优雅英语之罗素《征服幸福》
玛丽莲梦兔
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2020年08月01日 13:38
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The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell
《征服幸福》 罗素
（如果看到了可以买一本：优雅英语与幸福指南的完美结合。）
Outline来源：/dougdeb/Courses/Happy/Conquest/
赏析部分文字来源：史志康《人为什么感到不幸福》和《幸福的秘诀在哪里？》（史志康：上海外国语大学教授、博士生导师）
英国哲学家、数学家伯特兰·罗素（Bertrand Russell一八七二－一九七O）是二十世纪西方最著名、影响最大的学者之一，他在哲学、数学、科学、伦理学、社会学、教育、历史、宗教、政治等领域都取得了斐然的成就，被誉为百科全书式的一代哲人。 罗素一生充满传奇色彩，虽然从未写过小说、诗歌，却获得诺贝尔文学奖。罗素的学术著作早有定评，不用多说，就是他那些散文、演讲等，大都行文流畅，机智幽默，充满智慧，被誉为《圣经》的现代替代品(The books of Bertrand Russell are a modern substitute for the Bible)。就拿《征服幸福》（The Conquest of Happiness）一书来说，虽然这本书还不到两百页，却以最平实的语言，最浅显的比喻，说明了一个最深刻的人生哲理，打动了无数读者的心，被奉为幸福生活的指南。
Outline of The Conquest of Happiness
The book falls neatly into two halves: the causes of unhappiness and the causes of happiness. The first chapter What Makes People Unhappy? can be viewed as an introduction to the book, and the final chapter The Happy Man as a conclusion.
Preface
"No profound philosophy or deep erudition will be found in the following pages. I have aimed at putting together some remarks which are inspired by what I hope is common sense. ... It is in the belief that many people who are unhappy could become happy by well-directed effort that I have written this book." [page 11] What do you think of this belief? Could many unhappy people become happy by well-directed effort?
Part I The Causes of Unhappiness
1. What Makes People Unhappy?
"My purpose is to suggest a cure for the ordinary day-to-day unhappiness from which most people in civilized countries suffer, and which is all the more unbearable because, having no obvious external cause, it appears inescapable. I believe this unhappiness to be largely due to mistaken views of the world, mistaken ethics, mistaken habits of life, leading to the destruction of that natural zest and appetite for possible things upon which all happiness, whether of men or of animals, ultimately depends." [page 17]
人为什么会感到不幸呢？一九五O年，罗素在诺贝尔颁奖典礼上发表演讲，题目为：What Desires Are Politically Important? （什么欲望在政治上是重要的？）在这个演讲中，他说：蟒蛇吃饱肚子之后，就去安
睡了，一直到再需要一顿食物时才会醒来。人类在大部分情况下不是这样的(The boa constrictor, when he has had an adequate meal, goes to sleep, and does not wake until he needs another meal. Human beings, for the most part, are not like this.) 。在《征服幸福》一书的第一章里，罗素表达了同样的观点：“动物只要没病，有足够吃的食物，便感到快乐了。人呢，一般的人以为也应该是这样，但却不是如此，至少在大多数情况下是不快乐的。”(Animals are happy so long as they have health and enough to eat. Human beings, one feels, ought to be, but they are not, at least in a great majority of cases.) 这里，英语引语中最后一句话的后半部分是由两个介词构成的短语(at least in a great majority of cases)作状语，非常简洁，有力。比如我们还可以说：他认为，人们为了自身利益，往往对外界世界有着偏见，至少在大多数情况下是这样的（He maintains that people tend to have a self-serving bias towards the external world, at least in a great majority cases.）。
罗素请读者自问是否幸福，环顾四周又有多少人是幸福的，显然，大多数人都感到自己不幸。为什么会是这样呢？就因为人和动物不一样，有吃有穿并不能使人感到满足。比如，节俭的阿拉伯人获取了东罗马帝国的巨大财富，住进了无比豪华的宫殿，可是他们并不以此为满足，仍然不断追求新的征服目标。在大部分情况下（for the most part），四大欲望驱使人们不断地追求新的目标：占有欲（acquisitiveness）、竞争欲（rivalry）、虚荣心(vanity)和权利欲(love of power)。这里，英语引语作状语的短语for the most part与前面句子中的短语in a great majority of cases相似，都表示“在大部分情况下”的意思。
接着，罗素问道：如果机器生产的益处是在一定程度上增加那些最为需求的人的物质，那么防止贫穷的永久化是必要的。但是，如果连富人都是痛苦不幸的，那么使每个人都富起来又有什么意义呢？(To prevent the perpetuation of poverty is necessary if the benefits of machine production are to accrue in any degree to those most in need of them; but what is the use of making everybody rich if the rich themselves are miserable?) 这句话至少有三层含义：物质的增加对于防止贫穷是有益的；富有不等于幸福；财富若不带来幸福，那么对它过分的拥有就不那么重要了。这里，英语引语中的开头的一个短语：to prevent the perpetuation of poverty（防止贫穷的永久化）是头韵，读起来很雅。
是什么原因使富人也不快乐呢？罗素说，是因为错误的世界观(mistaken views of the world)、错误的伦理观(mistaken ethics)、错误的生活习惯(mistaken habits of life) 使人失去了天然的热情，从而
失去了快乐。一种不可名状的厌烦攫住了他们，在他们的脸上盖上微微不满的印记（unutterable boredom seizes upon them and stamps their features with trivial discontent）。罗素以自己从不幸、绝望走向快乐的心路历程为例，指出过于自我专注（self-absorption）是阻碍幸福的大敌。自我专注有三种常见类型：罪人意识(the sinner) 、自恋意识(the narcissist)和夸大狂意识（the megalomaniac）。克服自我专注的有效方法、通向欢乐之路（the gateways to joy）在于对客观世界保持热情，对客观知识不断追求，对可能获得的事物的天然热情和欲望（natural zest and appetite for possible things）。比如，把自我从心里完全排除，也就是使自己进入一个忘我的境界（empty your mind of your own ego），使自己感受别人的各种情绪（make yourself receptive to the moods of sb.），渐渐消除对自我的过分关注（a diminishing preoccupation with myself.）。罗素追本穷源，认为典型的不幸福的人，在青年时期被剥夺了某些正常需求的满足，开始对这一需求的满足看得比其它的东西都重，一生朝着一个方向追求（The typical unhappy man is one who, having been deprived in youth of some normal satisfaction, has come to value this one kind of satisfaction more than any other, and has therefore given to his life a one-sided direction）。由此可见，在年轻时过着比较完整的生活，对日后生活的幸福与否尤为重要。
在这一章里，有不少地道、精美的英语短语和句子，比如： a vital need of our civilization（我们文明时代极重要的一个需要）、the long-spread-out boredom ahead of me（我前面那漫长的枯燥生活）、for the magnificence of one's own ego（为了自我的伟大）。
2. Byronic Unhappiness
