第11部分(第1/6 頁)
幀�
依我看來,幸福的全部主題都被人們看得太嚴肅。人們認為,沒有生活理論或宗教信仰的人是不會幸福的。或許那些因為糟糕的生活理論而生活得不幸福的人,需要一個更好的理論來使他們恢復快樂,就像在你生病的時候需要營養品滋補一樣。但是,在正常情況下,人不需要滋補品就很健康,不需要生活理論就能生活得很幸福。事實就是這樣簡單。一個男人,如果他家庭生活和睦、事業有成,晝夜交替和四季輪迴都能帶給他快樂,那麼,不管他有怎樣的人生哲學,他都覺得是幸福的。反之,如果他討厭妻子,厭煩孩子,懼怕工作,白天盼望夜晚,黑夜期盼黎明,那麼,他需要的不是新的人生哲學,而是新的養生之道——一種全新的飲食習慣、多鍛鍊身體等等。
人是一種動物,他的幸福更取決於他的生理狀況,而不是幻想。這是一個淺薄的結論,但是我無法讓自己對它有絲毫懷疑。我深信,那不幸的商人每天走上六英里會獲得更多的歡樂,而不是透過改變其人生哲學。
幸福之路(2)
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人們一談到與幸福相關的話題便顯得過於保守。人的需要以及其他動物的需要都是建立在本能的基礎之上的,但在現實社會中,人們往往忘卻這一點。獲得幸福的物質條件是擁有健康的身體和豐厚的收入,而人的幸福感與他是否擁有人生哲學沒有關係。無論如何,人們選擇的生活不能違背幸福的準則。
The Road to Happiness
Anonymous
It is a monplace 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。 Epicures 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; 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 role of life you may choose; it should not; except in rare and heroic cases; be inpatible with happiness。
There are a great many people who have all the material conditions of happiness; ; 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 an