Questions about Level 2

Chapter 9.2 explains this under the section called “Crisis 2.”

We think that people who don’t get past Level 2 are missing out on two more kinds of happiness that are much deeper, longer lasting, and affect more people outside of yourself. In our opinion, they are under-living their lives.

The word “ego” simply means “I” in Greek. So the word itself is not a negative word, and valuing your own ego is important. But the common use of the word “ego” in everyday talk does tend to be negative. That’s just the way that the word has evolved in our culture. When average people on the street say you have an ego, they usually mean you have a big, overblown self-image, and you don’t care about anyone else.

Read Chapter 9.1 on “Crisis 2,” and read all of Chapter 9.2. These sections answer this question at length.

They are both about myself. They are not necessarily unhealthy, but if we only focus on these two levels, they both become selfish. Another similarity is that they do not last very long, and the kind of happiness that comes from Level 1 and Level 2 is not very deep.

Well, you can put any level at the top that you want. You can decide that achievement is most important, and you can put it at the top of your list of goals in life, if you want.

In our model of the four levels of happiness, the answer to your question depends on what kind of achievement you mean. We believe that achieving relationship with God and His love is Level 4 and should be at the top of the list. Achieving a healthy marriage and good relations with your friends and family is Level 3, which we also put near the top. We put Levels 3 and 4 at the top, because they cause a kind of happiness which is longer lasting, deeper, and affects more people beyond yourself. We think that will make you happier, and should be at the top.