喜樂與快樂
Joy versus
Happiness
希臘的哲學家說：「人是追求快樂的動物。」人在七情的人生──喜、怒、哀、懼、愛、惡、慾──賣力演出，有時喜怒哀樂、有時酸甜苦辣。
A
Greek philosopher said: man is an animal that
seeks after happiness. In a life with seven
different emotions happiness, anger, sadness,
fear, love, hate, lust man does his best in
acting, sometimes it is at once joyful and sad, but other times it is sweet,
sour, bitter and spicy altogether.
喜，意即歡喜、快樂的情感；樂有許多種，其中快樂與喜樂，兩者截然不同。
Being happy and being joyful are two completely different sentiments.
快樂是外來的接觸，眼鼻耳口受到刺激就產生快樂。快樂的指標就是微笑；快樂只有在與人分享的時候，才顯出它的真正本質。
Happiness
comes from an external stimulation. When a persons
eyes, nose, ears or mouth get certain type of stimulation, happiness can
derive. An indicator of happiness is smile. Happiness can reveal its true
substance only when it is shared with others.
快樂有別於喜樂，「喜從天降」、「喜笑眉開」、「喜氣洋洋」是從內裡散發出來的；是奪也奪不去、偷也偷不走的。喜樂取決於人心而非環境。聖經說，心中的喜樂是沒有人能奪去。(約16:22)
Happiness is different from joy. Joy
from above Be all smiles Full
of Joy are all true joy from within. It cannot be
stolen or deprived. Joyfulness is not dependent on the environment. In John
16:22, the Bible says; and your heart will
rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.
喜樂是聖靈的果子，不受任何發生的好事或歹事影響；喜樂也絕不因環境的改變而消散殆滯。
Joy
is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. No matter what happens, good things or bad,
joy could not be disturbed by the change of the environment around a person.
快樂公式
Formula of Happiness
近年心理學家們致力於發掘快樂，研究結果發現：快樂與兩性、地域和文化差異等因素息息相關。 In recent years, some
psychologists have spent great effort in identifying the source of
happiness. The research uncovered regional, gender and cultural differences
in finding happiness.
英國職業心理學家卡樂‧羅薇（Carol
Rothwell）聲稱她已鎖定了一個簡單的「快樂公式」：Carol
Rothwell, a British psychologist claimed that
she had come up with a formula for happiness:
Ｐ ＋（5WＥ）＋（3WＨ）
Ｐ代表「個人特質」(Personal
characteristics)：包括外表長像、價值觀、世界觀，適應能力和應變能力等。P
equals Personal characteristics such as outlook on life, resilience and
adaptability.
Ｅ代表「存在需求」（Existence
needs）：人際的關係、健康的狀況、財務的穩定度都分列於此一項目。E
stands for Existence needs such as health, money and
friends.
Ｈ代表「幽默感」（sense
of Humor）；雄心、自尊心、期望值、幽默感都可涵蓋其中。H
is for Higher order needs like a sense of humor, ambitions and self esteem.
這簡單的公式幾乎把影響快樂最重要的生命元素都含括在內。然而，快樂還並不是這麼簡單的東西；此一研究發現，男性的優先順序表中，認為「談戀愛」是很重要的，竟然比女性高出許多，男女重視比例分別為20%和14%。This
simple formula has almost encompassed all the most essential ingredients in
life. But happiness is much more complicated than that. In her research,
men's priorities for achieving happiness include the importance of
courtship. For men, it is 20% but for women it is only 14% as their
priorities.
對男性來說，最快樂的事除了談戀愛外，還有歡渡假期、擁有優質性生活和傑出的運動表現。
Besides
courtship, men included vacations, quality sex life and outstanding athletic
performances as things that would make them happy.
讓女性快樂的兩件事分別是，與家人共渡時光、享受豔陽下美味餐點；明顯高於談戀愛。
The two things that make women happy are: spending time with family, and
enjoying a gourmet meal. Courtship is comparatively less essential for
happiness.
這項在英國的研究發現，金錢非快樂之源；反而認為談戀愛比贏錢或繼承財富更令人快樂。倫敦市民對愛情的評估比全英國的平均數高出兩倍。
These researches found that money is not the source of happiness. Being in
love makes one happier than inheriting great fortunes. The Londoners seem to
rank romance twice more important than the average Britons.
事實上，無論是幸福、是快樂都只是行動過程中的附帶產物而已，其本身並無價值；在歷鍊過程中所增進的德性與德行，才能夠真正教人幸福。
As a matter of fact, happiness or feeling of blessedness are all the by
products of certain actions. They are of not much value in themselves. It is
the virtues and characters that result from the process that can teach men
to be truly blessed.
心理學家指出：一個被愛與懂得愛人的人是幸福快樂的。愛成了快樂的泉源，愛之所在即是樂園，愛人和被愛，都能使人充滿快樂愉悅之感。Psychologists
tell us that only those that know how to love and are loved by others are
the truly happy people. Love is the source of happiness. Wherever love is,
there is the paradise. To love others or to be loved by others can all give
people a sense of happiness.
知足常樂
A
contented heart can be in constant joy
「聖誕快樂」、「新年快樂」、「生日快樂」等賀詞，在在顯示快樂是人人喜愛，並且希望得到的福份。然而，哪些快樂是正當的快樂呢？Merry
Christmas
Happy New Year Happy Birthday. All these
greetings show that people like and hope to gain happiness. But, where can
true happiness be found?
