https://www.britannica.com/biography/AristotleWhat's so STOKED about this dude…
Becoming and Arete
Aristotle’s philosophy offers a powerful framework for understanding what it means to become—to grow into one’s fullest potential as a human being. Unlike thinkers who focused on abstract ideals detached from everyday life, Aristotle grounded his ideas in observation, experience, and practical wisdom. For him, becoming was not about sudden transformation, but about a gradual process of development shaped by habits, choices, and purpose.
At the heart of Aristotle’s thought is the concept of telos, or purpose. Everything in nature, he argued, has an inherent end toward which it strives. An acorn becomes an oak tree; a child becomes an adult. Similarly, human beings have a purpose: to achieve eudaimonia, often translated as flourishing or living well. This is not simply happiness in the sense of pleasure, but a deeper state of fulfillment that comes from living in accordance with reason and virtue. Becoming, then, is the process of aligning oneself with this purpose.
Central to this process is the development of virtue. Aristotle believed that virtues—such as courage, honesty, and generosity—are not innate traits we are simply born with. Instead, they are cultivated through practice. We become just by performing just actions, brave by acting bravely, and so on. This idea emphasizes that becoming is active and ongoing. The process of becoming virtuous is the purpose of life. THE CULTIVATION OF ARETE (virtue/excellence) really is the whole point of living. ~ It requires effort, repetition, and conscious decision-making. In this sense, a person is not defined by isolated actions, but by consistent patterns of behavior that shape their character over time.