No.03
We synthesize happiness, but we think happiness is a thing to be found. Now, you don’t need me to give you too many examples of people synthesizing happiness, I suspect. Though I’m going to show you some experimental evidence, you don’t have to look very far for evidence.
As a challenge to myself, since I say this once in a while in lectures, I took a copy of the New York Times and tried to find some instances of people synthesizing happiness. Here are three guys synthesizing happiness. “I am so much better off physically, financially, emotionally, mentally and almost every other way.” “I don’t have one minute’s regret. It was a glorious experience.” “I believe it turned out for the best.”
Who are these characters who are so damn happy? The first one is Jim Wright. Some of you are old enough to remember: he was the chairman of the House of Representatives and he resigned in disgrace when this young Republican named Newt Gingrich found out about a shady book deal he had done. He lost everything. The most powerful Democrat in the country lost everything. He lost his money, he lost his power. What does he have to say all these years later? “I am so much better off physically, financially, mentally and in almost every other way.” What other way would there be to be better off? Vegetably? Minerally? Animally? He’s pretty much covered them there.
Moreese Bickham is somebody you’ve never heard of. Moreese Bickham uttered these words upon being released. He was 78 years old. He’d spent 37 years in a Louisiana State Penitentiary for a crime he didn’t commit. He was ultimately exonerated at the age of 78 through DNA evidence. And what did he say about his experience? “I don’t have one minute’s regret. It was a glorious experience.” Glorious! He is not saying, “Well, there were some nice guys. They had a gym.” “Glorious,” a word we usually reserve for something like a religious experience.
Harry S. Langerman uttered these words, and he’s somebody you might have known but didn’t, because in 1949 he read a little article in the paper about a hamburger stand owned by two brothers named McDonalds. And he thought, “That’s a really neat idea!” So he went to find them. They said, “We can give you a franchise on this for 3,000 bucks.” Harry went back to New York, asked his brother, an investment banker, to loan him the $3,000, and his brother’s immortal words were, “You idiot, nobody eats hamburgers.” He wouldn’t lend him the money, and of course, six months later Ray Kroc had exactly the same idea. It turns out people do eat hamburgers, and Ray Kroc, for a while, became the richest man in America.
ボキャブラリー
suspect: vt. 〜だと思う、〜ではないかと思う、〜であると感じる、〜のような気がする
experimental: a.経験の、経験的な、経験に基づく；実験の、実験的な、試験的な
evidence: n. 証拠、証言、根拠、形跡、痕跡
once in a while: 時々、たまに
instance: n. 例、実例、事例
physically: adv. 身体的に、肉体的に；物理学的に
financially: adv. 財政的に、経済的に、金銭的に
emotionally: adv. 感情的に、情緒的に
mentally: adv. 精神的に、知的に、心理的に
regret: n. 後悔、悔い、残念、遺憾
glorious: a. 輝かしい、光栄ある、名誉ある
for the best: 1〖通例It’s (all) ～〗(可能な範囲で)最良である; (諸条件を考慮すると)思ったほど悪くない; (今はそうでもないが)いずれは良い結果となるかもしれない。2 (結果的に)最も良い方向に〈向かう改良するなど〉3 まったくの善意で, すべてはよかれと思って.
Jim Wright: ジム・ライト（1922−2015年）。米国下院議員
the House of Representatives:〔米国などの二院制議会の〕下院【略】HR
disgrace: n. 不名誉, 恥辱, 不面目(dishonor, shame); 不人気, 不評, 不興; 不信
Republican: n. 共和党員
Newt Gingrich: ニュート・ギングリッチ（1943年6月17日 – ）アメリカ合衆国の保守派の政治家。共和党に所属。1995年から1999年まで同国の下院議長を務めた。1995年に民主党の下院多数派独占を42年目にして終止符を打ったことでTIME誌のマン・オブ・ザ・イヤーに選ばれた。
shady: a. いかがわしい、不正の疑いのある、怪しい、うさんくさい
book deal: 出版契約
Democrat: n. 民主党員
Vegetably, Minerally, Animally: それぞれvegetable, mineral, aninalを「〜的に」と副詞形にしたもの
pretty much: ほとんど、まさに、大体
Moreese Bickham:
utter: v. 口に出す、話す、言う、述べる、声に出す
state penitentiary: 州立刑務所
crime: n. 犯罪、罪、悪事
commit: vt. （罪などを）犯す、（悪事を）はたらく
ultimately: adv. 結局、最後に
exonerate: vt. 〜の疑いを晴らす、無罪を証明する
halfway: adv. «…の» 途中で, 途中[中間]まで «through, across, along» , «…の間の» 中間で «between»
reserve: vt. 〜を取っておく、別にしておく
religious: a. 宗教的な、神聖な
Harry S. Langerman: ハリー・ランガーマン。
article: n. 記事、論説
hamburger stand: 〔小規模な〕ハンバーガーの店［屋さん］
franchise: n. 営業権、フランチャイズ、特権
investment banker: 投資銀行家、投資金融業者
loan: v. 貸し付ける、融資する
immortal: a. 不滅の、不朽の、永遠に続く
idiot: n. あほ、馬鹿、間抜け、大ばか。You idiot.ばかやろう。
Ray Kroc: レイ・クロック（1902−84）。米国のファストフードチェーン店マクドナルドの創始者。
for a while: しばらくの間、少しの間