心灵的阳光（节选）

Orison+Marden+奥里森·马登

“He is stiff as a poker，” said a friend of a man who could never be coaxed or tempted to smile. “Stiff as a poker，” exclaimed another， “why he would set an example to a poker.”

“Mirth is Gods medicine，” says a wise writer. “Everybody ought to bathe in it. Grim care， moroseness， anxiety — all the rust of life， ought to be scoured off by the oil of mirth.” Every man ought to rub himself with it. A man without mirth is like a wagon without springs， in which one is caused disagreeably to jolt by every pebble over which it runs. A man with mirth is like a chariot with springs， in which one can ride over the roughest roads and scarcely feel anything but a pleasant rocking motion.

“I have told you，” said Soothe， “of the Spaniard who always put on spectacles when about to eat cherries， in order that the fruit might look larger and more tempting. In like manner I make the most of my enjoyments； and though I do not cast my eyes away from my troubles， I pack them in as small a compass as I can for myself， and never let them annoy others.” We all know the power of good cheer to magnify everything.

A cheerful man is pre-eminently a useful man. He does not cramp his mind， nor take half-views of men and things. He knows that there is much misery， but that misery need not be the rule of life. He sees that in every state people may be cheerful； the lambs skip， birds sing and fly joyously， puppies play， the whole air full of careering and rejoicing insects.

Hume， the historian， never said anything truer than — “To be happy， the person must be cheerful and gay， not gloomy and melancholy. A propensity to hope and joy is real riches； one to fear and sorrow， real poverty.”

“他真是个呆板的人，”一个人的朋友这样评价他，因为从未有人能把他逗乐或者让他露出笑容。而另一个人则大声说：“他就像扑克牌那样呆板，简直可以给扑克牌做样板了。”

“欢乐是上帝所赐的良药，”一位博学的作家说，“每个人都应满怀喜悦，用欢乐将斤斤计较、郁闷、焦虑——这些生活的锈迹清洗干净。”人人都应用欢乐来洗涤自己的心灵。没有欢乐的人就像一辆失去弹簧的马车，每压过一块小石头都会剧烈颠簸，给车内的人带来不悦。而欢乐的人就像一辆装有弹簧的战车，无论行驶在多么崎岖的路上，也只有轻微舒适的摇摆，而无任何不适。

诗人骚塞说：“我曾说过，西班牙人吃樱桃时，总会戴上眼镜，这是为了使樱桃看起来更大、更诱人。同样，我也在尽力让自己更快乐，虽然对于烦恼我无法视而不见，但我会尽可能将它们压缩到最小，绝不会让它们妨碍到别人。”我们都知道，欢乐的力量可以让事物变得更加美好。

一个快乐的人也会成为一位杰出有用的人。他不会束缚自己的思想，也不会片面地看待人和事。他明白这世上有太多痛苦，但生活不能被这些痛苦所掌控。他看到每个地方的人们都满怀喜悦，羊儿撒欢，鸟儿欢乐地歌唱、飞翔，孩子们玩耍，空中飞舞着忙碌而快乐的昆虫。

歷史学家休姆曾说过一句至理名言：“要想拥有幸福，必须乐观、快乐，而不是悲观、忧郁。心中满怀希望和快乐，便是真正的富有；而心中充满恐惧和悲哀，则是真正的贫穷。”