Tolstoy Essay

In every human being’s life, happiness is the primary goal. Also, happiness is different for people. True happiness comes from a good individual who has all of the necessary good components of life which brings about peace and prosperity. Many people dream about, while others try to find ways to obtain it. Can a virtuous person really define beauty and happiness interchangeably and thus achieve it? Youth, written by Leo Tolstoy, depicts an autobiographical viewpoint of his perception of happiness, beauty and virtue and how all are related. In Youth, Nicola Tolstoy states that man strives for a “moral and active improvement” (1st paragraph). Growing up as a teenager, Tolstoy had low self esteem. He described himself as “his exterior being ugly, features were dull and an unrefined face” (2nd paragraph). Because of his looks, he considered himself mediocre and very shameful. As a result, he began to see beauty in other things like nature and a person’s soul, rather than what’s on the outside. Being able to enjoy life and all it has to offer made Tolstoy realize how much of himself he was wasting away and that living a virtuous life can make an individual see the true beauty of people and nature thus, creating insurmountable happiness. Living a virtuous life enables you to experience “the supreme good” which is happiness. “To be blessed with happiness, we must live our entire life as virtuous and noble souls” (Aristotle). To be virtuous means an individual has moral excellence and education, home training and a good sense of character are factors of being virtuous and are an easy indication. Being able to respect and love people for who they are, give and not ask for anything in return and also confidence in oneself can lead any individual to sustain happiness. With these qualities, there is a whole new outlook on life and the natural beauty of things. Life experiences will be in a different outlook and find true happiness. Consequently, many people