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This is the topic of Samuel Johnson’s book The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia. Rasselas and his family live in Abissinia, a land known as “the happy valley.” The happy valley is an enclosed area, known only to the people who live within its gates. “[R]evelry and merriment was the business of every hour from the dawn of morning to the close of even.” It sounds like the perfect paradise, yet Rasselas is unhappy: “the sounds that pleased me yesterday weary me to day, and will grow yet more wearisome to morrow.” So he and a few others, including his sister and an old sage named Imlac, escape into the real world to discover who has truly achieved happiness. Unfortunately for Rasselas, everyone whom he encounters has not found complete happiness; there is always a flaw in their choice of life. Somewhat dejected, Rasselas and his companions resolve to return to Abissinia, and this is where the book ends.
Rasselas has been one of the most interesting and stimulating books I’ve ever read. It forced me to self-reflect and think about the choices I’ve made to achieve happiness. Am I really happy? Or is my “happiness” a facade? Rasselas has helped me come to the conclusion that no one can ever completely achieve joy. Although that conclusion sounds utterly negative and pessimistic, there is truth to it. I’ll provide a perfect example. Think about opening presents on Christmas morning. It’s one of the greatest feelings in the world: the anticipation of what’s waiting under the Christmas tree for you.
However, once you’ve ripped off the wrapping paper and played with your new toys for a week or two, the absolute joy you felt when waiting for the presents has suddenly subsided. Johnson describes a similar situation when Rasselas and his companions encounter a hermit in the desert. The hermit, disgusted with the mundane routine of everyday life, retired to the wilderness to live his life in peace. But “when the pleasure of novelty went away,” so did his happiness. In light of these examples, it seems as though “some desire is necessary to keep life in motion.” “Such is the state of life, that none are happy but by the anticipation of change: the change itself is nothing; when we have made it, the next wish is to change again.”
So, “[w]hy should we endeavor to attain that, of which the possession cannot be secured?” This is one of the great mysteries of life: the never-ending cycle of fleeting happiness. It is also a warning: do not preoccupy your time too much with the pursuit of happiness and forget to live.
Meghan Waters, Class of 2014