Quest for Happiness

No Easy Recipes

Happiness is the most elusive aspect of human life. More elusive than wealth and social status. More elusive than corporal beauty and certificates of qualification. More elusive than physical health and education. Happiness is what everybody strives for, but nobody can achieve upon command. The quest for happiness is typically human, as it is not known to exist among animals. Some people contend that animals do know happiness, but that we are unable to prove it. If that were true, one could just as well contend that stones can be happy or sad: as a matter of fact it is impossible to prove that stones do not know happiness. In this book, Schins studies the essence of happiness, and proposes some classical ways to achieve happiness indirectly, even in adverse circumstances.