"It is common in our day, as it has been in so many other periods of the world's history, to suppose that those among us who are wise enough have seen through all the enthusiasms of earlier times and have become aware that there is nothing left to live for. ... I do not myself believe that there is any superior rationality in being unhappy. The wise man will be as happy as circumstances permit, and if he finds the contemplation of the universe painful beyond a point, he will contemplate something else instead. ... I wish to persuade the reader that, whatever the arguments may be, reason lays no embargo upon happiness." [page 24]
第二章的标题是“拜伦式的不幸”(Byronic Unhappiness)。乔治· 戈登·拜伦（George Gordon Byron 一七八八- 一八二四）是英国浪漫主义诗人，代表作有《查尔德·哈罗德游记》、《唐·璜》等。在《查尔德·哈罗德游记》中，拜伦塑造了一个忧郁的、孤独的贵族青年典型：没有知心朋友，没有亲人，没有追求，年纪还轻，却自以为尝尽人生百味，以
n so obsessed by competing with other businessmen for success that the rest of life passes him by. "Success can only be one ingredient in happiness, and is too dearly purchased if all other ingredients have been sacrificed to obtain it." [page 43]
在第三章里，罗素谈到现代社会人们感到不幸的另一个原因：“竞争”（Competition）。假如问一个美国人，或者问一个英国商人，是什么最大程度上妨碍了他享受生活，他会说：“为生活而斗争”(If you ask any man in America, or any in business in England, what it is that most interferes with his enjoyment of existence, he will say: “The struggle for life.”)。 对这种回答，罗素是不以为然的。他说，对于许多人，特别是商人而言，为生活而斗争的说法是不确切的，其实，他们是在追求所谓的成功。这些人顾不上家庭，没有真正可靠的朋友，全神贯注于生意或事业；这些人在生活中没有任何情趣可言，把金钱看得比什么都重。罗素说自己希望从金钱中得到的是没有忧虑的休闲时光。但是，典型的现代人则希望从金钱中得到更多的钱，用钱来炫耀，取得辉煌，去盖过原来一直与自己不相上下的人(For my part, the thing that I should wish to obtain from money would be leisure with security. But what the typical modern man desires to get with it is more money, with a view to ostentation, splendor, and the outshining of those who have hitherto been his equals.)。罗素承认，竞争会使人兴奋，成功之后会使人得到别人的承认而变得快乐，金钱也有助于幸福，但凡事有度，一旦过分，事情就不一样了。他认为，在欧洲，为了金钱的竞争只限于某些行业，而且多半不是影响最大、或最受尊敬的职业，在美国则不然。在美国，即使是教授，也不过是商人雇佣的仆人，同那些古老的国家相比，他们受到比较少的尊敬。这一切的后果是：在美国专业人员模仿商人，而不是像在欧洲一样自成一家(As for professors, they are the hired servants of business men, and as such win less respect than is accorded to them in older countries. The consequence of all this is that in America the professional man imitates the business man, and does not constitute a separate type as he does in Europe.)。
这一章中有些短语非常优雅：say this in all sincerity (极其诚恳地说了这一席话)、give dignity to something essentially trivial (给一些实际上无足轻重的事以高贵的意味)、run through the platitudes (在陈词滥调中搜寻)、an air of sagacious reserve（一种精明、持重的样子）、affect a geniality（佯装一副亲切和蔼的样子）、in nine cases out of ten（十有八九，在绝大数的情况下）、in ticklish condition (在严峻的形势下)、the prevalent philosophy of life（流行的生活哲学）、mitigate the bare
undiluted fight（缓和赤裸裸、激烈的争斗）、be left at a loose end（变得无所事事）、the more intellectual pleasures（心智更为高尚的娱乐）、a living tradition（为人们所继承的传统）、a very exquisite art（一种极为高雅的艺术）、putting the cart before the horse（本末倒置）、a balanced ideal of life（平衡的理想生活）。
4. Boredom and Excitement
We have come to associate boredom with unhappiness and excitement with happiness, but Russell argues that boredom and excitement form a separate axis entirely, having little relationship with happiness. "Running away from enemies who are trying to take one's life is, I imagine, unpleasant, but certainly not boring. ... The opposite of boredom, in a word, is not pleasure, but excitement." [pages 48-49] The confusion of excitement and happiness, and the flight from boredom that it entails, is a chief cause of unhappiness. The cure is to teach oneself to endure boredom without running from it.
5. Fatigue
This chapter is actually about worry. Russell believes that such physical fatigue as people feel in the industrialized world is mostly healthy, and that only "nervous fatigue", caused largely by worry, is really destructive to happiness. Russell believes most worry could be avoided by learning good thinking habits, by refusing to over-estimate the significance of possible failures, by taking a larger perspective, and by facing fears squarely.
接下来的两章分别为“厌烦和兴奋”(Boredom and Excitement)和“疲劳”(Fatigue)。罗素说，厌烦似乎是人类特有的一种情绪，追求兴奋的欲望深深扎根于人类的心灵中。在他看来，与我们的祖先相比较，我们遭受的厌烦少得多了，但我们却更加害怕厌烦。我们开始知道，或者说是开始相信，厌烦不是人的自然命运的一部分，它可以通过对兴奋的非常积极的追求而加以避免（We are less bored than our ancestors were, but we are more afraid of boredom. We have come to know, or rather to believe, that boredom is not part of the natural lot of man, but can be avoided by a sufficiently vigorous pursuit of excitement.)。厌烦本质上是一种受到挫折的欲望（Boredom is essentially a thwarted desire for events）。在分析了一些现象之后，罗素要求道德家重视厌烦，因为在人类的罪恶中，至少有一半是因为恐惧厌烦而引起的。当然，凡事皆有两面，若要避免过度的兴奋，些许的厌烦是不可或缺的。在罗素看来，过度的兴奋不仅有害健康，而且会麻木品赏各种乐趣的口味，用快感来取代更为深刻的整个机体满足，用小聪明来取代大智慧，用不时的惊诧来取代美感。(There is an element of boredom which is inseparable from the avoidance of too much excitement, and too much excitement not only undermines the health, but the dull the palate for every kind of pleasure, sub
stituting titillations for profound organic satisfactions, cleverness for wisdom, and jagged surprises for beauty.)其实，幸福的生活在很大程度上必定是宁静的生活，因为只有在宁静的气氛中，真正的快乐才能得以存在。(In flying from the fructifying kind of boredom, they fall a prey to the other far worse kind. A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy can live.)
