Phedippidations and a Philosophy of Life

On my long run today, I listened to a podcast available on iTunes through http://www.steverunner.com entitled "Where are we going?" The parallels between the discussion on the podcast and the discussion in the past week in my introductory philosophy course were striking. In class this past week, we were discussing a recent book by Joel Kupperman, Six Myths about the Good Life. Kupperman offers philosophical and empirical evidence in support of the claim that people who are happiest are involved in what he calls "skilled activities". These are activities that are demanding, require sustained effort, and give us a sense of self. I take it that what he means by this last aspect is that the activities are not just things that we do, but a part of who we are. For many runners, running is more than an activity, it is a part of our identity. As discussed in the podcast, running can be a means to and even a part of our happiness as human beings. This is not news to most runners, but it might help motivate us on those cold winter mornings!