I was reading an interesting article in Prospect magazine by Adam Phillips on the issue of teaching happiness in schools (subscription only). When I talk to people, I am normally met with the assumption that the pursuit of happiness is beyond doubt. Epicurus appears to have been more pursuasive than his reputation. An amusing quote that was cited by the article:

A people who conceive life to be the pursuit of happiness must be chronically unhappy. Marshall Sahlins

One good point was made that to instruct happiness is difficult since it varies between people and may be counter to the other objectives of education.

“Be happy” might be a paradoxical injunction like “Be spontaneous”; if you do it you are not doing it, and if you are not doing it you are doing it.

Anti Citizen One