by: Paul R. Martin, 1987

1. Everybody has had different experiences.

2. Each of us has a different understanding of the world.

3. Each of us is wrong in our understanding of the world.

4. By choice, we can work to discover our errors or to conceal them.

5. If we conceal them, we grow more and more out of touch with reality.

6. If we discover them, we must deny them or else change our understanding.

7. If we deny them, we must live with the tension of contradiction.

8. If we change our understanding, we grow closer to true understanding.

9. Of the three possible outcomes, 1) growing out of touch with reality, 2) living with the tension of contradiction, or 3) growing closer to a true understanding of the world, the third one seems most likely to bring happiness.

10. Therefore, the choices that lead to happiness are
a) Work to discover where our understanding of the world is erroneous, and
b) Continually change our understanding to match reality.