14 
THE ART OF LIVING. 
By H. OGDEN. 20th January, 1905. 

Undoubtedly the most comprehensive definition that can be 
assigned to man is briefly ‘‘ that of a talking animal.” First of 
all he talks, and although he loudly deeries life, still it would 
take a very great deal to make him quit it. For my purpose I 
propose in the first place to discuss the pessimist. The amusing 
thing about the pessimist is, that he is very careful to advise, 
that, as the burden of existence cannot somehow or other be 
shirked, it had better be accepted with the best possible grace; since 
one must live, says he, one might as well for the time being try 
to make oneself as comfortable as possible. This is sound phil- 
osophy, but I merely wish to advance a step and say, that your 
life is exactly what you make it. You talk of the world, laugh 
at it, sneer at it, praise it and condemn it, but forget entirely 
that it is only at yourself you are laughing, sneering, praising 
or condemning. Our own state of mind for the time being 
is strong enougi to tinge the whole of the world with its 
colours. If we are sad, it isa sad world; if we are happy, 
it is a happy world; if we are despairing, it is a despairing 
world; and therefore the greatest of all illusions is to remain 
ignorant of this mighty fact that we only see ourselves and 
deal only with a world which we create and govern incessantly 
from day to day, from year to year, and from birth to death. 
Emphasising this fact then, that the world we are judging is our 
individual world, or in other words our own thoughts, feelings, 
passions, sufferings and aspirations, the pessimist can very easily 
be accounted for. This is the worst of all possible worlds, says 
he. We accept the verdict he deliberately pronounces, not upon 
the world as a whole, for of that he has neither the right nor the 
power to judge, but upon himself. It is quite admissible that 
life as he leads it is not worth living and the wisest thing he 
can do is to either end it or mend it. The natural outcome of 
his existence can lead to nothing but pessimism. Therefore 
the question resolves itself into this: that the world that we 
are constantly judging upon is not the world at large, but the 
world within ourselves. 
Since our own individual world then, is the only world with which 
we are concerned, and since all our happiness and prosperity 
depends entirely upon the state of this inner world, it is essential 
