It is a commonplace among moralists that you cannot get happiness by pursuing it. This is only true if you pursue it unwisely. Gamblers at Monte Carlo are pursuing money, and most of them lose it instead, but there are other ways of pursuing money which often succeed. So it is with happiness. If you pursue it by means of drink, you are forgetting the hang-over. Epicurus pursued it by living only in congenial society and eating only dry bread, supplemented by a little cheese on feast days. His method proved successful in his case, but he was a valetudinarian(体弱多病的人) , and most people would need something more vigorous. For most people, the pursuit of happiness, unless supplemented in various ways, is too abstract and theoretical to be adequate as a personal rule of life. But I think that whatever personal rule of life you may choose it should not, except in rare and heroic cases, be incompatible with happiness.
There are a great many people who have all the material conditions of happiness, i.e. health and a sufficient income, and who, nevertheless, are profoundly unhappy. In such cases it would seem as if the fault must lie with a wrong theory as to how to live. In one sense, we may say that any theory as to how to live is wrong. We imagine ourselves more different from the animals than we are. Animals live on impulse, and are happy as long as external conditions are favorable. If you have a cat it will enjoy life if it has food and warmth and opportunities for an occasional night on the tiles. Your needs are more complex than those of your cat, but they still have their basis in instinct. In civilized societies, especially in English-speaking societies, this is too apt to be forgotten. People propose to themselves some one paramount(最重要的) objective, and restrain(抑制,控制) all impulses that do not minister to it. A businessman may be so anxious to grow rich that to this end he sacrifices health and private affections. When at last he has become rich, no pleasure remains to him except harrying other people by exhortations to imitate his noble example. Many rich ladies, although nature has not endowed them with any spontaneous pleasure in literature or art, decide to be thought cultured, and spend boring hours learning the right thing to say
If you look around at the men and women whom you can call happy, you will see that they all have certain things in common. The most
The whole subject of happiness has, in my opinion, been treated too solemnly. It had been thought that man cannot be happy without a theory of life or a religion. Perhaps those who have been rendered unhappy by a bad theory may need a better theory to help them to recovery, just as you may need a tonic(声调的) when you have been ill. But when things are normal a man should be healthy without a tonic and happy without a theory. It is the simple things that really matter. If a man delights in his wife and children, has success in work, and finds pleasure in the alternation of day and night, spring and autumn, he will be happy whatever his philosophy may be. If, on the other hand, he finds his wife fateful, his children's noise unendurable, and the office a nightmare; if in the daytime he longs for night, and at night sighs for the light of day, then what he needs is not a new philosophy but a new regimen----a different diet, or more exercise, or what not.
Man is an animal, and his happiness depends on his physiology more than he likes to think. This is a humble conclusion, but I cannot make myself disbelieve it. Unhappy businessmen, I am convinced, would increase their happiness more by walking six miles every day than by any conceivable(可能的) change of philosophy.
相关单词:valetudinarian
valetudinarian解释:n.病人;健康不佳者
valetudinarian例句:
She affected to be spunky
The valetudinarian alternated two hours of work with one hour of rest.那个体弱多病的人每工作两小时就要歇一小时。
相关单词:incompatible
incompatible解释:adj.不相容的,不协调的,不相配的
incompatible例句:
His plan is incompatible with my intent.他的计划与我的意图不相符。
Speed and safety are not necessarily incompatible.速度和安全未必不相容。
相关单词:civilized
civilized解释:a.有教养的,文雅的
civilized例句:
Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为
相关单词:paramount
paramount解释:a.最重要的,最高权力的
paramount例句:
My paramount object is to save the Union and destroy slavery.我的最高目标是拯救美国,摧毁奴隶制度。
Nitrogen is of paramount
相关单词:remains
remains解释:n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
remains例句:
He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
相关单词:harrying
harrying解释:v.使苦恼( harry的现在分词 );不断烦扰;一再袭击;侵扰
harrying例句:
The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment. 税务局一直在催她补交税款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
He is increasingly active in harrying the government in late-night debates. 他越来越活跃,在深夜辩论中不断攻击政府。 来自辞典例句
相关单词:exhortations
exhortations解释:n.敦促( exhortation的名词复数 );极力推荐;(正式的)演讲;(宗教仪式中的)劝诫
exhortations例句:
The monuments of men's ancestors were the most impressive exhortations. 先辈们的丰碑最能奋勉人心的。 来自辞典例句
Men has free choice. Otherwise counsels, exhortations, commands, prohibitions, rewards and punishments would be in vain. 人具有自由意志。否则,劝告、赞扬、命令、禁规、奖赏和惩罚都将是徒劳的。 来自辞典例句
相关单词:snobbism
snobbism解释:势利
snobbism例句:
相关单词:instinctive
instinctive解释:adj.(出于)本能的;直觉的;(出于)天性的
instinctive例句:
He tried to conceal his instinctive revulsion at the idea.他试图饰盖自己对这一想法本能的厌恶。
Animals have an instinctive fear of fire.动物本能地怕火。
相关单词:humble
humble解释:adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低
humble例句:
In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见,他将在选举中获胜。
Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。
相关单词:toil
toil解释:vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事
toil例句:
The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。
相关单词:tonic
tonic解释:n./adj.滋补品,补药,强身的,健体的
tonic例句:
It will be marketed as a tonic for the elderly.这将作为老年人滋补品在市场上销售。
Sea air is Nature's best tonic for mind and body.海上的空气是大自然赋予的对人们身心的最佳补品。
相关单词:physiology
physiology解释:n.生理学,生理机能
physiology例句:
He bought a book
He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。
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