王强英语美文 22-The Happy Door

（单词翻译）

The Happy door

Happiness is like a pebble¹ dropped into a pool to set in motion an ever-widening circle of ripples². 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-being³, since we find beggars, invalids⁴ and so-called failures, who are extremely happy.

Being happy is a sort of unexpected dividend⁵. But staying happy is an accomplishment⁶, 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, miserable⁷ and embittered⁸. 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 repelling⁹ 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 thronged¹⁰ with grateful friends.