说到疲劳，罗素认为适度的纯粹体力上的疲劳是幸福的源泉，因为“它使人酣睡，好胃口，热情高涨地享受假期里的快乐”(it leads to sound sleep and a good appetite, and give zest to the pleasures that are possible on holidays.)。英语短语 “give zest to the pleasures”意为“使人热情高涨地享受快乐”。罗素发现，在发达地区，最为严重的疾病是神经疲劳，而神经疲劳往往是由忧虑产生的，与体力劳动者相比，实业家和脑力劳动者更容易患上这种神经疲劳症。罗素告诫我们不要忧虑和焦躁，不要把自己看得过分重要，不要以为自己能把世界扛在肩上。在他看来，临近神经崩溃的症状之一是，此人认为自己的工作极其重要，哪怕休个假也会引起所有的灾难(One of the symptoms of approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important and that to take a holiday would bring all kinds of disaster.)。
这两章有许多精彩的短语和句子，比如：rise in the social scale（社会地位的提高）、in a mere string of proper names of persons（一长串名字）、pick out the high lights（把要点挑选出来）、take out the superfluous matter（去掉表面东西）、Love is an experience in which our whole being is renewed and refreshed as is that of plants by rain after drought.（爱是一种体验，在这一体验中，我们的全部身心得到了复苏和新生，犹如干旱后得到雨水的植物一样。）、mend matters（解决问题）、debilitate one's physique（搞跨身体）、voluntarily or involuntarily, of choice or of necessity（无论是否自愿，或是出于选择还是出于需要）、a sound line of conduct（一套可行的行为方式）、cloud one's judgment（模糊某人的判断力）、diminish almost to vanishing point（渐渐降到消失的程度）、fade with the lapse of time（随着时间的流失而消褪）、look this possible misfortune in the face（直面可能发生的不幸）、have cosmic importance（有着重大影响的）。
6. Envy
"If you desire glory, you may envy Napoleon. But Napoleon envied Caesar, Caesar envied Alexander, and Alexander, I dare say, envied Hercules, who never existed. You cannot therefore get away from envy by means of success alone. ... You can get away from envy by enjoying the pleasures that come your way, by doing the work that you have to do, and by avoiding compariso
ns with those whom you imagine, perhaps quite falsely, to be more fortunate than yourself." [pages 71-72]
第六章是讨论“妒忌”(Envy)的问题。妒忌也是使人感到不幸福的原因之一。罗素说，妒忌是人类最普遍、最根深蒂固的情感之一(Envy is, I should say, one of the most universal and deep-seated of human passions.)。这里，英语引语中的形容词universal 和deep-seated 经常可以放在一起使用，表示“普遍的”和“根深蒂固的”的意思。有意思的是，罗素认为就妒忌而言，男女有所不同：女人将所有其他女人看作是竞争对手，而男人则通常只对自己同行的人有这种情感(……women regard all other women as their competitors, whereas men as a rule only have this feeling towards other men in the same profession.)。英语引语中的短语as a rule意为“通常”，再比如：He is quite punctual as a rule.（他通常很守时。）
罗素用例子说明了妒忌种种表现，其中最典型的现象就是对别人的失败或失误，掉几滴幸灾乐祸的鳄鱼的眼泪 (weep crocodile tears)。认识问题是解决问题的一半，同理，认识引起妒忌的原因是消除妒忌的重要途径。人之所以会妒忌，在于人喜欢与别人比较，这种思考方式经常会产生妒忌，因为你总以为有人比你快乐，有人比你幸运，有人比你成功，从而对他产生妒忌。即使自己功成名就，还是不会摆脱妒忌，因为“假如你渴望荣耀，你可能会妒忌拿破仑。但拿破仑妒忌亚历山大，亚历山大呢，我敢说，妒忌虚构的赫拉克勒斯”(If you desire glory, you may envy Napoleon. But Napoleon envied Caesar, Caesar envied Alexander, and Alexander, I dare say, envied Hercules, who never existed.)。 赫拉克勒斯 (Hercules) 在希腊神话中是主神宙斯(Zeus)的儿子，是完成十二件艰巨任务的大力士英雄。莎士比亚剧团演出场地环球剧院招牌上的标记就叫Hercules and his load（赫拉克勒斯和他背负的地球）。由此可见，若过于雄心勃勃，追求成功，一个成功会驱使你追求更高层面的成功，永无止境，永不满足，永远摆脱不了妒忌之心。
难道人就不能摆脱妒忌的枷锁？罗素认为，文明人必须开阔视野，开阔胸怀。他必须学会超越自我，并通过这种做法，获得宇宙的自由(……civilized man must enlarge his heart as he has enlarged his mind. He must learn to transcend self, and in so doing to acquire the freedom of the Universe.)。英语引语中的短语“enlarge one’s heart”、“enlarge one’s mind”意为“开阔胸怀”和“开阔视野”，短语“transcend self”意为“超越自我”。
在这一章中，有些短语可圈可记：on the flimsiest evidence（几乎没有根据）、run riot（肆意泛滥）、a man who possesses some rare talent of great importance（
具有重大价值的非凡天赋的人）、be eaten up with a sense of injustice（被一种不公正感所吞没）等。
7. The Sense of Sin
Traditional religion, in Russell's view, has saddled us with an ascetic moral code that will make us unhappy if we keep it (by denying us joy in life) and also if we break it (by causing us guilt). The only solution is to root this moral code out of our unconscious, and replace it with a code less inimical to human happiness.
