The-Conquest-of-Happiness-by-Bertrand-Russell

others is usually a man with some deep seated
trouble, who is seeking to escape from a spectre.
In the case of the dipsomaniac this is obvious: men
drink in order to forget. If they had no spectres in
their lives, they would not find drunkenness more
agreeable than sobriety. As the legendary
Chinaman said: ‘Me no drinkee for drinkee, me
drinkee for drunkee.’ This is typical of all
excessive and one-sided passions. It is not
pleasure in the object itself that is sought, but
oblivion. There is, however, a very great
difference according as oblivion is sought in a
sottish manner or by the exercise of faculties in
themselves desirable. Borrow’s friend who taught
himself Chinese in order to be able to endure the
loss of his wife was seeking oblivion, but he
sought it in an activity that had no harmful effects,
but on the contrary improved his intelligence and
his knowledge. Against such forms of escape there
is nothing to be said. It is otherwise with the man
who seeks oblivion in drinking or gambling or any
other form of unprofitable excitement. There are, it
is true, border-line cases. What should we say of