The Secret Of Happiness According To Bertrand Russell

Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, mathematician, and writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950. At first glance, he may not look like someone who holds the secret of happiness. In fact, in his life he has had plenty of times, but also very tight times. But maybe that’s exactly why he was able to turn his life around and learn to be happy.

This controversial thinker didn’t have it easy. He lost his parents when he was only six years old. After this he was raised by his very strict grandparents. From a young age he felt that life was almost unbearable. He later admitted that he had thought about suicide more than once.

However, Bertrand Russell discovered a science that set him on the road to fulfillment. Philosophy and logic enabled him to dig deeper into his own experience. It made him feel like he was part of something bigger, it cheered him up and helped him overcome his suffering. According to this philosopher, this is part of the secret of happiness.

Happiness comes by looking outward

Bertrand Russell believed that isolation only leads to sadness and boredom. If we only focus on what is missing in our lives, on our problems, failures and fears, we lose our enthusiasm for life. In this aspect his thoughts are in line with those of Eastern philosophy and Lacanian psychoanalysis. These two schools of thought believe that the ego is a source of suffering and disease.

If we turn our attention outward instead, life becomes easier. These external aspects of life consist of many different realities. Knowledge, other people, work, hobbies etc. All these things make life more interesting and full.

Bertrand Russell noted that a generous nature brings joy and pleasure. And these, in turn, are sources of energy and motivation. They also provide us with strength when it comes time to solve our own problems.

How to develop a generous nature

A generous nature doesn’t just happen. We have to develop these. According to B. Russell, engaging in everyday activities will allow us to open the door to happiness. However, it is not about putting introspection and self-reflection aside. That would result in an insignificant life. It’s about trying to find a balance, finding a place that’s right in between these two extremes.

In this sense, it is also important to choose the right time and the right way. There is a time to think about yourself and a time to look outward. Think about your own problems when it makes sense to do so, and the rest of the time we can focus our attention on the world around us.

What Bertrand Russell proposes is to develop an organized mind. If we can achieve this, our mind will always be clearer and more focused on the present. When we think about ourselves, we should do so rationally and with maximum concentration. We must also be able to question our own reasoning to determine whether it is valid or not.

Two virtues to develop

Bertrand Russel’s own life shows us something he later also claimed: happiness is conquest. It does not happen by itself, nor does it come from outside. The ability to be happy is just that: an ability. We have to work on it and develop it in order to achieve it. There are therefore two virtues that are particularly important in this process: effort and resignation.

Effort is the will to focus your energy on the work required to achieve what you want. It is not easy and requires a lot of perseverance. But nothing of value is acquired overnight. The same goes for happiness. That is why it is important to develop this quality that will enable you to achieve your goals.

The second essential virtue for happiness, according to Russell, is resignation. Or maybe we should call it ‘acceptance’. Life gives us situations that are inevitable and impossible to solve. Some examples of this are death, incurable disease, or permanent loss.

We cannot undo these things. What we can do, however, is increase our ability to accept them. We should not try to solve them, nor should we let them interfere with our lives, this is a waste of time. Instead, we should give them a place in our story in a way that makes us feel good.

Bertrand Russell was one of the most brilliant people of his time, and his ideas are still relevant even today. He grew from an orphan, sad and lost in the world, to one of the most important intellectuals in the world. And his life and achievements themselves only add to the heaviness of his words.