Le bien-être

Le bien-être (a state of well-being) is a general term for a positive condition. Though it is at times meant to describe a satisfaction of physical needs (and an absence of worry) it is far from being aligned strictly with monetary assessment.  Seldom is happiness of any character contingent upon material appeasement; it is by contrast a narrow and unqualified view of one's enigmatic happiness. The simple account of le bien-être does not however approach the nature of its achievement. Getting there is no mean task. Even spending a great deal of time reflecting upon the inscrutable subject is no guarantee of any profit.

For those of us who insist upon a world of perfection, it will come as a disappointment to discover that gaining the summit of well-being is far from a process of flawlessness.  Better to be prepared for accommodation  - if not indeed the outright willingness to crawl! The punishing alternative is a relentless commitment to disapproval and dissatisfaction.  It requires an awakening to the sophisticated measure of well-being, not merely a child-like rendition of indulgence.

It is hardly an intellectual curiosity to learn that always getting one's way in life is impossible. Not just "next to impossible", but plainly impossible. It follows therefore that any hindrance to one's well-being must - if it is to enjoy any authenticity at all - rely on more than bad luck.  Everyone without exception encounters an element of bad luck at one time or another.  Whether you're rich or poor, famous or not, good-looking or unattractive, talented or a dolt, young or old, your day will come.  And if by chance you think you know someone who has escaped the blight, think again!  No one is spared.

Yet in spite of their frequency, hardships in life are mere battle grounds of history, playing fields of competition, serendipitous events which come and go. We all know in our heart that it is the talent by which others have met their personal challenges that they distinguish themselves.  It isn't even a matter of overcoming the dilemma; just learning to accept the condition is sometimes all that is necessary to triumph in the end.

Whether it is recognizing that we had it too easy or too hard when growing up, either way there is no simple answer to recovery of a positive condition.  We are wiser to marvel at the fortuity of what we've encountered and endured. Cultivating an attitude of well-being is a harshly adult undertaking, a posture which appeals to our deeply-held principles.  In the process it may be incumbent to abandon  lesser ambitions, not always a cheerful enterprise to the compulsive personality. But the goal is not inescapable.  Our biggest impediment is denial.  Seconded only by shallowness.  The art of well-being is not for the faint hearted or the foolish.  It is this clarity of mental acuity which both trivializes and uplifts the quandary; it is a far stickier situation to insist upon purely visceral urges.