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依我看来,幸福的全部主题都被人们看得太严肃。人们认为,没有生活理论或宗教信仰的人是不会幸福的。或许那些因为糟糕的生活理论而生活得不幸福的人,需要一个更好的理论来使他们恢复快乐,就像在你生病的时候需要营养品滋补一样。但是,在正常情况下,人不需要滋补品就很健康,不需要生活理论就能生活得很幸福。事实就是这样简单。一个男人,如果他家庭生活和睦、事业有成,昼夜交替和四季轮回都能带给他快乐,那么,不管他有怎样的人生哲学,他都觉得是幸福的。反之,如果他讨厌妻子,厌烦孩子,惧怕工作,白天盼望夜晚,黑夜期盼黎明,那么,他需要的不是新的人生哲学,而是新的养生之道——一种全新的饮食习惯、多锻炼身体等等。
人是一种动物,他的幸福更取决于他的生理状况,而不是幻想。这是一个浅薄的结论,但是我无法让自己对它有丝毫怀疑。我深信,那不幸的商人每天走上六英里会获得更多的欢乐,而不是通过改变其人生哲学。
幸福之路(2)
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人们一谈到与幸福相关的话题便显得过于保守。人的需要以及其他动物的需要都是建立在本能的基础之上的,但在现实社会中,人们往往忘却这一点。获得幸福的物质条件是拥有健康的身体和丰厚的收入,而人的幸福感与他是否拥有人生哲学没有关系。无论如何,人们选择的生活不能违背幸福的准则。
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