“Let’s be happy now, not in the distant future, when we will never return.”
A book for "us" who are clumsy at happiness but skilled at unhappiness.

If there is a saying that 'the darkness is under the lamp', then how much do people live without being able to focus on what is close by?
Just as we often miss the things we hold in our hands, we often miss the happiness that is in our hands.
Even though I live my life running hard without resting, when I lie down in bed at the end of the day, I wonder why my happiness is so far away.
"Happiness Under the Lamp" stops us from running with our hands clenched and struggling in this difficult world, and makes us open our hands.
There is happiness in it.


There is no truth that is more difficult to embody, even though we know it in our heads, than the fact that 'happiness is near.'
Even if you enjoy a certain amount of happiness in everyday life, when you get tired of life, your vision becomes blurred as if it never happened.
So, the author shows us a scene from his daily life that anyone could have experienced, and provides evidence that happiness is close by and a way to find it.
When you're exhausted from the rigors of everyday life and even small joys feel distant, let that one scene come to mind, so you can once again relax and see the happiness shining in your hands.

I recommend reading it as if you were having a conversation with a close friend.
After reading the book until the last chapter, what I will encounter when I close it will be the happiness of everyday life that I have been missing.


“May you find happiness in your day.”

So, whenever you get tired of the endless repetition of life, always remember this.
I am a traveler, and today is not forever.
When we recognize that fact, we can stop looking so far ahead and start seeing life itself as a little bit more unfamiliar.
Just as each day is a precious travel destination, you will be able to greet each morning with a little more joy.

--- p.25

So happiness is found when we regain our delicate gaze.
Whenever negative emotions cloud my vision, let me think about this.
Are we ignoring all the wonderful scenes that exist subtly and labeling the situation as unpleasant?
Only when we peel away the filter of those shortcomings will we finally discover the beauty we have been pushing away.
--- p.62

Let's think of a true friend.
We often say that a true friend is someone who always supports us by being there for us when we are having a hard time or have nothing, rather than someone who approaches us after we have achieved something great.
Happiness is the same.
Meeting today and meeting again tomorrow is the greatest happiness.

--- p.64

If you don't want to live with a broken heart, shouldn't you first let go of whatever you're forcing yourself to block out when sadness wells up?
Because there's a difference between skillfully handling your emotions and blindly enduring them.
Other emotions can be easily expressed through the mouth, but deep sadness must be allowed to rise to the level of the eyes before it can be poured out.
This is why tears should not be dismissed as simply a symbol of immaturity or an ineffective outburst of emotion.

--- p.82

Because anger and hatred are like ‘boiling water.’
The person who turned on the fire is fine, but if the hatred rises and overflows, it will flow and spread throughout the body, causing suffering. It is I who will suffer.
Because the hatred is in my heart, which has become a boiling kettle, not in that person.

--- p.90

We have a bad preconception about stopping, but on a big wave, we need to 'pause' and calm our minds to see beyond the problem.
The attitude of patience and perseverance until we can respond may be what we need most, as we are accustomed to pushing ourselves forward by shouting "quickly" even in the face of rough waves.

--- p.134

Maybe managing your emotions is like a moderately tight tug-of-war.
Even if the other side takes the initiative and the center of gravity shifts for a moment, if I continue to apply force in my direction and pull, I will gradually be pulled back.
The act of setting the target point of my thoughts and words on 'positivity', even in situations where 'negativity' seems to have the upper hand, gradually brings it forward and completely changes the mood of my day.

--- p.154

Can I say this?
“Dreams aren’t something you dream with the intention of achieving.
“We dream in order to dream.”
Dreams are like painkillers.
Although it may not be able to change the life that causes various symptoms, it can help reduce suffering by making you look forward to the future and giving you the strength to focus on the small moments of everyday life.

--- p.184

Even in the midst of such unexpected difficulties, if you are with someone who can look at each other and smile from time to time, you can be 'more' happy at any moment.
Even when heavy rain pours down, when I hold that person's hand, I can shake off the heavy feeling in my heart, shake off the anxiety that has been seeping in, and gain the strength to move forward together, one step at a time.
I think the true value of love is revealed in relationships where people say, “I’m glad we’re together.”
There is no love that presupposes only happiness, but there certainly is love that presupposes happiness even in the midst of suffering.
--- p.196

But if you don't start, you'll have nothing left.
If I only envy the sturdy tree planted in that fertile land, thinking that all I have is a 'poor' aspiration, nothing will bloom.
If you plant it first while worrying that it will grow slowly, won't you eventually get a refreshing result?
Like that fragile barley tree.
Even if it doesn't bear any delicious fruit, what's more important is experiencing the moment when the branches grow and the flowers bloom.

--- p.236