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El camino de la felicidad
One of the questions that has forever tormented man has been how to achieve happiness, and many have attempted to answer that question. Francisco Ugarte Corcuera walks along this path to find the answer to happiness, and reveals that being happy is a choice. We will not find happiness as a goal, but along the path every day. El camino de la felicidad teaches us that while we walk through life, we can choose to be happy. The author’s hypothesis is that happiness is progressive, that is, it is achieved only insofar as it is enjoyed in every moment.
Una de las preguntas que ha atormentado al hombre desde siempre ha sido cómo alcanzar la felicidad, y son muchos los pensadores que han intentado darle respuesta a esta cuestión. Francisco Ugarte Corcuera recorre este camino sobre la pregunta por la felicidad, y nos revela que ser feliz es una elección y que no vamos a encontrar la dicha en la meta sino en el andar de todos los días. El camino de la felicidad nos enseña que mientras se transita por él se aprende a ser feliz. La hipótesis del autor es que la felicidad es progresiva, es decir, no se alcanza sino en la medida en que se disfruta a cada momento.
Una de las preguntas que ha atormentado al hombre desde siempre ha sido cómo alcanzar la felicidad, y son muchos los pensadores que han intentado darle respuesta a esta cuestión. Francisco Ugarte Corcuera recorre este camino sobre la pregunta por la felicidad, y nos revela que ser feliz es una elección y que no vamos a encontrar la dicha en la meta sino en el andar de todos los días. El camino de la felicidad nos enseña que mientras se transita por él se aprende a ser feliz. La hipótesis del autor es que la felicidad es progresiva, es decir, no se alcanza sino en la medida en que se disfruta a cada momento.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 23, 2017
When reading books in translation, at times there is a feeling of things being slightly off. There was no sense of that when I read this book. In fact I have already recommended it to a few friends and from their feedback and my own reading I can state that this is a wonderful book. This English edition of this book is a great tool for Christians looking to grow in part of our fundamental call as followers of Christ. to live happiness, to live joy and to do so by working internally.
In the introduction to this book it states:
"In the literature about happiness, which is surprisingly scarce for a subject of such importance, we tend to find two approaches: the classic and the contemporary. The classic approach, which explains the nature of happiness philosophically, may seem rather abstract to the modern reader, who seeks practical solutions relating to everyday life. The contemporary approach, however, is often reduced to "formulas" for making us happy, formulas that don't solve the basic problem because they lack content.
The purpose of this book is to delve more deeply into the substance of happiness, to reveal the way to be happy in daily life, and to connect this daily joy with the infinite happiness of the next life. As the title Choosing Happiness: Working Within suggests, it's a matter of looking inside ourselves and at our truest, deepest needs, choosing to be happy in this life and the next by identifying and seeking those sources of happiness which meet and match authentic human needs."
Then the book goes on to examine what is true happiness, what are some barriers to happiness and gives many examples of happiness. And even what many falsely assume is happiness. The sections in this book are:
INTRODUCTION
1. I WANT TO BE HAPPY!
The Natural Inclination toward Happiness
Pleasure, Joy, and Happiness
A Difficult Conquest
Is Happiness for This Life or the Next?
2. WHERE IS HAPPINESS FOUND?
The Possession of Material Goods
An Interior Task
Dependence on Choice
The Present and the Ordinary
3. RESENTMENT AND ENVY
The Poison of Resentment
The Remedy of Forgiveness
The Problem of Envy
Solutions to Envy
4. OPTIMISM LEADS TO HAPPINESS
What Studies Reveal
Naïve, Misguided, or Enthusiastic "Optimism"
The Threat of Pessimism
The Nature of Optimism
Keys to Optimism
5. CAN SUFFERING BRING HAPPINESS?
Suffering and Evil
The Process of Suffering
The Meaning of Suffering
The Human Value of Suffering
The Spiritual Value of Suffering
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX: FEATURES OF A MATURE PERSONALITY
WORKS CITED
Francisco states: "The path to happiness seems to be progressive in the sense that we can never say, while traveling it, that we have reached the goal. We can always be happier. And being happy is equivalent to having "a successful life," as various contemporary authors have rightly noted;6 the subjective consequence of happiness is a sensation of permanent peace, which can be distinguished from simple pleasure and also from joy." But that does not mean we should stop striving for it. The author makes big distinctions between, joy, pleasure and happiness. The way the distinction between these three is described is: "The three distinctions described here correspond to a state of being that we often colloquially refer to as happiness. We say that someone is happy when we are actually referring to the immediate result of a specific pleasant stimulus, such as alcohol; we say someone is happy when a life event produces a perception of more stable happiness, such as attaining a goal. The latter is more properly identified with joy; we can say that we are joyful for having achieved what we have intentionally worked toward. It is one's permanent situation, one that no longer depends on particular circumstances, that constitutes happiness." And from that conclusion then goes on to highlight how we can work towards true happiness.
