第3章 假装的快乐The Happy Door

［美］米尔德里德.克拉姆/Mildred Cram

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。郁闷就像一种传染病，人们往往对郁闷的人退避三舍。他们很快也会感到孤独、痛苦和难过。但是，有一种看似简单的治疗方法，虽然乍看似乎有些荒谬，如果你觉得不快乐，就假装快乐吧！这个方法很管用，不久你会发现，自己会吸引他人，而不是令人反感。你拥有一个以自我为中心的、日趋宽广的友好交际圈。这会是多么有益的事。于是，假装的快乐就成为事实。你掌握了平和心境的秘诀，并且，在愉悦他人的过程中，自己也变的忘乎所以。一旦意识到，保持快乐的心境是一种责任，并形成了习惯，它就能开启秘密花园的大门，那里云集着无数满怀感激的朋友。

Happiness is like a pebble dropped into a pool to set in motion an everwidening 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.