Wealth only leads oneself to greed and further protection of himself, honor creates jealousy, and power is meaningless because it does not last. Lady Philosophy further explains how these false goods only evoke feelings of negativity. The things that are thought to make us happy, wealth, honor, and power, have no actual value or power and therefore cannot truly make someone a happy person. Lady Philosophy tells Boethius, “Be not overcome by your misfortunes, for the gifts of fortune are fleeting and happiness is not to be found in temporal goods”(Boethius 21). Moreover, Lady Philosophy is able to prove that they are in fact false goods because they were taken away from Boethius they did not belong to Boethius. Wealth and power were merely gifts from Fortune that temporarily visited him by the wheel of Fortune. These “goods”, or rather “false goods” can deceive to bring happiness, but it fails to satisfy the true, eternal soul. When told of Boethius’ sudden reversal of fortune, rather than feeling pity and empathy, Lady Philosophy scolds Boethius for mourning over tangible and earthly things like fame, wealth, and power. Throughout all five books of The Consolations of Philosophy, in her intent to cure Boethius’ disease, Lady Philosophy corrects Boethius of the errors that caused his illness-the main error being his misconception of how happiness can be achieved. The fact that Boethius has fallen under Fortune's spell, and forgotten three important things: his true nature, the end and purpose of things, and the means by which the world is governed (Boethius, 10), seem to be the bigger issue since they are the main causes of his illness. As for Lady Philosophy, whether or not Boethius is a “victim of Fortune” (Boethius 4), as he calls himself, is simply not important.
He goes on to complain that he is suffering unjustly in a state of complete innocence, blaming Fortune for taking away these goods. Order custom essay Pursuit of Happiness In “You Learn by Living” When asked to “discover his wounds”, Boethius begins to moan about the loss of good fortune: his wealth, his power, his friends, and even contact with his family. As a physician treating a patient would, Lady Philosophy diagnoses Boethius with a serious illness, which she says she is here to cure, unlike the Muses she calls “hysterical sluts”(Boethius 2) who is only here to take Reason away from him. He is soon interrupted by Philosophy, who appears to him in the form of a lovely woman that is “full of years, yet possesses a vivid color and undiminished vigor” (Boethius 2). What if the word “eternal” was inserted into the definition of happiness to say that it was a state of eternal well-being and contentment? How would one sought to pursue this form of happiness? At the start of Book One of The Consolation of Philosophy, Ancius Boethius, a learned official of the Roman Empire who awaits execution for unjust accusations, desolately rests in his jail cell, writing poetry and contemplating on life with the Muses of Poetry. Temporary pleasure and satisfaction, that is. Whatever the recipe of happiness may be, the product is universal-they all generate feelings of pleasure and satisfaction. Some may believe wealth and power will bring them happiness, while others might argue that beauty and popularity will keep them happy. That said, everyone’s interpretation of happiness varies. Therefore, happiness is the ultimate goal in life for many people in today’s society because their life revolves around desire. When one’s specific desire is fulfilled, feelings of happiness flourish.
The Pursuit of Happiness In the book, “You Learn by Living,” Eleanor Roosevelt notes: “Happiness is not a goal it is a by-product”(Roosevelt 95).