8. Persecution Mania
This is probably the most amusing chapter of the book, as Russell uses his droll wit to puncture human self-importance. "My purpose in this chapter is to suggest some general reflections by means of which each individual can detect in himself the elements of persecution mania (from which almost everybody suffers in a greater or less degree), and having detected them, can eliminate them. This is an important part of the conquest of happiness, since it is quite impossible to be happy if we feel that everybody ill-treats us." [page 90]
第七章和第八章分别是“犯罪感”(The Sense of Sin)和“迫害狂”(Persecution Mania)。
西方人意识中的“犯罪感”或许与他们文化中的“原罪”(Original sin)观念有一定的关系。基督教认为，人类始祖亚当违命偷吃禁果而犯了罪，这罪代代相传，以至世人天生都带有罪性，那就是原罪。关于哪些人更容易受到“犯罪感”的折磨的问题，罗素说，有些人尽管受到大众的普遍敌意，但不觉得有罪。但是，完全接受大众的道德观念的人，在自己行为违背那些道德观念，并且失去其社会地位时，会遭受极大的不幸。对这种灾难的恐惧，或灾难发生时带来的痛苦，会很容易使他认为自己的行动是有罪的(These men, in spite of the hostility of the herd, do not feel sinful, but the man who entirely accepts the morality of the herd while acting against it suffers great unhappiness when he loses caste, and the fear of this disaster or the pain of it when it has happened may easily cause him to regard his acts themselves as sinful.)。英语引语中的短语“the hostility of the head”、“the morality of the herd”的意思为“大众的普遍敌意”和“大众的道德观念”；短语lose caste意为“失去社会地位”。罗素进而认为，“犯罪感”的主要形式潜伏在意识深处，存在于无意识的层面。有些人在道德上景仰心灵纯洁的人，总是带着一种悔恨，因为自己不可能成为圣人。“结果是，他带着犯罪感度过了一生，感到最美好的东西不是属于他的，最快乐的时刻是作伤感的忏悔的时候”(Consequently he goes through life with a sense of guilt, feeling that the best is not for him and that his highest moments are those of maudlin penitence.)。英语引语中的one's highest moments可以解释为“某人的最快乐的时刻”。
在一
般道德中，禁欲主义潜入了人的无意识之中，以一种方式或另一种方式，使人的道德准则失去了理性。这种“犯罪感”可以追溯到早期教育。潜意识中道德观念与理智相距甚远，因为那些进行早期教育的人所信仰的观念很大程度上是愚昧的，许多观念是清规戒律，而不是来自个人对社会责任感的研究。随后，罗素讨论了分裂的人格问题，最后得出结论：一个自我分裂的人寻找兴奋与玩乐；他喜欢强烈的刺激，但不是出于健全的理性，而是因为在那一瞬间，刺激使他忘却了自己，无需痛苦的思维。对他来说，激情是一种麻醉，既然他想象不出根本的幸福，任何对痛苦的摆脱在他眼里只有麻醉的形式才能实现。然而，这是一种根深蒂固的毛病的症状。真正使人满足的幸福伴随着天赋的最充分的发挥，伴随着对我们所生活的世界的最充分的认识(The man divided against himself looks for excitement and distraction; he loves strong passions, not for sound reasons, but because for the moment they take him outside himself and prevent the painful necessity of thought. And passion is to him a form of intoxication, and since he cannot conceive of fundamental happiness, all relief from pain appears to him solely possible in the form of intoxication. This, however, is the symptom of a deep-seated malady. ...The happiness that is genuinely satisfying is accompanied by the fullest exercise of our faculties, and the fullest realization of the world in which we live.)。
这段英语引语中有几个短语值得一记：the man divided against himself（自我分裂的人）、take one outside oneself（谋事使人忘却自己）、a deep-seated malady（一种根深蒂固的毛病）、the fullest exercise of（充分的发挥）等。
“迫害狂”是指假想中他人的敌意和冷酷。有的人总以为别人负义、背信、冷酷，到处碰到“坏人”，到处遭遇不公正的对待，其实，这是一种非理性的表现。罗素一言中的，说我们没有想到，我们不能期望别人对我们的看法要比我们对别人的看法好些，我们没有想到这一点的原因是，我们自己的优点总是了不起的，显而易见的，而别人的优点呢，如果确实存在的话，只是有仁厚之心的人才能看到(It does not occur to us that we cannot expect others to think better of us than we think of them, and the reason this does not occur to us is that our own merits are great and obvious, whereas those of others, if they exist at all, are only visible to a charitable eye.)。这里，插入条件句“if they exist at all”（如果确实存在的话）和作表语的短语“only visible to a charitable eye”（只是有仁厚之心的人才能看到）都很有揶揄的意味，说明人一般容易看到自己的长处，看到别人的短处。这里，我想
dance with the doctrine of probability（根据概率理论）、without needing a veil of illusion to conceal from ourselves（不需要一层幻想的面纱来蒙骗我们自己）、a too exaggerated conception of our own merits（对我们自己的优点过分夸大）、in the higher walks of politics（在上层政治界）、the high-minded idealist（理想高尚的理想主义者）、self-regarding motives（自尊动机）、an untalented person puffed up with vanity（没有才能却为虚荣心驱动的人）、face it once for all（果断地正视它）等。
9. Fear of Public Opinion
"Very few people can be happy unless on the whole their way of life and their outlook on the world is approved by those with whom they have social relations, and more especially by those with whom they live." [page 100] Fortunately the modern world gives us some choice about where we live and who our friends will be.
在“不幸福的根源”部分的最后一章是“对公众舆论的恐惧”(Fear of Public Opinion)。罗素说，我认为，一般来说，除了专家意见以外，人们太注重别人的意见了，无论是大事还是小事都是这样(I think that in general, apart from expert opinion, there is too much respect paid to the opinions of others, both in great matters and in small ones. ) 。要使生活幸福，应记住：我们的生活方式源于自己的深刻冲动，而不是来自于与我们邻居、甚至亲戚的趣味和愿望碰巧相同(……it is essential to happiness that our way of living should spring from our own deep impulses and not from the accidental tastes and desires of those who happen to be our neighbors, or even our relations.) 。由于世界观不同、信仰不同、信念不同、兴趣不同，一个群体与另一个群体会有很大的差异，一个人“会发现生活在一个群体中，自己实际上是个被遗弃的人，而在另一个群体中，他则作为一个完全正常的人而被接受。许多不幸，特别是年轻人中的不幸，就是这样产生的”(……may find himself practically an outcast while he lives in one set, although in another set he would be accepted as an entirely ordinary human being. A very great deal of unhappiness, especially among the young, arises in this way.)。英语引语中set一词的意思为“（职业、地位、年龄相仿的）一群人，伙伴等，又如：the smart set (一群自以为很时髦的人)、the best set（上流社会）。（注意：上流社会还可以说成：the elite, the upper class, polite society.）与之相反的词是vulgar society。
这一章里也有若干精妙的短语：the supreme virtue（最高美德）、sympathetic surroundings（意气相投的环境）、congenial souls（志趣相投者）、the rarest opportunity of congenial conversation（一次极其难得的志趣相投的谈话机会）、on the strength of this doctrine（根据这种理论）、triumph over
adverse circumstances（战胜逆境）。
最后，我想援引莎士比亚《亨利六世（第三部）》中的一段的话来结束我们关于罗素“不幸福的根源”的讨论: Therefore, that I may conquer Fortune’s spite / By living low, where Fortune cannot hurt me.（所以，我可以过着免受命运伤害的谦卑的生活，以此来战胜命运之神的恶意。）从莎翁的话中，再加上我们的经验，大概可以悟出这么一条真理：如果你不羡慕本来就不属于你的生活，不管它是怎样的美妙诱人，并且在灾难临头的时候，还准备愿意过着一种比先前卑微得多的生活，那么，你就不会感到太不幸，或者说，你感到不幸的强烈程度会大为减弱。
2007/11/13
优雅英语之罗素《征服幸福》（下）-- Part II The Causes of Happiness
Part II The Causes of Happiness
In general, the second half of Conquest is not as impressive as the first. Not only is this section shorter than the first, but Russell has more of a tendency to ramble. These rambles can be entertaining, but they are usually not very informative. I am left with the impression that the causes of happiness remain mysterious to Russell. Once the obstacles to happiness are removed, happiness just happens -- somehow.
