Matthieu Ricard
“세상에서 가장 행복한 사람”?
‘행복’에 관해 논하다 보면 빠트릴 수 없는 인물이 있어 여기에 짧게나마 언급해 두려 합니다. 이른바 “세상에서 가장 행복한 사람”으로 찾아보면 나오는 데 과학자(분자 유전학 박사)의 이력을 가진 프랑스인으로 지금은 승려로 살아가는 마티외 리카르(Matthieu Ricard, 1946~)입니다.
그가 쓴 책들 중 크게 주목받는 책으로는 [The Monk and the Philosopher], [Altruism] 등 많지만 오늘은 [Happiness : A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill](Atlantic Books. UK 2015)이라는 책을 이 매거진에 기록해 둡니다. 2003년 프랑스에서 [Plaidoyer pour le bonheur]로 출간되었으며 한글 번역본은 『행복, 하다』(현대문학 2012)라는 제목으로 나와 있습니다. 평소 ‘행복’ 그리고 ‘행복한 삶’에 관심 있는 분들에게 흥미로운 행복론이라고 생각되어 인상 깊은 몇 대목도 인용해 아래에 덧붙입니다.(광고 아님)
DOES OUR HAPPINESS DEPEND ON THAT OF OTHERS?
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Even if we display every outward sign of happiness, we can never be truly happy if we dissociate ourselves from the happiness of others. This in no way requires us to neglect our own happiness. Our own desire for happiness is as legitimate as anyone else's. And in order to love others, we must learn to love ourselves. It's not about swooning over the color of our own eyes, our figure, or some personality trait, but about giving due recognition to the desire to live each moment of existence as a moment of meaning and fulfillment. To love oneself is to love life. It is essential to understand that we make ourselves happy in making others happy.(p. 31)
THE JOYS OF ALTRUISM
What does altruism have to do with happiness? A series of studies conducted on hundreds of students found an undeniable correlation between altruism and happiness, determining that those who believe themselves to be happiest are also the most altruistic. When we are happy, the feeling of self-importance is diminished and we are more open to others. It has been shown, for instance, that people who have experienced a happy event in the past hour are more inclined than others to come to the assistance of strangers.(p. 203)
