R. Duncan
Observe a child; any one will do. You will see that not a day passes in which he does not find something or other to make him happy, though he may be in tears the next moment. Then look at a man; any one of us will do. You will notice that weeks and months can pass in which day is greeted with nothing more than resignation1, and endure with every polite indifference. Indeed, most men are as miserable as sinners though they are too bored to sin-perhaps their sin is their indifference. But it is true that they so seldom smile that when they do we do not recognize their face, so distorted is it from the fixed mask we take for granted. And even then a man can not smile like a child, for a child smiles with his eyes, whereas a man smiles with his lips alone. It is not a smile; but a grin; something to do with humor, but little to do with happiness. And then, as anyone can see, there is a point when a man becomes an old man, and then he will smile again.
It would seem that happiness is something to do with simplicity, and that it is the ability to extract pleasure form the simplest things-such as a peach stone, for instance.
It is obvious that it is nothing to do with success. For Sir Henry Stewart was certainly successful. It is twenty years ago since he came down to our village from London, and bought a couple of old cottages, which he had knocked into one. He used his house as weekend refuge. He was a barrister. And the village followed his brilliant career with something almost amounting to paternal pride.
I remember some ten years ago when he was made a Kings Counsel, Amos and I, seeing him get off the London train, went to congratulate him. We grinned with pleasure; he merely looked as miserable as though hed received a penal sentence. It was the same when he was knighted; he never smiled a bit, he didnt even bother to celebrate with a round of drinks at the Blue Fox. He took his success as a child does his medicine. And not one of his achievements brought even a ghost of a smile to his tired eyes.
I asked him one day, soon after hed retired to potter about his garden, what it was like to achieve all ones ambitions. He looked down at his roses and went on watering them. Then he said, The only value in achieving ones ambition is that you then realize that they are not worth achieving. Quickly he moved the conversation on to a more practical level, and within a moment we were back to a safe discussion on the weather. That was two years ago.
I recall this incident, for yesterday, I was passing his house, and had drawn up my cart just outside his garden wall. I had pulled in from the road for no other reason than to let a bus pass me. As I set there filling my pipe, I suddenly heard a shout of sheer joy come from the other side of the wall.
I peered over. There stood Sir Henry doing nothing less than a tribal war dance of sheer unashamed ecstasy. Even when he observed my bewildered face staring over the wall he did not seem put out or embarrassed, but shouted for me to climb over.
Come and see, Jan. Look! I have done it at last! I have done it at last!
There he was, holding a small box of earth in his had. I observed three tiny shoots out of it.
And there were only three! he said, his eyes laughing to heaven.
Three what? I asked.
Peach stones, he replied. Ive always wanted to make peach stones grow, even since I was a child, when I used to take them home after a party, or as a man after a banquet. And I used to plant them, and then forgot where I planted them. But now at last I have done it, and, whats more, I had only three stones, and there you are, one, two, three shoots, he counted.
And Sir Henry ran off, calling for his wife to come and see his achievement-his achievement of simplicity.
注意观察一个孩子，随意什么孩子都行。你会发现，他天天都会发现一两件令他开心的事情，尽管过一会儿他或许会哭哭啼啼。再看看一个大人，大家中间其他人都行。你会发现，一周复一周，1月又1月，他一直以无可奈何的心情迎接新的一天的到来，以文质斌斌、满不在乎的心情忍受这一天的消逝。确实，大部分人都跟罪人一样烦恼难受，尽管他们太百无聊赖，连罪恶都不犯---或许他们的冷漠就是他们的罪孽。真的， 他们难得一笑。假如他们偶尔笑了，大家会认不出他们的相貌，他们的脸会扭曲走样，不再是大家屡见不鲜的固定不变的面具。即便在笑的时候，大人也不会像孩子儿那样，孩子儿用双眼表示笑意，大人只用嘴唇。这事实上不是笑，只不过咧咧嘴，表示一种心情，但跟快乐无关。然而，每人都能发现，人到了肯定地步，成了老人，他又会笑了。
看着，幸福同纯真的赤子之心有关系，幸福是一种能从最简单的事物里---譬如说，核桃---汲取开心的能力。
幸福显然同成功毫不相干。由于亨利・斯图亚特爵士当然是个十分成功的人。20年前，他从伦敦来到大家的村子，买了好几座旧房子，推倒后建了一所大房屋。他把这所房屋当作度周末的场合。他是位律师。大家村里的人携带一种几近父辈的骄傲心情追随他那辉煌的营业额。
我记得，大约十年前他被任命为王室法律顾问，阿莫斯和我看见他走下伦敦开来的火车便上前去表示祝贺。大家开心的笑着;而他的表情却跟接到判刑公告书一样悲惨。他受封当爵士时也是这样，他没一丝笑容，他甚至不屑于在蓝狐狸酒馆请大家大伙喝杯酒。他对待成功就像孩子吃药一样，任何一项收获都未能使他疲惫的双眼里露出一丝笑意。
他退休将来可以在花园里随意走走，干些轻松的闲活。有一天，我问他一个问题：一个人达成了所有雄心壮志是什么滋味?他低头看这玫瑰花，浇他的水。过了一会儿，他说：达成雄心壮志的唯一价值是你发现他们都不值得追求。他立刻改变话题讨论有实质意义的事情，大家非常快谈论起万无一失的天气问题。这是两年前的事。
我想起这件事情，由于昨天我经过他的家，把我的大车停在他花园的院墙外边。我从大路把车赶到他花园外边是为了给一辆公共汽车让路。我坐在车上装烟斗时突然听见院墙里面传来一声欣喜欲狂的欢呼。
我向墙内张望。里面是亨利爵士，他欢蹦乱跳像在跳部落出征的舞蹈，表现出毫无顾忌的真的的快乐。他发现了我在墙头张望的迷惑不解的面孔，他好像毫不生气，也不感到窘迫，而是大声呼喊叫我爬过墙去。
快来看，杰。看呀!我终于成功了!我终于成功了!
他站在那里，手里拿着一小盒土。我发现土里有三颗小芽。
就只有这三个!他眉开眼笑地说。
三个什么东西?我问。
核桃。他回答道，我一直想种核桃，从小就想，当时我参加晚会后总是把核桃带回家，后来长大成人参加宴会后也如此。我以前常常种核桃，可是过后就忘了我种在什么地方。目前，我总算成功了。还有，我只有三个核桃。你瞧，1、2、三棵芽。他数着说。
亨利爵士跑了起来，叫他的老婆来看他的成功之作--他的单纯纯朴的成功之作。
