In search of a good life

keep meeting smart people who know what makes for a good life.

- The writer is a US-based international development advisor and had worked with the World Bank. He can be reached at [e-mail]

Dwight, strong and supple, a successful physiotherapist, I meet in the gymnasium. He tells me, "We live in our body. If it doesn't work, nothing works. If it is lean and lithe, your mind too stays active and your spirit alive. Exercise every day, at least walk a couple of miles. You will have a good life."

I never invite Louis because I can't meet his dietary standard, but I like to eat with him and hear him talk about eating, "We are poisoning ourselves with processed and overcooked food. Our forefathers flourished on raw food - fruits and nuts, grains and lettuce. I eat a lot of salad and a reasonable amount of protein. It sustains your body and elevates your mind. That is the basis of a good life."

Equally assertive was the prescription of Wally, a corporate lawyer, "For any kind of success, you must find the resources within you. I meditate in the morning and do regular yoga in the evening. My career has bumps, my life has glitches, but I survive and have peace. We all need inner peace to achieve any kind of a good life."