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The Happiness Paradox

Oct 08, 2012
by Caroline Miller
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens, Gretchen Rubin
2 Comments

A number of things make me happy though not all of them are good for me. Unlimited access to hot fudge sundaes would be one of these. So would lying on a sunny beach for hours, giving no thought to skin cancer.

The one drawback of these delights is that they pertain only to me. But the odd truth about happiness is, that like laughter, it’s best when shared. According to essayist, Gretchen Rubin, we are framed to be “do-gooders.”

 …to help others is the right thing to do, and it also boosts personal happiness; research shows that people who aid the causes they value tend to be happier and in better health, and that they show fewer signs of physical and mental aging. (“The Happiness Boomerang,” by Gretchen Rubin, Good Housekeeping, 10/12, pg. 117)

That selfish impulses can lead to altruism seems a miraculous paradox. Rubin is not the first to have discovered this, however. Sydney Carton gives us his version in Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. His love for Lucie Manette allows him to sacrifice his life for her happiness. “It is a far, far better thing that I do now, than I have ever done.” Bending one’s head to the guillotine may be an extreme example, of course. Me, I’d rather split a hot fudge sundae.

Sydney Carton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Courtesy of sydneycarton.wordpress.com)

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2 Comments
  1. Tilly Gaillard October 8, 2012 at 7:21 am Reply
    I, "condemned" to living in Paris, work very hard on human rights, and right now on the Obama campaign. Makes me feel "happier, healthier, less prone to aging". You described my life and situation brilliantly, but complete bliss would require the sundae to be made with coffee ice cream. Tilly
    • Caroline Miller October 8, 2012 at 4:47 pm Reply
      I assure you, coffee ice cream is negotiable.

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Contact Caroline at

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Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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