Means, it turns out, have a propensity for dressing themselves up as ends.

From “Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most” by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz

So what should we hope for? This common view says: pure efficacy. The ability to get whatever it is you’re trying to get. Your response to the Question might change, but if you have influence and money and the like, at least your ability to achieve the life you’re seeking will stay the same. Rosa calls this the “Triple-A vision” of life going well because it focuses on things being available, accessible, and attainable. But what does this vision actually get us? A life almost entirely consumed with securing means. Means, it turns out, have a propensity for dressing themselves up as ends.

Like the view that a good life feels good, the Triple-A vision has some (decidedly limited) affinities with at least one of the great religious and philosophical traditions. But – this won’t surprise you by now – other notable answers call it into serious doubt.