罗素名篇《征服幸福》第二部分“幸福的根源”(Causes of Happiness)由第十章至十七章组成。虽然较之第一部分，第二部分的篇幅似乎短了一些，但是仍然不乏机智、隽永、洞察人生的思想火花，读后给我们许多有益的启迪。
10. Is Happiness Still Possible?
"Fundamental happiness depends more than anything else upon what may be called a friendly interest in persons and things. ... The kind [of interest in persons] that makes for happiness is the kind that likes to observe people and finds pleasure in their individual traits, that wishes to afford scope for the interests and pleasures of those with whom it is brought into contact without desiring to acquire power over them or to secure their enthusiastic admiration. The person whose attitude towards others is genuinely of this kind will be a source of happiness and a recipient of reciprocal kindness. ... To like many people spontaneously and without effort is perhaps the greatest of all sources of personal happiness." [pages 121-122]
从某种意义上讲，第十章“还有可能获得幸福吗？”(Is Happiness Still Possible？) 是关于幸福根源的简要综述，其中许多观点在后面的章节里又进一步得到论述。首先，罗素认为，在现代社会中，人们有可能获得幸福，幸福可以粗略分为两大类，即：也可以区分为朴实的和幻想的，或肉体的和精神的，或情感的和理智的。或许，描绘这两类幸福的区别最简单的方法是说，一类幸福是任何人都可以获得的，而另一类幸福则能读会写的人才能获得(The two sorts
...might be distinguished as plain and fancy, or animal and spiritual, or of the heart and of the head. ...Perhaps the simplest way to describe the difference between the sorts of happiness is to say that one sort is open to any human being, and the other only to those who can read and write.)。 根据罗素的说法，大概可以得出这样的结论 ：没有文化的人往往局限于享受第一类的幸福，而受过比较高教育的人不仅可以享受第一类幸福，还有能力享受第二类幸福。在这段英语引语中，有三对词语比较突出：plain and fancy, or animal and spiritual, or of the heart and of the head （朴实的和幻想的，或肉体的和精神的，或情感的和理智的），每对词语含有两个相对意义的词，根据上下文的语境，三对词语又对某一意义（即两大类的幸福）作不同的表述。
这种一句话中含有两个或两个以上意义相对的词语情况是常见的，再试举几例：
Keats, a famous English poet, expresses the notion of the permanence of art and transience of human life in his masterpiece “Ode on Grecian Urn”. (英国著名诗人济慈在他的代表作《希腊古瓮颂》表达了“艺术是永恒的，人生是短暂的”观点。)
As some critics put it, Hardy is intellectually advanced and emotionally traditional. （正如有些评论家所说，哈代在心智上是超前的，在情感上却是传统的。）
The modernist writers are concerned more about the private than about the public, more about the subjective than about the objective, more about the psychic time than the chronological one. （现代主义作家关心的是个人事物而不是公共事物，关心的是主观世界而不是客观世界，关心的是心理时间而不是钟表时间。）
Whitman believes in the singularity and equality of all human beings in value.（惠特曼相信所有人在价值上既独特又平等。）
说到第二类幸福时，罗素认为：在受过高等教育的人中间，现今最幸福的人是从事科学的人 (Of the more highly educated sections of the community, the happiest in the present day are the men of science.)。从事科学的人之所以可以获得最大的幸福，因为他们可以从工作中得到极大的满足感，甚至不需要复杂的情感世界。罗素进而把科学家与艺术家作了比较：在科学家的生活中，一切幸福的条件都具备了。他从事一项能充分展示其才能的活动，他取得的成就，不仅对自己，而且对大众，即便对那些对他的成就完全不理解的大众，看来都是重要的(All the conditions of happiness are realized in the life of the man of science. He has an activity which utilizes his abilities to the full, and he achieves results which appear important not only to himself but to the general public, even when it cannot in the smallest degree understand them.)。在
这一方面，他比艺术家要幸运。当大众不理解一幅画或一首诗时，他们就下结论说这幅画不行，那首诗糟糕。当大众不理解“相对论”时，他们的结论是(他们没错) ：他们尚未受到足够的教育（In this he is more fortunate than the artist. When the public cannot understand a picture or a poem, they conclude that it is a bad picture or a bad poem. When they cannot understand the theory of relativity they conclude (rightly) that their education has been insufficient.)。接着，罗素举了爱因斯坦受到仰慕，不少一流画家受到冷落的例子，进一步说明科学家的幸运。
罗素认为，对于大多数人来说，具有某种技能和广博的兴趣，容易获得快乐。但是，真正的幸福主要源于用一种友好的态度来对待一切。说到对人的友善态度时，罗素细述了种种现象，我特别欣赏他的两个观点 ：对人的友善兴趣是亲切挚爱的一种形式，而不是贪多务得的、占有欲强烈的、非得有明确回报的形式。后者往往是不幸福的根源 (A friendly interest in persons is a form of affectionateness, but not the form which is grasping and possessive and seeking always an emphatic response.)；那种自发的、毫不费力地喜欢很多人，或许是个人幸福的最重要源泉( To like many people spontaneously and without effort is perhaps the greatest of all sources of personal happiness.)。对于第一点，罗素解释说，应该从观察人们独特的个性中获取乐趣，而不要企图控制别人，或渴望得到别人的敬慕 ；对于第二点，罗素认为，在工作中，责任感是有效的，但在人际关系中，责任感太强则是有害的，人们希望相互欣赏、彼此喜欢，而不是让别人忍受或顺从自己。
罗素特别强调要打破自我封闭的束缚 ：世界是广阔的，而我们自身的力量却是有限的。如果我们所有的幸福完全集中于自身的情形，那么不向生活索取更多的东西就困难了。索要过多的结果必然是使你失去甚至原本可以得到的一份 (The world is vast and our own powers are limited. If all our happiness is bound up entirely in our personal circumstances it is difficult not to demand of life more than it has to give. And to demand too much is the surest way of getting even less than is possible.)。
