Alan’s theory of happiness and Zen awareness

Alan’s Theory of Happiness

‘Alain’ is the pen name of the French philosopher Emile-Auguste Chartier (1868 – 1951), whose book The Theory of Happiness will be known as a collection of essays offering insights and advice on human happiness.

Alain was a philosopher deeply involved in journalism, which was very rare at the time, and in 1900 he wrote a series of articles called ‘Propos de dimanche’ in the ‘Rouen newspaper’. ‘Propo’ is French for ‘word-log’ and ‘dimanche’ means ‘Sunday’, which could be translated as ‘Sunday chat’. These were written on two sheets of letterhead on a single topic, similar to what we now call a column.

Proposals are published as books in chronological order of their writing, but are also collected and reassembled according to theme, and are woven along two axes like a warp and weft. One of the thematic types is the “Happiness Proposal”, which is the Japanese term for the “Theory of Happiness”.

The second edition of The Theory of Happiness, 1928, contains ninety-three propos, which are not arranged chronologically, but are arranged by picking out those written over a period of twenty-one years, from 1905 to 1926, on the theme of ‘happiness’.

Some of the main themes of The Happiness Theory include.

1. Definition of happiness: Alan does not limit happiness to mere emotions or external success, but sees it as an inner calmness or state of mind. For him, happiness depends to a large extent on the way we hold our minds and the way we think.
   Actions and habits: he believes that happiness is shaped by daily actions and habits. By developing positive habits, he argues, we can naturally approach a happy state of mind.
2. Balance between reason and emotion: Alan explains that a balance between reason and emotion is important. He believes that by thinking rationally and responding calmly and without being driven by emotions, one can achieve a stable state of happiness.
3. The value of everyday life: Alan stresses that cherishing the small joys and moments of everyday life leads to lasting happiness. He stresses the importance of finding happiness in everyday life, not just in special events or major successes.
4. Self-awareness and self-control: he also argues that understanding oneself better and controlling one’s emotions and behaviour is the key to happiness. Greater self-awareness enables us to make better choices and achieve self-control.

The expression of philosophical thought in the form of essays in the form of propos, created by Alain, is said to be an unprecedented and innovative method, comparable to Spinoza’s Ethica and Montaigne’s Essai, described in “On emotion recognition, Buddhist philosophy and AI“, or in Japan, Kenko’s Kaneyoshi, described in “Yosa Buson, Tsurezuregusa and Makura no soshi“. The Japanese version is said to be a groundbreaking form of expression, on a par with Kenko Hoshi’s ‘Tsurezuregusa’, mentioned in ‘Yosa Buson to Tsurezuregusa to Makurazoshi’.

You can read more about Alan’s “The Theory of Happiness” with commentary in books such as “A Masterpiece You Can Read Through This Time: Alan’s Theory of Happiness” and “NHK ‘100 Minutes de Meisaku’ Books: Alan’s Theory of Happiness NHK ‘100 Minutes de Meisaku’ Books“.

His essays are short and concise, but deeply insightful, offering in-depth reflections on happiness from a philosophical perspective, as well as concrete advice that can be useful in real life.

Mood pessimism, will optimism and Zen awareness

In the words of Alan in this theory of happiness, “Pessimism belongs to the mood, optimism belongs to the will”.

Following these words, Allan writes

‘All those who live according to their moods are gripped by sadness. No, it is not enough. To tell the truth, there is no such thing as a good mood. Moods, to be precise, are always bad. So happiness is all about will and self-overcoming.

This means that if you live only by feelings and moods, when you encounter sadness or bad things, you will drown in feelings of unhappiness and anger. So, instead of being carried away by emotions, we stand on optimism through willpower, saying, “It’s hard now, but tomorrow will be brighter”. He states that this is the key to achieving happiness.

These words have been featured in the words of business people, such as in ‘Konosuke Matsushita’s Statements‘, and in science fiction works, such as ‘The Loneliness of the Craft Ship Akashi‘.

Another quote from Oscar Wilde on optimism and pessimism is “The optimist sees the doughnut, the pessimist sees the hole in the doughnut” in “On the Roads of Ireland (2) Ireland“. This means that an optimist gets joy from looking at what is at hand, while a pessimist focuses on what is not and is sad.

What meaning we give to the doughnut hole and what meaning we give to the doughnut itself is a matter of metacognition, as described in “Zen, Metacognition and AI“, and it is difficult to clearly recognise them in the actual case in question.

In order to realise them and think of them as pessimism of mood and optimism of intention, it is necessary to realise that the current situation is also influenced by emotions through meditation and mindfulness techniques such as those described in “Meditation, enlightenment (awareness) and problem solving“.

A happy way of life is also connected to the world of Zen.