N****f
发帖数: 25759 | 1 【 以下文字转载自 LoveNLust 讨论区 】
发信人: NWWolf (西北の狼), 信区: LoveNLust
标 题: What Is Happiness?
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Tue Jul 19 04:33:44 2011, 美东)
What is happiness?
An age-old question, indeed. Some would even say it is the eternal
question that has nagged the collective mind of mankind throughout
history, giving rise to everything from grandiose churches to seedy
brothels in the process. So far, the best answer I have ever heard to
that question is one that I have cited many times in this forum, from
an old professor who kept working and teaching well into his 70s
despite being legally blind: "Happiness is a state of mind, not a
situation."
Recently there has been quite a bit of discussion on MITBBS,
especially on the Returnee board, about whether one would lead
a happier life here in the US or back in China. I read some of the
posts with passing interest and, frankly, found myself strangely
aloof to the various talking points raised in them, despite the
heated debates they are setting off all over this forum.
A large part of that, I am sure, can be chalked up for the generation
gap, for if you realize that half of your life expectancy is already well
behind you, the ability to speak your mind on anything and everything
without worrying about a mandatory chat with the proper authorities,
or the ability to have hapless young ladies lining up to exchange
favors with you on a daily basis, suddenly does not seem to matter
all that much any more. Instead, happiness becomes much more
about the daily trivia that help you get into the right state of mind,
however insignificant they might seem in the larger scheme of life.
Last Friday night, I was driving home with my son and little daughter
after an open-air concert. Earlier that day, the renters who live in our
old house had called to report some troubling news about one of the
A/C units. Shortly before that, one of my company's major clients had
asked for a deep cut on a long-overdue invoice because of financial
hardships on his part. And the day prior to that, our entire team had
been royally disappointed to learn that a sizable contract had gone to
a competitor instead of us.
On that Friday night, however, I was perfectly happy, so much so that
I decided to write down these lines to commemorate the occasion when
I would get around to it. Why the happy-go-lucky attitude? Well…
It was because when I came home after work, I found out that my wife
had made my favorite Indonesian noodles before heading off to her
graveyard shift at the hospital. It was because the dusk turned out so
pleasantly cool that I felt obliged to take my daughter and our dog for
a walk in the neighborhood. It was because half way down the block I
suddenly remembered that the Ballet Folklórico del Pacífico would be
performing at the summer music festival nearby. It was because when
the three of us arrived at the packed amphitheater minutes before the
performance was to start, we were surprised to find a stretch of open
seats right in front of the stage. It was because of the way a certain
little girl's face lit up at the sight of the dancers cheerfully swirling
their colorful long skirts and waving their broad-brimmed sombreros,
sending the adoring crowds into frenzy after frenzy with their athleticism,
skills, and artistry. Right then and there, happiness was as simple as the
first sip from an ice-cold Tecate while the mariachi music blasted from
the speakers and the dancers tapped their boots in perfect unison on
stage, together giving a loud and irresistible lecture on the gotta-enjoy-
the-moment-come-hell-or-high-water way of life. All these, mind you,
made me very happy.
I guess I am just getting old, but I really do not mind. | a*********7
发帖数: 30080 | 2 幸福就是有个自动翻译机
【在 N****f 的大作中提到】
: 【 以下文字转载自 LoveNLust 讨论区 】
: 发信人: NWWolf (西北の狼), 信区: LoveNLust
: 标 题: What Is Happiness?
: 发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Tue Jul 19 04:33:44 2011, 美东)
: What is happiness?
: An age-old question, indeed. Some would even say it is the eternal
: question that has nagged the collective mind of mankind throughout
: history, giving rise to everything from grandiose churches to seedy
: brothels in the process. So far, the best answer I have ever heard to
: that question is one that I have cited many times in this forum, from
| S******x
发帖数: 52 | | s*******e
发帖数: 1010 | 4 can't agree more！
【在 a*********7 的大作中提到】
: 幸福就是有个自动翻译机
| N****f
发帖数: 25759 | 5 You lazy bones!
http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en
【在 s*******e 的大作中提到】
: can't agree more！
| N****f
发帖数: 25759 | | A*****8
发帖数: 8590 | | A*****8
发帖数: 8590 | 8 lol
【在 a*********7 的大作中提到】
: 幸福就是有个自动翻译机
| A*****8
发帖数: 8590 | | J*******k
发帖数: 3298 | | d***e
发帖数: 13568 | 11 master xifu?
【在 J*******k 的大作中提到】
: It seems you have inner peace...
| o******g
发帖数: 10263 | 12 master wuguai
【在 d***e 的大作中提到】
: master xifu?
| T********e
发帖数: 3677 | 13 明明是po
【在 o******g 的大作中提到】
: master wuguai
| N****f
发帖数: 25759 | 14 I think I have a inner piece...
【在 J*******k 的大作中提到】
: It seems you have inner peace...
|
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