Reflexoes e leituras

As reflexoes da volta estao por toda parte dentro de mim. Perguntas que nao tem respostas simples e tao pouco imediatas. No meio de tudo isso, o livro de Richard Layard sobre a felicidade pulou sem querer da estante para minha mao. Resolvi reler entao alguns trechos e abaixo divido os dois primeiros parágrafos da conclusao. Tentei traduzir para o Português, mas minhas habilidades de traducao nao andam muito bem. Ficou esquisito e optei por voltar ao original em inglês. Segue entao:

"A society cannot flourish without some sense of shared purpose. The current pursuit of self-realization will not work. If your sole duty is to achieve the best for yourself, life becomes just too stressful, too lonely - you are set up to fail. Instead you need to feel you exist for something larger and that very thought takes off some of the pressure.

We desperately need a concept of the common good. I can think of no nobler goal than pursue the greates hapiness of all - each person counting. This goal puts us on an equal footing with our neighbours, which is where we should be, while it also gives a proper weight to our own interest, since we know about ourselves than anyone else does." (Richard Layard: Hapiness - Lessons from a New Science)