An Education in Happiness

by Flavia Arzeni, Howard Curtis

Happiness “is neither a privilege of the few, nor a fleeting state of mind: it is hidden behind a door that every person can open once they have found it, at the end of an arduous journey of self-discovery.”
The two Nobel Prize-winning writers Rabindranath Tagore and Hermann Hesse are arguably very different: one comes to us from the core of Indian culture, the other from the very heart of Old Europe; the former is an eternal wanderer, the latter a determined armchair traveller. Still, there are extraordinary affinities between their works, and they both understood that the path to happiness is paved with small acts and simple notions.

Flavia Arzeni’s book offers us an oasis of stability and calm in which we can find the answers to our fundamental concerns about life and happiness.

196 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Flavia Arzeni is Professor of Modern German Literature at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University La Sapienza in Rome.

Reviews

[Ankita · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first looked at this book in a book fair I thought it'll be a self-help book covering quotes from both eminent personalities Tagore and Hesse. When I started reading it; the first half seemed like biography of Hesse but reading it till the end was an different journey altogether. Lifestyles of these great personalities of past made me think about most important aspects of our lives: Nature, Happiness, Religion and Education.

I enjoyed the book despite its monotonous description because these are the subjects which often makes me think deeply. I love reading and learning, I enjoy being left alone in nature, I value spirituality and religion in my life. My idea of perfect life consists of a small house surrounded by a beautiful garden, having a huge library and a beautiful temple.
This book helps to correlate nature, education, religion and happiness to create a new way of life.

I always dream about a school in lap of nature (like ancient Indian Ashrams) where not only loads of information is stuffed into students' brains but they're also taught the way of life, lessons of virtues and morality are given more importance than marks and ranks, where extra curricular activities like gardening, cooking cleaning, yoga, meditation, thoughtfulness, observation and various form of art are also taught along with languages and calculations. Tagore's views on education system reminded me of my favorite song from a bollywood movie.
Movie Title: Chillar Party.
Song Title: Ek School Banana Hai
Lyrics: Amit Trivedi, Nitesh Tiwari

Chote Chote pahiyon pe
Sapno ki cycle
Udte chalenge aaj
Pedalo ko markar
Hum.. hum.. hum
Bachon ki peeth pe
Pahad jaise bag hai
Kandhon se aaj unhe
Chalenge utarkar
Hum.. hum.. hum
Aankhon se
Hamari hume dekhne do
Khud se hume bhi
Kuch seekhne do
Hum ko jahan
Manzoor ho wahin
Tumhari duniya se
Badi door kahin
Ek school banana hai
Wahan tumko padhana hai
Jo bhool baitho ho
Woh yaad dilana hai
Ek school banana hai...

[Euan C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thinking about starting a garden now

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely delightful, informative and thought-provoking work! I can't recommend it enough. From Amazon:Happiness "is neither a privilege of the few, nor a fleeting state of mind: it is hidden behind a door that every person can open once they have found it, at the end of an arduous journey of self-discovery."
The two Nobel Prize-winning writers Rabindranath Tagore and Hermann Hesse are arguably very different: one comes to us from the core of Indian culture, the other from the very heart of Old Europe; the former is an eternal wanderer, the latter a determined armchair traveller. Still, there are extraordinary affinities between their works, and they both understood that the path to happiness is paved with small acts and simple notions.
Flavia Arzeni’s book offers us an oasis of stability and calm in which we can find the answers to our fundamental concerns about life and happiness.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short chapters, somewhat humourless for a book more than half of which is a biography of Hesse but still a pleasant read. Rustic.