在罗素看来，幸福的秘诀在于 ：让你的兴趣尽可能的广泛，让你对你所感兴趣的人和物尽可能的友善而不是敌意 (The secret of happiness is this: let your interest be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile.)。我从心里感到，这句话是对幸福源泉最为简洁、经典的总结。若我们在生活中多想想罗素的话，纠正一些错误的世界观和处世态度，不断地培养宽阔的胸襟、
广泛的兴趣、友善的生活态度，我们就能获得幸福。我注意到在这段英语引语中短语as...as possible出现过两次，而第二次出现时不是直接用as friendly as possible, 却用了as far as possible（尽可能的）短语, 随后紧跟friendly（友善的）一词。这样，后面再接 rather than hostile（而不是敌意） 就很自然了。我套用相似的句型，再试举一例 ：When it comes to our attitude towards life, I maintain that we should be as far as possible positive rather than negative.（说到对待生活的态度，我认为，我们应该尽可能地采取积极的态度而不是消极的态度。）
11. Zest
Zest is the x-factor that causes us to be interested in life. Russell has little to say about what zest is or how to obtain it. He does argue against those who would devalue zest by claiming that it is a mark of superior taste not to be interested in vulgar or lowbrow subjects. "All disenchantment is to me a malady which ... is to be cured as soon as possible, not to be regarded as a higher form of wisdom. Suppose one man likes strawberries and another does not; in what respect is the latter superior? There is no abstract and impersonal proof that strawberries are good or that they are not good. To the man who likes them they are good, to the man who dislikes them they are not. But the man who likes them has a pleasure which the other does not have; to that extent his life is more enjoyable and he is better adapted to the world in which both must live." [page 125]
12. Affection
"One of the chief causes of lack of zest is the feeling that one is unloved, whereas conversely the feeling of being loved promotes zest more than anything else does." [page 137] Unfortunately, considering the importance of affection to happiness, this chapter is almost completely descriptive rather than prescriptive. Russell describes the types of affection and evaluates their effects, but gives little advice about how to either give or get higher quality affection.
第十一章和第十二章分别是“热情”(Zest)和“情爱”(Affection)。罗素认为，热情是幸福的人最为普遍、最为显著的标记。在论述“热情”的开头部分，罗素用不同的人坐下来进餐时采取不同的态度为例，来说明“热情”的含义。有的人即便是面对再美的美味，也提不起兴味 ；病人是为了完成恢复体力的任务而进餐的；对于享用佳肴，美食家(epicures)往往怀着厚望而来，却以失望告终;贪食的人(gormandizers)迫不及待地扑向食品，狼吞虎咽，结果变得肥胖 ；最后一种人是这样的 ：进餐前，食欲很好，对眼前的食物十分满意，吃饱后就让嘴巴休息。他指出：幸福的人与我们最后一种进餐的人相对应。热情与生活的关系，就好比饥饿与食物的关系 (The happy corresponds to the last of our eaters. What hunger is in relation to food, zest is
in relation to life.)。有的人犹如美食家对于食物过于讲究，对于生活过于挑剔，将生活中一半的快乐视为庸俗，缺乏美感。他说：他们站在幻灭的高度，俯视那些他们鄙视为头脑简单的人 (From the height of their disillusionment they look down upon those whom they despise as simple souls.) 。在这句英语引语中，英语短语look down upon 本来就意为“瞧不起”，这里又与前面from the height...呼应，因此就有点双关的意味，可以解释为“俯视”。罗素进而明确地提出自己的观点：在我看来，所有对事物不再有盎然的兴趣是一种病态，没错，某些情形会使这种情况不可避免地发生，然而，一旦它发生了，就得尽快纠正，而不要把它视为更高形式的智慧。(All disenchantment is to me a malady, which, it is true, certain circumstances may render inevitable, but which none the less, when it occurs, is to be cured as soon as possible, not to be regarded as a higher form of wisdom.)。显然，罗素指出了在从事脑力劳动的人中间常见的情况：对所有世俗的快乐提不起精神。他认为这是一种病态，而不要误以为是一种高智慧的表现。
罗素指出染上内省弊病的人会对外面世界的精彩视而不见，而心灵的机器没有外界的材料，运作则是无力的，他会专注于内心的空虚，变得忧郁。这是一种不可取的生活态度。
罗素进而分析了各种形式的热情。他认为好奇的人更容易适应世界，更容易获得快乐。但是，我们要注意防止极端过度的问题，因为节制是一种美德，并明确指出有些嗜好与健康相冲突，应该放弃可能成为痛苦根源的强烈爱好，特别要反对从酗酒、赌博或别的兴奋的事情中寻求忘却。在这一章中，他最后说：对男人来说，对女人来说也一样，热情是幸福和健康的秘密所在 (For women as for men zest is the secret of happiness and well-being.)。
在“情爱”(Affection)一章中，罗素指出，一个人若缺乏热情，其主要原因是感觉自己被别人忽视了，没有热情，于是就陷入胆怯的失望，他们有时会羡慕别人、怨恨别人，在生活中会极端自私自利，还有，他们会缺乏安全感。他说：与带有不安全感的人相比较，带有安全感的人面对生活要快乐些，只要他们的安全感没有使他们走向灾难(Those who face life with a feeling of security are much happier than those who face it with a feeling of insecurity, at any rate so long as their sense of security does not lead them to disaster.)。虽然不是在所有的情况下，但在大部分情况下，安全感本身会帮助人逃脱另一个人或许会屈服的种种危险。如果你走在架在一个窟窿上面的狭窄木板上，你感到惧怕比你不惧怕倒可能使你失足。生活的行为也是如此（
And in a very great many cases, though not in all, a sense of security with itself will itself help a man to escape dangers to which another would succumb. If you are walking over a chasm on a narrow plank, you are much more likely to fall if you feel fear than if you do not. And the same thing applies to the conduct of life.）。无所畏惧的人当然也会遇上突如其来的灾难，但更有可能他经过重重困难而没有受伤，而胆怯的人则在困难中遭难悲伤（The fearless man may of course meet with sudden disaster, but it is likely that he will pass unscathed through many difficult situations in which a timid man would come to grief.）。
