Is It Possible to Be Happy? By L. Ron Hubbard
"Is it possible to be happy?
"A great many people wonder whether or not happiness even exists
in this modern, rushing world. Very often an individual can have a million dollars,
he can have everything his heart apparently desires, and is still unhappy. We
take the case of somebody who has worked all his life; he has worked hard and
he has raised a big family. He has looked forward to that time in his life when
he, at last, can retire and be happy and be cheerful and have lots of time to
do all the things has wanted to do. And then we see him after he has retiredand
is he happy? No. He's sitting there thinking about the good old days when he was
working hard.
"Our main problem in life is happiness, but I'll tell you more in a moment.
The world may or may not be designed to be a happy one. It may or may not be possible
for you to be happy in this world, and yet nearly all of us have a goal to be
happy and cheerful about existence.
"You know, very often we look around at the world around us and say that
nobody could be happy in this place. We look at the dirty dishes in the sink and
the car needing a coat of paint and at the fact that we need a new gas heater,
we need a new coat, we need new shoes or we would just like to have better shoes;
and so, how could anyone possibly be happy when actually he can't have everything
he wants? He is unable to do all the things he'd like to do, and therefore, this
environment doesn't permit a person to be as happy as he could be. Well, I'll
tell you a funny thinga lot of philosophers have said this many, many timesbut
the truth of the matter is that all the happiness you ever find lies in
you.
"You remember when you were maybe five years old, and you went out in
the morning and you looked at the day, and it was a very, very beautiful day,
and you looked at the flowers and they were very beautiful flowers. Twenty-five
years later you get up in the morning, you take a look at the flowersthey
are wilted. The day isn't a happy day. Well, what has changed? You know they are
the same flowers, it's the same world, something must have changed. Probably it
was you."
L. Ron Hubbard.
This excerpt was taken from the book Scientology:
A New Slant on Life by L. Ron Hubbard.
Scientology: A New Slant on Life is a collection of thirty of L. Ron
Hubbard's best-loved articles and essays. Some originally appeared as magazine
articles, while others are from his lectures and early radio programs; every one
is a gem of wisdom and practical truth. Click
here to order your copy of Scientology: A New Slant on Life.
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