The Secrets of Happiness
Three Thousand Years of Searching for the Good Life
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
Unhappy is the story of happiness. More than two thousand years ago, when the ancient Greeks first pondered what constitutes "the good life," happiness was considered a civic virtue that demanded a lifetime's cultivation. Not just mere enjoyment of pleasure and mere avoidance of suffering, true happiness was an achievement, not a birthright. Now, in an age of instant gratification and infinite distraction, history professor Richard Schoch takes a refreshingly contemplative look at a question that's as vital today as ever: What does it mean to be happy? Schoch consults some of history's greatest thinkers -- from Aristotle to Thomas Aquinas to Buddha -- in his quest to understand happiness in all its hard-won forms. Packed with three thousand years' worth of insights, many long forgotten, The Secrets of Happiness is a breath of ancient wisdom for anyone who yearns for the good life.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Adding to the burgeoning number of books about defining and seeking happiness, cultural historian Schoch looks to the work of philosophers and religious seekers of the past. The essence of happiness, Schoch believes, is not simply feeling good a state some today consider an entitlement. Rather, it lies in one's quest to create a better world. First highlighting the Greek philosopher Epicurus, the Roman Stoic Seneca and medieval Islamic scholar Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Schoch explains that although these three thinkers had very different experiences, they were united in their search for a more fulfilling life under sometimes adverse conditions. Schoch then explores the ideas found in eight sacred and secular traditions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Epicureanism. Epicureans, for example, sought pleasure, but only after conquering their fear of death. Judaism, the author says, wrestles with the question of human suffering by emphasizing the importance of enduring it honorably. Buddhists struggle to free themselves from the ego to attain detachment, right actions and enlightenment. Schoch writes in an informed, lively style and his nonjudgmental stance will appeal to many who seek not easy self-help but to wrestle with issues of meaning and values.
