TheRoadtoHappiness
佚名/Anonymous
Itisacommonplaceamongmoraliststhatyoucannotgethappinessbypursuingit.Thisisonlytrueifyoupursueitunwisely.GamblersatMonteCarloarepursuingmoney,andmostofthemloseitinstead,butthereareotherwaysofpursuingmoney,whichoftensucceed.Soisitwithhappiness.Ifyoupursueitbymeansofdrink,youareforgettingthehangover.Epicuruspursueditbylivingonlyincongenialsocietyandeatingonlydrybread,supplementedbyalittlecheeseonfeastdays.Hismethodprovedsuccessfulinhiscase,buthewasavaletudinarian,andmostpeoplewouldneedsomethingmorevigorous.Formostpeople,thepursuitofhappiness,unlesssupplementedinvariousways,istooabstractandtheoreticaltobeadequateasapersonalruleoflife.ButIthinkthatwhateverpersonalruleoflifeyoumaychooseitshouldnot,exceptinrareandheroiccases,beincompatiblewithhappiness.
Thereareagreatmanypeoplewhohaveallthematerialconditionsofhappiness,i.e.healthandasufficientincome,andwho,nevertheless,areprofoundlyunhappy.Insuchcasesitwouldseemasifthefaultmustliewithawrongtheoryastohowtolive.Inonesense,wemaysaythatanytheoryastohowtoliveiswrong.Weimagineourselvesmoredifferentfromtheanimalsthanweare.Animalsliveonimpulse,andarehappyaslongasexternalconditionsarefavorable.Ifyouhaveacatitwillenjoylifeifithasfoodandwarmthandopportunitiesforanoccasionalnightonthetiles.Yourneedsaremorecomplexthanthoseofyourcat,buttheystillhavetheirbasisininstinct.Incivilizedsocieties,especiallyinEnglish-speakingsocieties,thisistooapttobeforgotten.Peopleproposetothemselvessomeoneparamountobjective,andrestrainallimpulsesthatdonotministertoit.Abusinessmanmaybesoanxioustogrowrichthattothisendhesacrificeshealthandprivateaffections.Whenatlasthehasbecomerich,nopleasureremainstohimexceptharryingotherpeoplebyexhortationstoimitatehisnobleexample.Manyrichladies,althoughnaturehasnotendowedthemwithanyspontaneouspleasureinliteratureorart,decidetobethoughtcultured,andspendboringhourslearningtherightthingtosayaboutfashionablenewbooksthatarewrittentogivedelight,nottoaffordopportunitiesfordustysnobbism.