第1个回答 2009-02-12
The Happy Door
Mildred Cram
Happiness is like a pebble dropped into a pool to set in motion
an Ever-widening circle of ripples. Ad 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 ourselves 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 wide 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.