Augustine and McCandless, both presume that the foundation of a good life must start with God. Unlike, McCandless, who explores the complex meaning of the good life, through external things, like nature, and focusing on solitude as an approach to becoming closer to God, Augustine proposes a series of questions of how one can reach the happy life throughout his book On Free Choice of the Will. Augustine believes that we have to open ourselves up to God in order to fill ourselves up with what is good. He believes having free will and exercising that free will lead one to a happy life. He distinguishes the difference between temporal and external things. He proclaims that external things bring us closer to God, and that temporal things push us farther away from God. This leads him to the main point that, “All good things come from God,” (Augustine 2. 172). God is the source of the good …show more content…
Chris McCandless realized how important it was to have compassion, to have people love you. Augustine realized that God is the source of truth. All He is true. Shusterman opens our eyes to the real source of happiness, loving yourself for who you are, and not allowing yourself to be tainted by society concept of beauty. In the end the key to the good life is through God. Everything we do and everything we are guides us back to Him. He is the source of all things beautiful and true. He is the source of the good life, living through Him is how one fulfills the good