Contentment is free and easy when facing the trough. Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, lived in a house of only seven or eight square meters with a few friends when he was single, but he was always cheerful. Someone asked him why, and he said it was hard to be happy because he could exchange ideas and feelings with friends. After a while, all his friends got married and moved out one after another, but he was still very happy. He was asked the same question. He said that I still have many books, one of which is a teacher. There are so many books and so many teachers here. How can I be unhappy? A few years later, he became a family and moved into a seven-story building. He lives on the ground floor, which is the most restless, unsafe and unsanitary place. He is still very happy because of convenience. After another year, he gave the house to a friend and lived on the top floor. Because of the large amount of exercise, good light and quiet, he is still very happy. It can be seen that a contented person is the messenger of happiness, just like Socrates, he can find his own happiness in any realm.
Contentment is indifferent to fame and fortune. The Curies are world-famous scientists, but they live a simple life and do not seek fame and fortune. 1902, Mr. Curie received a notice from the Faculty of Science of the French University, saying that he would apply to the Ministry for an honor in recognition of his contribution to science, and asked him not to refuse; After consulting with his wife, he wrote a letter saying that he was not interested in badges and just needed to give him a laboratory. Once, Madame Curie's friend was invited to visit her home and saw Madame Curie's daughter playing with the medal just awarded to Madame Curie by the Royal Society. My friend was surprised to ask why, but Madame Curie said, "Let the children know that honor is just a toy, just for fun. Don't take it too seriously. If you keep it forever, you will have no future. " It can be seen that the value of honor lies in its own measurement. If you stop because of a temporary success, you will never achieve real success. It is precisely because the Curies paid attention to their own careers and ignored fame and fortune that they achieved their later achievements.
Contentment is the wisdom to face comparison. It is said that Confucius has 3,000 students, of which 72 are the most famous. Yan Hui is the most proud student of Confucius. Yan Hui's every move was to his liking in Confucius' view, so Confucius often used Yan Hui's example to educate other students. Once, Confucius said to his students, "OK, come back!"! A spoonful of food and a spoonful of wine, in the mean lane, people can't bear their worries, and they won't change their fun when they go back. It's good to go back! " Meaning: Yan Hui, a true saint! He lives in a remote alley and leads an extremely hard life. The utensils he uses for eating are made of bamboo, and the utensils he uses for scooping water are made of wood. If this kind of thing falls on others, it is unbearable, but Yan Hui always feels very satisfied and happy. Confucius also appreciated Yan Hui's moral character very much, and Kong Anguo said that he was "content with poverty and happy with Tao". It can be seen that being content with the status quo, not blindly comparing, and learning to be content are the major events in life.
All of the above shows that happiness is not determined by wealth, fame and status, but depends on one's own cognition of contentment. People will be happy only if they are satisfied, and there must be satisfaction in happiness!