极致幸福的圣杯，真的存在吗？
佛教徒de生活模式
A BUDDHIST'S
MODE OF LIFE
Richard Layard, British economist of the London School of Economics, wrote in his landmark book Happiness: Lessons from a New Science that since the 1950s, the average per capita income of developed countries has tripled. People in those richer societies have more to eat and to wear, bigger cars and houses, more time and ability to travel abroad, shorter workweek, higher pay and, most importantly, better health, but they are no happier.
英国伦敦经济学院的经济学家理查德·莱亚德（Richard Layard）在《幸福》（Happiness）一书中指出：“自 20世纪 50年代以来，发达国家的人均收入已经翻了两番，我们拥有更多的食物、衣服和汽车，房子更大，中央空调更普及，有更多的时间和机会去海外度假，一周的工作时间更短、工作待遇更好，最重要的是，我们的身体更健康了，但人们没有因此而感到幸福。”
Dr. Darrin M. McMahon, American historian, took six years to study happiness and wrote the acclaimed book Happiness: A History using massive amount of historical data and human experiences in real life as reference. The book pointed out that the average life for American males and females of 46.3 and 48.3 years old respectively in 1900 has increased to 74.1 and 79.5 years old respectively in 2000. But it would be wrong to infer from this information that people in the West have become happier due to improvement in material living conditions and scientific development. Comprehensive surveys conducted in the U.S. since 1950s show that the proportion of people who consider themselves happy has remained stable at about one third, whereas of those who feel “very happy” has decreased from 7.5% to less than 6%. At the same time, the proportion of people being diagnosed with unipolar depression seems to have increased by a wide margin instead. The author noted in conclusion:
美国博士达林·麦克马洪（Darrin M.McMahon）花了六年的时间来研究幸福，他应用了大量的历史资料，以及人类现实生活中的经验作为参考，写了一本书，叫做《幸福的历史》，其中指出:美国男性和女性的平均寿命在1900年为46.3岁与48.3岁，到了2000年已升至74.1岁与79.5岁……然而，如果从这样的资料就推论西方人因为物质与科学进展而愈来愈幸福，却是错误的想法。自1950年以来在美国进行的详细调查显示，美国人认为自己“幸福”的人数比例一直维持在60％上下，认为自己“非常幸福”的比例却从7.5％下降到6%。此外，单极型忧郁症比例也似乎大幅升高。书的结论中写到：
But when, and if, human beings decide to take this fateful step in the quest to live as gods, they should know that in doing so, they will be leaving a piece of their humanity behind. For to judge by the yearning and pursuit—the noble restlessness—has driven Western culture for the past several thousand years, there are certain things that human beings will never know—certain riddles they will never answer—if they are to remain mere mortals. The holy grail of perfect happiness is one of those things, and like that precious mythic relic, said to have gathered blood from the side of the son of man, it, too, may exist only in our minds, a deliverance cup and a chalice to hold our pain.
“过去数千年来驱策着西方文化的那种渴望与追寻，那种崇高的不安，显示了人类只要维持着凡俗的身份，就永远无法知道某些事情，永远无法回答某些谜题。极致幸福的圣杯就是其中之一。如同神话里盛过基督宝血的圣杯一样，极致幸福也可能只存在于我们的想象当中，一个救赎的圣物，一只装盛我们痛苦的容器。”
This conclusion and others of the kind are drawn from actual data and real-life experience in the human history.
所有这些结论，都是人类历史活生生的数据和经验告诉我们的。
未完待续
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