Philosopher Simon Critchley writes a thought-provoking reflection on happiness on the “Happy Days” blog on nytimes.com. The ancient Greek proverb above is his launching point into thinking about happiness, death, and the prospect of an afterlife.

In short, Critchley explicates the proverb to talk about “my” happiness as something centered in others, in the lives of those outside me, and that “my” happiness cannot be considered as a whole until after I’m dead-and-gone. Thus, we can’t really consider our own happiness without in some way thinking about our own afterlife. An excerpt:

But why should we assume that the question of the afterlife must always be answered with reference to me? Isn’t that just a teensy bit selfish? What is so important about my afterlife? Why can’t I believe in the afterlife of others without believing in my own?

A skeptic might object that I am simply dodging the question. Of course, they might say, the question of the afterlife is about your afterlife. So, does it go on or not, this series of disconnected events that we call existence?

The only really philosophical reply I can give is, “I don’t know.”

Critchley’s ideas of centering “my” happiness (and “my” afterlife) in the lives of others have profound theological implications. Critchley himself is an atheist, which leads him to a Socratic conclusion. As for me, I can’t really go down that road without getting neck-deep into Christian convictions about christology (who is Christ?), anthropology (who am I?), and the Trinity (who is God?).

So, I’ll just leave Critchley’s questions on the table, where we can sit around and reflect on them with each other. If Critchley’s right, perhaps we can even add to each other’s happiness.