Eudaimonia

Aristotle introduced us to the concept of Eudamonia. Human flourishing. It's not just about happiness, it's about doing well in life, whatever that means.

Everyone has different ideas of what thriving means, but we can sort of come to a sense of what a bare minimum might be for that.

If someone is unable to get their needs met, that's going to be a barrier to true thriving. The Stoics can teach us how to face those times when we're not thriving with equanimity - the Buddhists are good for that, too. But if you're starving, you're not thriving, even if you've reached a mental state where you're no longer suffering.