Understand these new words before you read this article.
1. glamorous['gl?m?r?s] adj.富有魅力的;迷人的
2. cling [kl??]to 忠實於
3. endeavor[in'dev?] n. 努力,盡力
4. inevitably[in'evit?bli] adv. 不可避免地;必然地
5. charitable['t??rit?bl] adj. 慈善的;施舍慷慨的;寬容的
6. contribute[k?n'tribju:t] to 促成;有助於
7. permanent['p?:m?n?nt] adj. 永久的,永恒的;永遠的
I live in the land of Disney, Hollywood and year round sun. You may think people in such a glamorous fun filled place are happier than others. If so, you have some mistakes about the nature of happiness.
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun. The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common. Fun is what we experience during an act. Happiness is what we experience after an act. It is deeper, more abiding emotion.
The way people cling to the belief that a fun filled, pain free life equals happiness actually diminishestheir chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness, then pain must be equated with unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: More times than not, things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very endeavors that are the source of tree happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, civic or charitablework, and self-improvement.
Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he’s honest, he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such movement, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Similarly, couples who choose not to have children are deciding in favor of painless fun over painful happiness. They can dine out whenever they want, travel wherever they want and sleep as late as they want. Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don’t know any parents would choose the word fun to describe raising children.
But couples who decide not to have children never experience the pleasure of hugging them or tucking them into bed at night. They never know the joy of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
But these forms of fun do not contribute in any way to my happiness. More difficult endeavors—writing, raising children, creating deep relationship with my wife, trying to do good in the world—will bring me more happiness than can ever be found in fun, that least permanent things.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations we can ever come to. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those rich and glamorous people we were so sure are happy because they are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.
The moment we understand that fun does not bring happiness, we began to lead our lives differently. The effect can be, quite literally, life transforming.
我住在好萊塢迪斯尼樂園，那裏全年陽光普照。你可能認為生活在那麽富於魅力，充滿樂趣的地方，一定比其他地方的人更幸福。如果這麽想，你可能對幸福的真諦有些誤解。
很多聰明的人仍將幸福等同於樂趣。其實，樂趣和幸福的共同之處極少，或者說根本就沒有。樂趣是行為過程中的感受，而幸福是我們行為過後的感受，它是一種更為深刻、持久的感情。人們堅信充滿歡樂，遠離痛苦的生活方式就等於幸福。實際上，這樣反而減少了他們獲得真正幸福的機會。如果歡樂和愉快等同於幸福，那痛苦就等同於不幸。其實恰恰相反，多數情況下，能帶來幸福的事物往往包含諸多痛苦。
所以說，許多人所逃避的艱難困苦恰恰是真正幸福的源泉。這些人害怕那些必定會帶來痛苦的事情，如結婚、撫養子女、提高專業技能、承擔宗教義務、社會服務或慈善事業，提升自我等。
盡管一個單身者對約會越來越不感興趣，但當你問他為什麽還不想結婚時，如果他很誠實，就會告訴你，他怕承擔責任。因為承擔責任確實是一件痛苦的事情。獨身生活充滿著樂趣、冒險和**。婚姻雖然也有如此體驗，卻大為遜色。
同樣，選擇不要孩子的夫妻都有一種觀點，即寧可要不痛苦的歡樂，也不要痛苦的幸福。他們可以隨時出去吃飯，旅遊，想睡到多晚就睡多晚。而有孩子的夫妻，睡上一整晚，或有三
天假期，算是幸運的了。我想，任何夫婦都不會用“樂趣”這個詞來形容撫養孩子。
但是，不要孩子的夫婦永遠也體會不到，擁抱孩子或晚上給孩子掖好被子時的愉悅。他們永遠不知道，看著孩子長大或者逗弄兒孫的樂趣。
然而，這些形式的樂趣在任何意義上都稱不上是我所謂的幸福。寫作、撫養孩子、增進與妻子的感情、為社會做些善事——這些給我帶來的幸福遠比娛樂帶來的樂趣要多。要知道，娛樂是轉瞬即逝的。
了解並接受真正的幸福與娛樂毫不相幹，我們能獲得最大限度的解放。它解放了時間：現在我們能集中更多的時間去從事那些能帶給我們真正幸福的活動；它解放了金錢；買一輛新車或一些時尚的衣物並不能增加我們的幸福；它把我們從嫉妒中解放出來：我們懂得，那些曾被我們確信幸福的富豪權貴們，隻不過是享受了太多的娛樂，事實上或許毫無幸福可言。我們如果懂得娛樂並不帶來幸福，就會開始用不同的方式生活。其效果將是人生真正的轉折點。
幸福是什麽？幸福不是紙醉金迷、歌舞升平的浮華，幸福是“采菊東籬下，悠然見南山”的那種恬淡，幸福是一種心境，“心輕萬事如鴻毛”般的豁達。因此，幸福不論是源於簡單享受、自由享受，還是起因於被需要，歸根結底，還是一種內心的深切感觸。
Practicing for Better Learning
Read the passage, and answer the following questions.
1. How do you understand the happiness?
______________________________________________________________
2. Please list four aspects which many people avoid to make efforts.
______________________________________________________________
Seize your Time
Please fill in the blanks with the proper words according to the given sentences.
1. He gave up a ______ job in order to freelance.
他放棄固定工作隻為做一名自由作家。
2. He didn’t ______ one idea to the document.
他對這個文件沒有提供一個主意。
3. She was wet through and her clothes _____ to her body.
她濕透了,衣服粘在身上。
4.Amore ______ person would forgive the boy’s errors.
寬容點兒的人就會原諒那男孩的過錯。
5. In spite of our best ______, it has proven impossible to contact her.
盡管我們盡了最大的努力，但還是聯係不到她。
Now a Try
How do you understand the real happiness? Please share your happiness with your friends.