虽然情爱主要来自于给予和接受相互两个方面，但是接受情爱的一方更容易产生安全感。他说：那些努力获得大众对他们的钦佩的职业，比如演员、牧师、演说家和政治家，越来越依赖于别人的掌声(Persons whose trade is to secure public admiration, such as actors, preachers, speakers, and politicians, come to depend more and more upon applause.)。当他们在公众认可中得到应得的一份时，他们的生活充满了热情，反之，他们便会感到不满足，孤芳自赏起来。对于他们来说，弥漫在大众中的善意就犹如其他人得到少数人给予的浓厚的情爱（When they receive their due meed of public approbation their life is full of zest, when they do not, they become discontented and self-centered. The diffused good will of a multitude does for them what is done for others by the more concentrated affection of the few.)。
罗素认为，为完美的情爱下定义是件不容易的事，这里面必定伴有某种保护性的成分，但是对不幸的担忧在情爱中所占的比例越小越好。他指出：有时候，对别人的担忧稍稍胜过对自己的担忧，这经常是占有欲的一种伪装手段。人们希望，通过激起别人的担忧，获得对他们的更多的统治。当然，这就是男人一直喜欢胆小女人的原因之一，因为通过保护女人，他们渐渐地拥有了她们 (...it is very often a camouflage for possessiveness. It is hoped that by rousing their fears a more complete empire over them can be obtained. This, of course, is one of the reasons why men have liked timid women, since by protecting them they came to own them.)。
13. The Family
"Of all the institutions that have come down to us from the past none is in the present day so disorganized and derailed as the family. Affection of parents for children and of children for parents is capable of being one of the greatest sources of happiness, but in fact at the present day the relations of parents and children are, in nine cases out of ten, a source of unhappiness to both parties, and in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred a source of unhappiness to at least one of the two parties. This failure of the family to provide the fundamental satisfactions wh
ich in principle it is capable of yielding is one of the most deep-seated causes of the discontent which is prevalent in our age." [page 145]
14. Work
"Whether work should be placed among the causes of happiness or the causes of unhappiness may perhaps be regarded as a doubtful question." [page 162] Russell places it among the causes of happiness for a number of reasons:
1. It passes time.
2. It provides an opportunity for success.
3. The work itself may be interesting.
第十三章是“家庭”(The Family), 而第十四章是“工作”(Work)。“家庭”一章的很大篇幅用于讨论父母与孩子的关系。本来父母与孩子相互之间的爱是幸福巨大的源泉，但是由于种种原因，现今他们之间的关系却成了苦恼的根源。罗素首先谈到单身女子的问题，说以前单身女子呆在家里，在家里靠父亲，随后又靠不太愿意的兄弟，没有工作打发时间，又不能享受外面世界的自由。如今情况则不一样了，如果女子接受过良好的教育，过上比较舒适的生活不是一件难事。他说：所以，如今在职业阶层中的未婚年轻女子，只要她的智力和姿色不低于一般女子，只要她又不想要孩子，她能享受极其舒适的生活 (The unmarried young women of the professional classes in therefore able nowadays, provided she is not below the average in intelligence and attractiveness, to enjoy a thoroughly agreeable life so long as she can keep free from the desire for children.)。
罗素谈到父母与孩子的关系时，讨论种种变化及其原因。他认为：当一个人撇开如今的情形，只考虑人性时，那么我想，很明显，做父母在心理上能给予生命中最大、最持久的幸福 (When one considers human nature apart from the circumstances of the present day, it is clear, I think, that parenthood is psychologically capable of providing the greatest and most enduring happiness that life has to offer.)。他还认为，在中国和日本，这种精神在延续，一个伟人依赖于其非凡的成就来流芳百世，而一个普通人则以用孩子来延续自己的生命的形式来聊以自慰。
在这一章中，有一段话让我非常感动，罗素说:父母对孩子之爱的主要价值在于它比任何的爱更加可靠(The value of parental affection to children lies largely in the fact that it is more reliable than any other affection.)。一个人的朋友喜欢他是因为他的优点，情人喜欢他是因为他的魅力。假如他的价值或魅力减小了，朋友和情人或许会消失了。（One’s friends like one for one's merits, one’s lovers for one's charms; if the merits or the charms diminish, friends and lovers may vanish.）。但是在落难的时候，父母是最可依赖的；在病中，甚至在蒙受耻辱的时候，也是如此，如果父母是像父母的样的话（But it is in times of misfortune th
at parents are most to be relied upon, in illness, and even in disgrace if the parents are of the right sort.)。
罗素还指出，单方面的幸福容易得到，双方面的幸福难以得到。对一个做父母的是否幸福的衡量有一个标准：他尊重孩子个性，平等对待孩子之后，是否感到快乐。
说到工作，罗素认为，只要工作量不是过大，工作应该是幸福的源泉之一。首先，工作可以让一个人消磨时间，帮助摆脱一种无所事事的枯燥感。他说：能够明智地充实休闲时间是文明的最后产物，目前，很少有人达到这个水准 (To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present very few people have reached this level.)。 这是一句我非常喜欢援引的话，而且我还喜欢加上一个词说：能够明智地、并且艺术地（artistically）充实休闲时间是文明的最后产物。其含义是：人类文明达到很高的程度，我们一般人才能真正度好休闲时间，或者说，一个人达到高度文明程度时才知道怎样理智地、并且艺术地度好休闲时间。其次，工作提供成功的机会和实现抱负的可能。一份工作不管如何枯燥，只要它是建立名声的手段，人们就甘愿忍受寂寞和枯燥。他认为：从长远来看，目的的持久是幸福的最根本的要素之一，对大多数人来说，这主要通过工作得以实现(Continuity of purpose is one of the most essential ingredients of happiness in the long run, and for most men this comes chiefly through their work. )。这里的“目的的持久”(continuity of purpose)大概是指有一个比较远的目标，只有通过常年累月的孜孜不倦的努力，甚至一生的努力，你才有可能达到辉煌的高峰。
