Too soon to tell?

It used to be that there was a clear enough pattern of happiness, dependent on the stage of life and the responsibilities, expectations and understanding one had at each point. It certainly made a lot of sense:

 


The news today, however, is that the youth – those under 30 – are extremely unhappy. But how should we measure happiness? How can we encourage it? And is it possible to truly know if we are happy... while we are still alive?
...

...Is it true that a fulfilled life can only be measured once everything is said and done? Many of the classical thinkers certainly thought so. Solon was not arguing that men like Tellus and Biton were happier in death than in life. He was not referring to the great hereafter.

Solon was arguing that a full accounting of happiness can only be known once the life of a citizen is laid out start to finish. Only then can we see if somebody has achieved virtue, self-sufficiency, and all other good things that the ancients believed to be paramount to a “good life”...

https://substack.com/home/post/p-146883124