《像哲学家一样生活》Philosophical Living: The Simplest Way to Happiness Is to Cherish What We Have.

The title of the book "Living Like a Philosopher" caught my attention, but when I opened the first chapter, it felt obscure and left me feeling a bit deceived. The chapter mainly discusses the rise of Stoicism, but the long names of philosophers were confusing and overwhelming, so I just got a rough idea.

However, to my surprise, the second chapter touched me deeply. It talks about the psychological techniques of Stoicism and why people are unhappy - simply because they are never satisfied. We have desires and work hard to attain them, but once we do, the desire fades or loses the same satisfaction it once had. Ultimately, we feel unsatisfied again like before. The key to happiness is to prevent this adaptation process and find a way to reverse it. In other words, we need a skill to create a desire for things we already have. The Stoics believe the technique is negative visualization - spending time imagining losing the things we cherish, like having our car stolen or losing our loved ones, will make us cherish them more.

The book has a quote that made me feel happy and content: "If we can realize that everything we have is borrowed from fate, and that fate has the power to take it all away again without warning, then we can love all our hearts treasures while they are with us, but always be ready to release them gracefully if fate should come to claim them back." We should never take anything for granted or presume that we can keep them forever.

The author, William B. Irvine, has a philosophy Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a professor of philosophy at Wright State University in Ohio. He started with pure philosophy research and then explored philosophy in interdisciplinary studies. He has written books such as "On Desire: Why We Want What We Want."

This book may have only touched me with one sentence, but it still made me value and cherish every moment more. I would recommend it to my friends to share the joy and happiness we already have. The title of the book is "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy."

Remember, the simplest way to find happiness is to cherish what we have!