A fellow who is regularly whipped is overcome with joy whenever the whipping ceases. He rejoices many, many times during his life. He learns, by force, to be grateful and to value the moments that stand out in the face of his natural condition. But a king… how to please him? It is not possible: a king can never be happy. A king has everything, except what he wants, and what he wants is the full satisfaction of his desire, which has no limits. Reasoning in this way leads to two conclusions: first, that joy requires a positive contrast, and second, that desire makes it impossible. In a king, any positive contrast is not possible, since his condition never changes significantly for the better. As for desire, he must be a Marcus Aurelius, or, exactly as any human being in his condition would be, he is forced to watch it inflate him with an insistent and invincible disgust.
Joy and Sorrow