"If happiness occurs in the interior of a human and if that is where we must work to obtain it, it follows that our happiness depends on ourselves. Some who are not happy blame their unhappiness on another person-a husband, a mother-in-law, an associate at work-or on external circumstances, such as the economic situation, sickness, old age, the problems of the country, and so on. This makes it appear that to obtain happiness, we first must solve all of those difficulties, which may lead us to conclude that happiness is utopia and it is better to give up on it."
Francisco provides a list of what we should choose to truly choose happiness.:
Choose attitudes that favor happiness.
Watch our reactions.
Avoid egocentric orientation.
Orient our lives toward gratifications rather than sensible pleasures.
We, ourselves, have to make the decision.
There are a number of other great lists in this book: The Process of Suffering, The Human Value of Suffering, The Spiritual Value of Suffering, the appendix Features of a Mature Personality and more. I have copied out a few of these lists to reread each day to help solidify the teachings of this book.
This book was so go that I have added a few others, that are available in English, by Francisco Ugarte to my to be read list. This book was an excellent read and I can endorse heartily it to you. I cannot strongly enough recommend this book to you. Please read it and share it with others, for your own growth in true happiness and theirs.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and soon reviews of other books by Francisco Ugarte.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!
In the introduction to this book it states:
"In the literature about happiness, which is surprisingly scarce for a subject of such importance, we tend to find two approaches: the classic and the contemporary. The classic approach, which explains the nature of happiness philosophically, may seem rather abstract to the modern reader, who seeks practical solutions relating to everyday life. The contemporary approach, however, is often reduced to "formulas" for making us happy, formulas that don't solve the basic problem because they lack content.
The purpose of this book is to delve more deeply into the substance of happiness, to reveal the way to be happy in daily life, and to connect this daily joy with the infinite happiness of the next life. As the title Choosing Happiness: Working Within suggests, it's a matter of looking inside ourselves and at our truest, deepest needs, choosing to be happy in this life and the next by identifying and seeking those sources of happiness which meet and match authentic human needs."
Then the book goes on to examine what is true happiness, what are some barriers to happiness and gives many examples of happiness. And even what many falsely assume is happiness. The sections in this book are:
INTRODUCTION
1. I WANT TO BE HAPPY!
The Natural Inclination toward Happiness
Pleasure, Joy, and Happiness
A Difficult Conquest
Is Happiness for This Life or the Next?
2. WHERE IS HAPPINESS FOUND?
The Possession of Material Goods
An Interior Task
Dependence on Choice
The Present and the Ordinary
3. RESENTMENT AND ENVY
The Poison of Resentment
The Remedy of Forgiveness
The Problem of Envy
Solutions to Envy
4. OPTIMISM LEADS TO HAPPINESS
What Studies Reveal
Naïve, Misguided, or Enthusiastic "Optimism"
The Threat of Pessimism
The Nature of Optimism
Keys to Optimism
5. CAN SUFFERING BRING HAPPINESS?
Suffering and Evil
The Process of Suffering
The Meaning of Suffering
The Human Value of Suffering
The Spiritual Value of Suffering
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX: FEATURES OF A MATURE PERSONALITY
WORKS CITED
Francisco states: "The path to happiness seems to be progressive in the sense that we can never say, while traveling it, that we have reached the goal. We can always be happier. And being happy is equivalent to having "a successful life," as various contemporary authors have rightly noted;6 the subjective consequence of happiness is a sensation of permanent peace, which can be distinguished from simple pleasure and also from joy." But that does not mean we should stop striving for it. The author makes big distinctions between, joy, pleasure and happiness. The way the distinction between these three is described is: "The three distinctions described here correspond to a state of being that we often colloquially refer to as happiness. We say that someone is happy when we are actually referring to the immediate result of a specific pleasant stimulus, such as alcohol; we say someone is happy when a life event produces a perception of more stable happiness, such as attaining a goal. The latter is more properly identified with joy; we can say that we are joyful for having achieved what we have intentionally worked toward. It is one's permanent situation, one that no longer depends on particular circumstances, that constitutes happiness." And from that conclusion then goes on to highlight how we can work towards true happiness.
"If happiness occurs in the interior of a human and if that is where we must work to obtain it, it follows that our happiness depends on ourselves. Some who are not happy blame their unhappiness on another person-a husband, a mother-in-law, an associate at work-or on external circumstances, such as the economic situation, sickness, old age, the problems of the country, and so on. This makes it appear that to obtain happiness, we first must solve all of those difficulties, which may lead us to conclude that happiness is utopia and it is better to give up on it."
Francisco provides a list of what we should choose to truly choose happiness.:
Choose attitudes that favor happiness.
Watch our reactions.
Avoid egocentric orientation.
Orient our lives toward gratifications rather than sensible pleasures.
We, ourselves, have to make the decision.
