Almost to a person, the elders viewed happiness a choice, not the result of how life treats you.

长者们认为，对于一个人来说，幸福是一种选择，而不是生活如何对待你的结果。

A 75-year-old man said, "You are not responsible for all the things that happen to you, but you are completely in control of your attitude and your reactions to them." An 84-year-old said, "Adopt a policy of being joyful."

一位75岁老人说：“不是所有发生在你身上的事情你都有责任，但是你完全掌控你的态度和你对它们的反应。”一位84岁的老人说：“选择让自己保持快乐的方式。”

The 90-year-old daughter of divorced parents who had lived a hardscrabble life said, "I learned to be greatful for what I have, and no longer bemoan what I don't have or can't do."

一位父母离异，生活贫困的90岁的女士说：“我学会了感激我所拥有的，而不再为那些我没有货不能做的事情而哀叹。”

Even if their lives were nine decades long, the elders saw life as too short to waste on pessimism, boredom and disillusionment.

即使他们已经生活多达九十余个年头，长者们认为生命短暂，别浪费，别苦闷，也别失去理想。

From 30 Lessons for Living by Karl Pillemer

节选自卡尔·皮勒莫写的《生活箴言30则》

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