雙語(yǔ)短文 · 快樂(lè)之門

The Happy Door　快樂(lè)之門

◎ Mildred Cram


Happiness is like a pebble dropped into a pool to set in motion an ever-widening 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 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 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.



快樂(lè)就像一塊為了激起陣陣漣漪而扔進(jìn)池塘的鵝卵石。正如斯蒂文森所說(shuō)，快樂(lè)是一種責(zé)任。
快樂(lè)這個(gè)詞并沒(méi)有確切的定義?？鞓?lè)的人可以因種種理由而快樂(lè)?？鞓?lè)的關(guān)鍵并不是財(cái)富或健康，因?yàn)槲覀儼l(fā)現(xiàn)有些乞丐、殘疾人和所謂的失敗者，也都非常快樂(lè)。
快樂(lè)是一種意外的收獲。但保持快樂(lè)卻是一種修養(yǎng)，一種靈性的勝利。努力追尋快樂(lè)并不自私，實(shí)際上，這是我們對(duì)自己和他人應(yīng)盡的責(zé)任。
郁郁寡歡就像一種傳染病。它使人唯恐避之不及。不快樂(lè)的人很快就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)自己處于孤獨(dú)、悲慘和痛苦的境地。然而，有一種簡(jiǎn)單得看似荒謬的治病良方：如果你不快樂(lè)，就假裝快樂(lè)吧！
這很有效。不久你就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，別人不再躲著你了，相反，你開始吸引他們。你會(huì)發(fā)覺，做一塊能激起好意漣漪的小石頭是多么值得。
然后假裝就變成了現(xiàn)實(shí)。你擁有了使心靈平和的秘訣，會(huì)因幫助他人而忘我。
一旦你認(rèn)識(shí)到快樂(lè)是一種責(zé)任并使快樂(lè)成為習(xí)慣，通向不可思議的樂(lè)園的大門就會(huì)向你敞開，那里滿是感激你的朋友。