The Greeks knew that the more rational we usually are, the more important it is—at points—to fling ourselves around to the wild rhythms of pipes and drums. At the festivals of Dionysus, held in Athens in March every year, even the most venerable and dignified members of the community would join in with unrestrained dancing that, irrigated by genero

We may have to go back as far as childhood to ask: What did I really enjoy doing? When did I feel most alive? There may be clues to what our future should be in the way we used to play as small children, when impressing and earning money were far from our minds.

A more evolved relationship to ourselves—of the kind psychotherapists seek to promote—can assuage the itch to deliver upbeat messages by prompting us to make our peace with sorrow. Someone might say that they are sad and we could in time learn simply, and more helpfully, to answer, “I hear you.” Another might insist, “Everything is awful,” and we m