Font size: 
Yu Dan (an associate professor at Beijing Normal University) says: "Everyone living in the real world will encounter various difficulties and problems. In the Confucian Analects I have found a simple way to build people's confidence and increase their happiness. This is why I want to share my understanding of the Analects."
She asserts that the Analects teach us to be content in the midst of our modern lives, and enhance our ability to grasp happiness. How can we grasp joy and happiness? Yu's formula is to "adapt to the daily order." Facing an unreasonable situation, we should not feel dissatisfied and should not revolt. Instead, we should use our "inner strength" to release the pain. This is the happy philosophy of Yu Dan. In essence, it teaches avoidance of reality and personal paralysis.
In her book "My Understanding of the Confucian Analects," Yu says: "Obviously our material living standards have improved, but many people have become less and less satisfied as they see wealthier people around them, and feel things are out of balance...Our eyes always see too much of the outside world, but too little of our own hearts. The secret to happiness that Confucius teaches us is to find peace within our own hearts."
What a secret to happiness! After all, it is exactly the spirit of Ah Q [a humble character in a story by Lu Xun who cheerfully accepts humiliation and defeat].
According to this philosophy, even though you live in the darkest era, you see serious unfairness in society, you see that evil defeats justice, and your basic rights as a citizen are not guaranteed -- you think none of this matters. You are not responsible for carrying out reforms, eliminating social injustice or transforming the system. All you need to do is use your magic "inner sight" to examine your heart, as that is the source of happiness!
Yu Dan also says: "Everybody hopes to live a happy and joyful life, but happiness is only a kind of feeling which has nothing to do with wealth. It is connected to the heart."
Frankly, this is the philosophy of happiness of the "beneficiary class," or in other words, the rich and powerful. It is impossible for a person suffering hunger and cold to accept such a philosophy. And it is really callous for a person to advise poor people not to feel jealous, dissatisfied or discontent, while that person is enjoying tasty delicacies and expensive clothing provided by an unfair society.
If this is happiness, not only the poor people but our entire nation will die happily under the hypnotic effect of this philosophy.
There is nothing wrong with pursuing happiness -- but there are different methods of pursuit. Yu Dan's method is to employ "inner strength" to deal with everything. She teaches us: "When something unfortunate occurs, the best way is to let it pass as quickly as possible. Only by doing this can we find time for more valuable things, live efficiently and maintain a good mood."
The question is: How can we let misfortune pass; what kind of misfortune is it, and what caused it? If one suffers a natural disaster or loses relatives in a natural disaster, he or she certainly should not be obsessed by such an unfortunate experience for a long time -- it's best to get back on one's feet as soon as possible. But a person's misfortune or suffering from injustice may be due to human factors, for example, the social system. If a person is treated unjustly and makes no effort to transform the society that caused the injustice -- choosing instead to use "inner strength" to delete the painful memory -- this person is definitely waiting for the next disaster.
In fact, this is exactly the formula Yu Dan gives us. She says: "If a person was badly beaten without rhyme or reason, he or she should not remember it for a long time, because that would mean the person is still being beaten every day even after the incident has passed." Therefore, instead of reporting to the police, investigating who the offender is and punishing the offender through legal means, the person should totally forget the whole experience!
Actually, this idea is not Yu Dan's invention. When Ah Q was beaten, he eased his pain and remained cheerful in exactly this way. Yu thinks it is important to master this technique. She says: "We should not complain about the 'injustice of society' and the 'hardship of living.' Through attaining 'spiritual victory' everything can be solved."
To sum up, Yu thinks that reality is unchangeable. She says, "We cannot control the outside world, but we can strengthen our inner ability to choose." But what will we choose? Yu tells us to choose to "change our own mood and attitude." She says, "A person sees exactly what he or she holds in the heart."
Well done for saying this! One who has "freedom" in the heart, even living in a police state, will feel extremely "free." One who has delicious food in the heart will never feel hungry even when he or she is actually starving.
How wonderful this "beneficiary class" philosophy of happiness is!
--
(Tao Dongfeng is a professor in the Chinese Department of Capital Normal University in Beijing. He is also editor-in-chief of the scholarly periodical "Culture Research." This article is translated and edited from the Chinese. @Copyright Tao Dongfeng.)
