The people living most difficultly are those who never seek happiness from within. They are too often expecting motive force from the outside, from validation to admiration. As Seneca observes, “A wise man is never less alone than when he is alone; a fool is never more alone than when he is in company,” those who do not learn to seek inward happiness, once losing the outward motive force, will feel as if they are abandoned.  

What is inward happiness? It is that which you should give yourself all by yourself. For example, when you have some palatable food, and it brings your taste buds impressive pleasure, it is the happiness that doesn’t need any help from others. But when you “plot” to have a “grand meal” which you want to show off, once nobody feels like “acclaiming” this “effort” you make while your appetite for this food is just not enormous, it can be regarded as “all for nothing.”

However, when inward happiness has already been achieved, for further desire we can still chase outward happiness. The mechanism is like adding flowers to the brocade; even though the flowers are not added, the brocade is satisfactory enough. The only risk is that we take the branch for the root—that we desperately lust for the favour of as many people as possible, but they don’t necessarily reward us at all.