The Good Life: Aristotle and Civil Service

Aristotle said the state exists for the sake of the good life, not just life

itself. Most people think government jobs are about power and prestige.

That's completely backwards. I watched my uncle work as a district collector for twenty years.

He could have taken bribes like everyone expected. Instead, he spent weekends

visiting remote villages, ensuring ration cards reached widows who couldn't read. Nobody filmed it.

Nobody praised him. Here's what Aristotle actually meant. A civil servant isn't there to

survive on a salary. You're there to create conditions where citizens flourish.

When you approve a road project, you're not moving files. You're connecting a