Belonging to a tradition reinforces and nourishes our sense of belonging to nature, to life, and to humanity. We know this or, rather, we believe we know this, and then we meet someone who really does know it, and who speaks about it candidly, concretely. And we are amazed; we marvel at meeting a contemporary, who talks with Marcus Aurelius as naturally as Marcus Aurelius talked with his master, Fronton.
«Happiness is undoubtedly the one subject which, since the very beginning of time, has captivated the interest of people from all cultures and origins. This fascination with happiness mainly resides in finding how an individual can attain this desired state of mind, a state often buried within our very soul and, when tapped into, gives a person a highly coveted, serene outlook on life. Happiness is, in fact, often only steps away, to be found in the events and quirks of daily life. However, prior to attaining this state, a person must know how to harvest it. It is often said that some people, as opposed to others, are naturally inclined to be happy, but happiness is an attitude and is, therefore, easily recognized and attainable by all.
The author of Happiness… Only Steps Away, launched in the fall of 2009, invites us to find that desirable place. She does so as she did in her previous book, Letters to Jean-Élie, establishing contact between the reader and ‘Masters of Wisdom’ such as Sénèque, Épictète, Montaigne, Alain, and Balzac, allowing us to benefit from her own years of experience with the literary works of these great teachers of life. This book, infused with experience and wisdom, addresses our very core, generating gentle and salutary contemplation from the heart. Every word in this book is a pleasure to read.
Happiness… Only Steps Away is a contemplative book whose reflections by the author and fellow philosophers are to be savoured slowly and comfortably, setting the stage to developing an attitude conducive to happiness and making an ally of that state. Happy people are more creative and productive; they embrace life with heightened enthusiasm and energy.
And what if happiness was to be found in the small things in life, in the moments we forget to reflect upon? As the renowned Chinese philosopher Lao Tseu once stated, ‘there is no road to happiness; happiness is the road.»
The editor of L'Encyclopédie de L'Agora and well known newspaper chronicler and philosopher, analyses actuality through the looking glass of Belonging.