罗素认为，有两大因素使工作变得有趣味了。第一是技能的运用，第二是建设性。有着不同寻常技能的人总是喜欢运用这一技能，任何需要技能的工作总是令人感到愉快的，只要该技能要么有变化，要么可以不断改进。在有些需要技能的工作中，人到六十至七十岁才达到最佳时期。从事政治就是一个实例，因为政治家需要汲取别人成败的广泛经验和教训。最佳工作中包含着另一个更为重要的因素，那就是建设性成分。在一些工作中，工作完成之后，就留下了纪念碑似的东西。建设和破坏的区分是什么呢？罗素说 ：我们可以用下面的标准来区分建设和破坏。在建设中，事情的最初状态是比较杂乱无章的，而事情的最终状态则体现了一种目的。在破坏中，情形恰好相反。事情的最初体现了一种目的，而事情的最终状态则是杂乱无章……(We may distinguish construction from destruction by the following criterion. In construction the initial state of affairs is comparatively haphazard, while the f
接着告诉我们闲情逸致的种种好处。人们容易沉醉于自己的事业，忘记这只不过在全部人类活动占有极其小的一部分，世界上有许许多多的事不因为你的工作而受到任何改变。工作以外的兴趣可以帮助你保持均衡的意识，而均衡的意识能使我们心态比较安宁，避免视野狭隘、狂热和盲信。罗素指出：现代高等教育的缺陷之一，是太偏重于某些技能的训练，太不注重教人用一种摆脱偏见的眼光来看待世界，从而来扩展思想和胸怀(It is one of the defects of modern higher education that it has become too much a training in the acquisition of certain kinds of skill, and too little an enlargement of the mind and heart by an impartial survey of the world.)。这里，英语引语通过too much a training...（太注重训练）和too little an enlargement...（太不注重扩展）前后对照，说出了现代高等教育的一个缺陷。他认为，应该让青年清楚地认识过去，清楚地认识将来，认识到人类的未来很有可能是极为久远的，意识到我们所居住的地球是渺小的，我们生活在地球上是短暂的。同时，应该让青年从内心感到个人可以达到伟大的程度，感到在广阔的宇宙中尚未找到与我们同等价值的东西。换句话说，我们高等教育的目的是让青年人既不要狂妄，又不要自卑；让他们既要谦虚，又要自信。闲情逸致的一个最大好处是帮助一个人在经历打击之后，再度对他人和世界发生兴趣，而不是沉沦下去，感到世界如此狭小，生活如此灰暗。
讲到“努力和舍弃”时，罗素认为在一般情况下，努力是必要的，因为“除了特例以外，幸福不像一枚成熟的果子，仅仅靠着机遇便会掉进你的嘴里” (Happiness is not, except in very rare cases, something that drops into the mouth, like a ripe fruit, by the mere operation of fortunate circumstances.)。这句英语引语中，有两个短语值得我们注意：
except in very rare cases (除了特例以外）；
by the mere operation of fortunate circumstances（仅仅靠着机遇）。
对于大多数人来说，总缺少某一或某些幸福的要素，不是所有的人都健康，富裕的人占有人口的比例不大，很多人有着不安的情绪，不随和的生性，不能忍受宁静而又枯燥的生活。因此，对大部分人来说，幸福必然是一种追求，而不是一种天赐。在西方国家里，单单过着温饱的生活不能带来足够的幸福感，人们似乎还需要有某种成功的感觉。说到成功，在有些职业中，如科学研究，并不是丰厚的收入带来幸福感，但在大部分的职业中，收入成了衡量成功的标尺。
罗素告诫我们，我们要学会放弃，因为在这一竞争社会里，只有少数人会取得辉煌的成功。在追求幸
福过程中，舍弃的重要性不亚于奋斗。他说：虽然聪明的人不会在可以阻止的厄运之前静坐罢休，但是不会在不可避免的事情上浪费时间和情感，而且有些事情本身是可以避免的，但他要会耗去如此多的时间和精力，到了妨碍他追求更为重要目标的程度，那么他宁愿放弃(The wise man, though he will not sit down under preventable misfortunes, will not waste time and emotion upon such as are unavoidable, and even such as are in themselves avoidable he will submit to it the time and labor required to avoid them would interfere with the pursuit of some more important object.)。许多人为每一件出错的小事感到烦躁和发怒，这样便浪费了很多本来可以用于更有意义的事情上的精力（Many people get into a fret or a fury over every little thing that goes wrong, and in this way waste a great deal of energy that might be more usefully employed.）。
罗素说，我们要摆脱无数小烦恼，要摆脱没有实际意义的烦恼，要学会判断，在正确判断的基础上，尽量放弃许多与实际情况相悖的努力。学会了放弃，在某种意义上就学会了“退一步，海阔天空”技巧。
17. The Happy Man
In the final chapter Russell comes back to his main point: attention should be focused outward, not inward. "It is not the nature of most men to be happy in a prison, and the passions which shut us up in ourselves constitute one of the worst kinds of prisons. Among such passions some of the commonest are fear, envy, the sense of sin, self-pity and self-admiration. In all these our desires are centered upon ourselves: there is no genuine interest in the outer world, but only a concern lest it should in some way injure us or fail to feed our ego." [page 187]
最后一章是“幸福的人”(The Happy Man), 也可以视作为是本书的一个小结。罗素认为，对大多人来说，某些东西是不能缺少的，比如：衣食住行、健康、爱情、工作的成功和别人的尊敬。但他更强调快乐的信仰、向外的热情和兴趣、避免过分的私欲，告诫人们避免恐惧、嫉妒、犯罪感、自悯自怜和过分自我欣赏。罗素最后说：幸福的人是一个不与他人、不与社会分裂的人，他的人格既不分裂来与自己过不去，也不分裂与世界对立。他会觉得自己是一个世界公民，享受着世界给予的多彩快乐。
大约两个月前，上海外国语大学英语学院在上海松江大学城举行了二OO五届毕业生的毕业典礼，当时我赴美国、加拿大去招聘教师，未能出席典礼，为了郑重地向毕业生表达自己不能出席毕业典礼的遗憾之情，我特地写了一封贺信。我在信中送给毕业生两句话，是两句我在莎士比亚原话基础上略作调整的话，第一句话是：You may outstrip men, but you have no wings to fly from your own god.（你可
能瞒过世人，但你没有翅膀飞离你心中的神。）在生活中，你或许使用了伎俩，骗过了别人，但作为一个人，无论你多大的本事，有多高的地位，你也不可能生出翅膀来逃脱看守着你的神，这神就是你的良知，你若跌破了你的道德底线，你的意识就会折磨你。第二句话是：The success depends on wit, not witchcraft, and the former, in turn, largely depends on patience, with which you await a proper time for a proper action.（成功依赖于智慧，而不是妖术一般的诡计。智慧又在很大程度上依赖于耐心，因为有了耐心，你便能等待合适的时机做合适的事情。）最后我想对认为幸福完全在于成功，于是不择手段追求所谓的成功的人说一句话：Honesty is the best policy.（诚实为上策。）若不是用堂堂正正的手段获得了所想要的东西，若邪恶的手段使过头了，那么你不仅得不到幸福感，还会被一种摆脱不了不安意识所折磨，从而永远失去了幸福的源泉。