms of potential: social, intellectual, and productive/creative. In other words, the forms are psychologically linked to the satisfaction of human beings’ universal basic needs for positive relatedness, self-determination, and competence. Fulfilling all three forms of potential is the key to happiness, and shaping our lives and institutions accordingly would be much more matched with sustainability than pursuing wealth without limit.

A related finding, which is very important for the pursuit of sustainability, is that escape from poverty is important to happiness but the pursuit of wealth, status (地位), and image as life goals is less beneficial to happiness than the pursuit of life goals that directly fulfill our basic forms of potential and satisfy our related psychological needs. Societies that have promoted the accumulation of wealth without limit have not raised their general level of happiness by doing so. It should be evident to any observer of life in the U.S. that as wealth and inequality have grown, most Americans have become more painfully focused on occupational insecurity and on status competition that has simply become more expensive and less sustainable.

As a consequence, we could be happier both now and in the future if we could overcome the blind faith in wealth accumulation that shaped the socially, politically and environmentally unstable world with which we must now deal.

John Montefiore's path to graduation from the University of Toronto was a little unusual. He recently completed his bachelor's degree(学士学位) which he started in1995.

Montefiore left university in 1996 and tried to tell himself that a degree wasn't necessary for personal success. But it remained unfinished business until he made the decision to return in 2018 at the age 42. At that time, his job development stalled, so he made up his mind to go back to school in order to improve himself and work well in future.

The second time around, Montefiore never missed a class and always sat in the front row. He found many courses invaluable and he received the Award of Excellence twice. He found support services played an important role in his successful return. He said, “I hadn't written a paper for years, so I found the college writing centre to be of great use. Before I handed in a paper, they would give me feedback, which was really great. The university has so much built in to help students succeed and I'm so thankful for that.” But he also met difficulties this time. As a student much older than others, he found it harder to make friends with classmates.

However, no matter what had happened before, he finally got his bachelor's degree. He said, “After all these years, I had thought it wouldn't mean anything, but it means a lot. I totally understand the value of education now. It's not necessarily the value that other people see in it, but the value it gives me as a person, for my confidence and my self-esteem. It also helps me prepare well before I re-enter the workplace.”

Once upon a time, a man was walking on a mountain when he found an incredible cave with all kinds of treasure inside it. So he gave up his job, his home, and his friends, and spent all his time guarding the cave.

He was so devoted to it that he hardly ate or drank, and before long he fell ill. One day, when he could hardly move at all, he decided to share the treasure.

He crawled (爬) into the cave to get a handful of jewels, but discovered, to his horror, that it was empty except for a small emerald (绿宝石). The man took it and gave it to the first person to come by, a woman.

Then an old man came by. “What bad luck!” the man said. “Just a moment ago I gave a woman the last of the treasure I was guarding.”

“Are you sure there is nothing left?” the old man asked.

The man took him into the cave, where they found a box with jewels and some bags of gold. The man was shocked, and the old man explained to him, “At last! At last someone has broken the spell (咒语) of this cave. This is the Cave of Treasure, and you’re the first to have passed its great test. Many have devoted their lives to this cave, only to end up realizing there was nothing here…”

“And why does this happen?” the man asked.

“This magic cave has only as many riches as your own heart. When someone discovers it, the cave fills with the treasure they bring with them, but later, when they have devoted themselves to guarding the treasure, their hearts become empty, as does the cave. The only way to fill it is by filling your heart with all that is good, as you did by giving the woman that last jewel.”

From that day on, the man understood that it was better to share than to keep. Thanks to the cave and the old man, he became noble and generous.