《聖經》中提到榮耀上帝的快樂，就是正當的快樂。「人若因我辱罵你們，逼迫你們，捏造各樣壞化毀謗你們，你們就有福了！應當歡喜快樂，因為你們在天上的賞賜是大的。在你們以前的先知，人也是這樣逼迫他們。」(太5:11~12)
The Bible says the joy of
glorifying God is the true joy. Blessed are you when people insult you and
persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way
they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)
「你們要靠主常常喜樂，我再說你們要喜樂。」(腓4:4)要學習放手，謙卑的承認許多事物不在我們的掌控下；盡力而為，相信上帝必然按祂崇高的旨意成就。Rejoice
in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) Learn to
let go and humbly admit that there are many things beyond our control. Do
your best and trust that God will accomplish things according to His own
Will.
蘇格拉底
(Socrates, 469~399 BC)認為智慧即美德，美德的總歸就是節制。在謀求快樂的方案中，首要之務是要停止憑直覺行事，要用理性審視慾望的來源。他說：「我在最簡單的慾望中，感到最接近上帝，也最容易快樂。」Socrates(460-399
BC) regards wisdom as virtue. The essence of virtue is self control. The
measure of seeking happiness is to avoid trusting your intuition, but
allowing your reason to examine the source of your desires. He said:
I found myself the closest to God and the
happiest when I have the simplest desire.
知足就會常樂；「只要有衣有食，就當知足。」(提前6:8)知足，就是將上帝賞賜的一切，看為足夠，並且以感恩的心歡喜領受。智慧哲人點出得著快樂的秘訣，就是節制欲望；節制的歸結為獲取最大快樂的手段。蘇格拉底又說：「我現在才發現，原來我不需要的東西這麼多！」他寧可受道德的約束，但絕不受慾望的擺佈。True
contentment would bring one happiness. If we
have food and covering, with these we shall be content. (I Timothy 6:8) To
be content is to regard the things that are already given by God as
plentiful. Therefore accept what is given to you with a thankful and joyful
heart. Men of wisdom pointed out the secret formula for happiness is to have
self control. The means to reach the greatest joy is to
have self-control. Socrates also said, I now discovered that I do
not need so many things! He would rather be controlled by morality than to
be controlled by desires.
追尋快樂
The Pursuit of Happiness
美國歷史學家兼散文家威爾‧杜蘭特(Will
Durant)曾寫下尋找快樂後的心得感想：
Will
Durant, an American historian and prose writer, wrote down his reflections
after attempting to pursue for happiness:
我在知識中尋找快樂，卻只找到幻滅；
I sought to
find happiness in knowledge, I only found disillusion;
我在旅行中尋找快樂，卻只找到疲倦；
I sought to
find happiness in travel, I only found fatigue;
我在財富中尋找快樂，卻只找到紛亂憂慮；
I sought to
find happiness in fortune, I only found chaos and worry;
我在寫作中尋找快樂，卻只是找到身心疲憊。
I sought to
find happiness in writings, I only found an
exhausted body and mind.
這份尋找快樂後的結論是──愚人向遠方尋找快樂，智者從自己身旁培養快樂。
The conclusion of his pursuit for happiness is --- Fools would seek
happiness from afar,
But a wise man would seek
happiness from the world around him.
鄺炳釗博士在《從聖經看如何活得更快樂》一書中說：「活著就是一種恩賜，上帝本來是要人快樂的活著。」他提出，人應當認識到上帝對人無盡的恩情，明白自己在上帝眼中是何等的貴重，因被上帝所愛而歡欣快樂。
Dr.
Bing Zhou Kwang mentioned in his book How to
live a Happier Life according to the
Bible
:
To be alive is a gift. God desires that men can live happily. He says that
man should realize the endless grace God has for him, and how precious he is
in God's eyes, and be full of joy because of the love God has for him.
智慧的王所羅門也曾說過：
The wise king Solomon also said once:
「人活多年，就當快樂多年；然而也當想到黑暗的日子，因為這日子必多，所要來的都是虛空。」(傳11:8)
Indeed,
if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him
remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to
come fill be futility. (Ecclesiastes 11:8)
「你只管去歡歡喜喜吃你的飯；心中快樂喝你的酒；因為
神已經悅納你的作為。」(傳9:7) Go
then, eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart;
for God has already approved your works. (Ecclesiastes 9:7)
施比受更為有福；善於給予、有愛心、有憐憫心腸的人，比只知伸手抓取的人更加快樂。It
is more blessed to give than receive; A cheerful giver, and a loving
,merciful person would be much happier than one who only knows how to grab
for himself.
保羅得快樂的秘訣是：「兄弟啊！我為你的愛心，大有快樂。」(腓1:7)
Paul said the secret of
happiness is For it is only right for me to feel this way about
you al, because I have you in my heart.
(Philippians 1:7)
特別值得一提的是，《聖經》警戒人有時不可快樂：「你仇敵跌倒，你不要歡喜；他傾倒，你心不要快樂。」(箴24:17)
One thing worth mentioning is that the Bible also warns people not to be
happy sometimes: Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your
heart be glad when he stumbles. (Proverbs 24:17)
救恩之樂
The Joy of Salvation
上帝賜給人類大喜的訊息，就是人罪得赦免、活著有意義、有永恆生命的盼望、得著救恩之樂；因此，相信上帝是快樂的基礎。 The good news of great joy is that God has forgiven man's sins and man can
have a life full of meanings , having eternal
hope and the joy of salvation. Therefore, the true foundation of happiness
is to have faith in God.
試想，被罪所困的人，何樂之有？對將來沒有把握的人，怎會快樂？
Just
imagine, a man bound in sin, how can he be happy? Without hope for the
future, how can one be happy?
《聖經》說：「要常常喜樂這是上帝在基督耶穌裡向你們所定的旨意。」(帖前5:16,
18) The
Bible says: Rejoice always. For this is God's will for you in Christ
Jesus. (I Thessalonians 5:16,18)
