假装的快乐 The Happy Door
米尔德里德·克拉姆/Mildred Cram
Happiness is like a pebble dropped into a pool to set in motion an ever-widening circle of ripples. As Stevenson has said, being happy is a duty.
There is no exact definition of the word-happiness. Happy people are happy for all sorts of reasons. The key is not wealth or physical well-being, since we find beggars, invalids and so-called failures, who are extremely happy.
Being happy is a sort of unexpected dividend. But staying happy is an accomplishment, a triumph of soul and character. It is not selfish to strive for it. It is, indeed, a duty to us and others.
Being unhappy is like an infectious disease;it causes people to shrink away from the sufferer. He soon finds himself alone, miserable and embittered. There is, however, a cure so simple as to seem, at first glance, ridiculous:If you don't feel happy, pretend to be!
It works. Before long you will find that instead of repelling people, you attract them. You discover how deeply rewarding it is to be the center of wider and wider circles of good will.
Then the make-believe becomes a reality. You possess the secret of peace of mind, and can forget yourself in being of service to others.
Being happy, once it is realized as a duty and established as a habit, opens doors into unimaginable gardens thronged with grateful friends.
快乐就像一枚鹅卵石突然掉入池塘中，激起一圈又一圈的涟漪，并不断向外围扩散。正如史蒂文森说的，快乐是一种责任。
快乐没有确切的定义。快乐的理由成千上万，而关键并不在于财富或健康。因为我们发现，乞丐、残疾人和所谓的失败者也能过得无比快乐。
快乐会有一种意想不到的收获，而保持快乐的心境是一种成就，是灵魂和性格的升华。事实上，追求快乐并非自私的表现，而是对自己和他人的一种责任。