TheRoadtoHappiness

　　BertrandRussell

　　Itisacommonplaceamongmoraliststhatyoucannotgethappinessbypursuingit.Thisisonlytrueifyoupursueitunwisely.GamblersatMonteCarloarepursuingmoney,andmostofthemloseitinstead,butthereareotherwaysofpursuingmoney,whichoftensucceed.Soitiswithhappiness.Ifyoupursueitbymeansofdrink,youareforgettingthehang-over.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.

　　Ifyoulookaroundatthemenandwomenwhomyoucancallhappy,youwillseethattheyallhavecertainthingsincommon.Themostimportantofthesethingsisanactivitywhichatmostgraduallybuildsupsomethingthatyouaregladtoseecomingintoexistence.Womenwhotakeaninstinctivepleasureintheirchildrencangetthiskindofsatisfactionoutofbringingupafamily.Artistsandauthorsandmenofsciencegethappinessinthiswayiftheirownworkseemsgoodtothem.Buttherearemanyhumblerformsofthesamekindofpleasure.Manymenwhospendtheirworkinglifeinthecitydevotetheirweekendstovoluntaryandunremuneratedtoilintheirgardens,andwhenthespringcomes,theyexperienceallthejoysofhavingcreatedbeauty.

　　Thewholesubjectofhappinesshas,inmyopinion,beentreatedtoosolemnly.Ithadbeenthoughtthatmancannotbehappywithoutatheoryoflifeorareligion.Perhapsthosewhohavebeenrenderedunhappybyabadtheorymayneedabettertheorytohelpthemtorecovery,justasyoumayneedatonicwhenyouhavebeenill.Butwhenthingsarenormalamanshouldbehealthywithoutatonicandhappywithoutath