Happiness and elegance

Author: Jiang Chang, Zhou Hongyan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Humans are conscious, one of the key manifestations of which is the ability to think about why they live, thereby establishing ultimate life goals. However, what kind of ultimate life goals should one pursue? Different people have different views, and different societies make different choices. From both historical and contemporary perspectives, there are three types of ultimate life goals: those advocated by society, those proposed by thinkers, and those followed by the masses. These three categories of life goals may be fundamentally consistent, or they may be inconsistent or even in conflict with one another. So, is there any life goal that has gained more universal recognition throughout history? Yes! It is happiness! This book explores the meaning of happiness. It can be understood as pleasure, or it can be seen as virtue. If we move beyond purely personal sensations or purely societal needs for stability, and instead focus on human survival and development needs, happiness is the state of overall life satisfaction that arises when survival needs are moderately met, development needs are to some extent fulfilled, and the continuous pursuit of further fulfillment leads to a joyful experience. Both aspects play a significant role in providing a foundation and guarantee for happiness, making it possible for people to achieve happiness. Career and family are the two pillars of life. If a person excels in these two areas, their entire life gains support, and they may approach life with ease. Conversely, if a person fails to make progress in these areas or even creates chaos, they cannot achieve happiness and may often be plagued by suffering. At the same time, success in these two areas is itself a part of happiness. The sense of achievement brought about by career success can be considered the highest level of happiness; the sweetness derived from family harmony is also a crucial form of happiness. These two types of happiness are irreplaceable. That is to say, no matter how happy a person feels in all other aspects, it cannot replace the happiness derived from these two areas. It cannot even compensate for or alleviate the misfortune or pain in these areas. However, these two forms of happiness can replace happiness in other areas, and they can alleviate or even compensate for misfortune or pain in those areas. There are countless professions in the world, and people engage in different careers, and a person may hold multiple careers throughout their life. So, what does it mean to make an achievement or a significant achievement in professional activities? The achievement in professional activities lies in professional success, and achieving significant success in professional activities means making a significant achievement in professional activities. The standard of success is achievement, so whether one achieves success and the size of the achievement are the criteria for whether professional activities are meaningful and the extent of their significance. Whether professional activities are successful or whether one achieves success can be examined from two dimensions: between professions and within a profession. From the perspective of between professions, the careers people engage in are not on the same level but have different tiers. Although it is difficult to accurately say which professions are higher or lower in status, the existence of hierarchical differences between professions is a fact and is both unavoidable and necessary. If there were no hierarchy or distinction of superiority and inferiority in professions, why would people spend vast amounts of wealth and tremendous effort to run for president rather than take up jobs like cleaning, which require little effort? Due to the significant hierarchical differences in professions, and because higher-level professions often require achievement or effort to attain, the level of the profession one engages in is the primary indicator of achievement, and engaging in a higher-level profession is the primary indicator of professional success and achievement. Americans admire "self-made heroes." In their context, a hero is someone who has achieved success in their career. This success includes not only presidents like Lincoln or entrepreneurs like Rockefeller and Ford but also those who rise from humble beginnings, such as a newsboy or a child selling scrap metal, to become high-level professionals like professors, doctors, or lawyers. Clearly, in this context, the profession one engages in is seen as a marker of achievement, and engaging in a higher-level profession is seen as a marker of professional success. However, not everyone in a society can or should engage in higher-level professions. From the perspective of social life needs, all professions are necessary, and there is a need for people to perform them, and there is a question of whether they are performed well or poorly. A society cannot have everyone engaging in higher-level professions and achieving success in those areas, but everyone in a society can perform well in the profession they choose, regardless of its level. This is the second dimension for examining professional success and achievement: within each profession, there are questions of achievement size, success, and whether one achieves success. A president can be a poor president, and a cleaner can be an excellent cleaner. The saying "Every profession has its experts" illustrates this principle. If what profession one engages in depends more on external factors, then whether one performs well in their profession depends more on the individual themselves. Therefore, every person in society who has the potential to engage in a profession can succeed and achieve professional success. Professional success and achievement are not exclusive to certain individuals but should be pursued by everyone. Everyone can and should strive for significant achievement in professional activities, and everyone can and should pursue professional success and achievement. So, how should one pursue professional success and achievement? Generally speaking, one should work to enhance professionalism and a sense of responsibility, strive to improve comprehensive qualities and professional skills, and work hard, be proactive, and be bold in innovation. Most importantly, one should regard the pursuit of professional success and achievement as a mission, view achieving professional success and achievement as an important part of self-actualization, and see engaging in a profession (regardless of what it is) as building a career—doing one thing, loving it, mastering it, and excelling at it.