There are a number of other great lists in this book: The Process of Suffering, The Human Value of Suffering, The Spiritual Value of Suffering, the appendix Features of a Mature Personality and more. I have copied out a few of these lists to reread each day to help solidify the teachings of this book.
This book was so go that I have added a few others, that are available in English, by Francisco Ugarte to my to be read list. This book was an excellent read and I can endorse heartily it to you. I cannot strongly enough recommend this book to you. Please read it and share it with others, for your own growth in true happiness and theirs.
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More and soon reviews of other books by Francisco Ugarte.
Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2017 Catholic Reading Plan!
February 20, 2017
This is an excellent, though short philosophical (primarily) treatise on "choosing happiness," and why it is more perhaps determined by the will than it is something that is dependent on situations. Ugarte points out that there are difficulties with both a classic and contemporary approach to happiness. The classical approach is really abstract and difficult to identify with and the contemporary approach of "formulas," because they lack content. Rather, "its a matter of looking inside ourselves and at our truest, deepest needs, choosing to be happy in this life and the next by identifying and seeking those sources of happiness which meet and match authentic human needs." It's not enough to desire to be happy but rather we have to learn how to be happy. We have to determine where it is to be found, to learn to avoid the obstacles (especially spiritual and psychological ones). We have to recognize and cultivate attitudes which lead to happiness and take responsibility for our own happiness. Ugarte states that there is a different between pleasure and joy, and basically that pleasure is something passing where joy can be found in the course of our ordinary and mundane life. We of course, have to rise above difficult and painful situations so that they are integrated into the meaning of life itself and do not destroy happiness. As Victor Fankl asserted, "If pleasure was really the meaning of life, one would have to come to the conclusion that life really lacks any meaning." The tragedy of the human person is "not tha of being able to find happiness, but of seeking it where it is not." And of course, we find this happiness in God. God alone has placed this desire for happiness in the human heart as he alone can fulfill it. Primarily, the path of happiness is within us, it is something we have to take responsibility for and pursue it. He quotes an interesting study which states: "married people tend to be happier than those who are single, people who increase their income over a ten-year period are not happier that those who do not increase it, and believers with a spiritual commitment are happier than the indifferent, and happiness increases in parallel one's religious practice. He reviews the different decisions that we need to take to pursue and active happiness. According to various writers, "happy people are happy when they carry out the duties that habitually occupy their lives: work, family life, their relationship with God, social relationships and friendships, study and formation, sports and other recreational activities." He then discusses at length interior obstacles su as resentment and envy and the TRUE definition of optimism, not just a sugar coated self-help mask. He even speaks about finding happiness through finding meaning in suffering when it comes our way. It is one of the most articulate and succinct descriptions of this I have seen. He ends the book by giving a one page summation of the features of a mature personality. This is truly an excellent short treatise that I believe I will recommend to others who are seeking to discover happiness in their own lives as well as dealing with interior obstacles and utilizing tools for happiness.
September 20, 2016
Personalmente huyo de los libros con este tipo de títulos y portadas, creo que el tema de la felicidad y ser optimistas ya está muy explotado. Sin embargo, este libro me gustó por claro y sencillo. Habla de la felicidad desde la Filosofía, la verdad pura, y de manera muy concreta ayuda a discernir lo que nos hace felices y lo que no. Algunos conceptos e ideas puede que no sean nuevas para nosotros pero vale la pena repasarlos. Le doy 3 estrellas porque aunque sí ve la felicidad desde la filosofía, me hubiera gustado más profundidad.
May 13, 2012
Muchos perseguimos la felicidad, por ignorancia o falta de voluntad, donde no la vamos a encontrar.
Francisco, siendo un especialista condecorado con una vocación de oro, desde su testimonio nos despierta a educar el intelecto, el carácter y la voluntad para ordenar el camino hacia la felicidad.
Con un lenguaje claro y sencillo, le otorga al lector, las claves para comprender el camino.
Fundamental para cualquier persona.
Francisco, siendo un especialista condecorado con una vocación de oro, desde su testimonio nos despierta a educar el intelecto, el carácter y la voluntad para ordenar el camino hacia la felicidad.
Con un lenguaje claro y sencillo, le otorga al lector, las claves para comprender el camino.
Fundamental para cualquier persona.
October 15, 2023
Do you want to be happy? Know yourself, accep yourself, adapt to your surroundings, be consistent in what you think and do, anchored in truth, integrate your intellect, will and emotions, be autonomous and responsible, set worthwhile goals, be grateful, have friends and a social life, have a sense of humour, centre your life on God and others and voila! Happiness! Brilliant. A blueprint for the rest of your life.
November 23, 2019
Useful book which contained many practical tips on how to be happier, from a Christian perspective.
For example, it talked about how resentment and envy cause us to loose our peace, choosing grattitude, looking outwards (being more others-centric), finding happiness in the present (not the past or future).
For example, it talked about how resentment and envy cause us to loose our peace, choosing grattitude, looking outwards (being more others-centric), finding happiness in the present (not the past or future).
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews