Before concluding this preface, I would like to make it very plain to the reader that I do not wish to seem to claim for myself in any way the ability to do without the pleasant side of life. I have all the good things that I want, and enjoy them too. If I have not what I want, I get it if I can. I do claim, however, to have learnt that we lose a lot of fun by trying to hold on to something after it has gone. Light requires shadow by which to appreciate it, and Shadow is no worse than light, because it is its necessary complement. I believe that enjoyment depends on detachment, and that it never does for us to become identified with, or wholly absorbed in, any of our desires. I value very highly the Virtues of good balance and good humour, which seem to me to go together. And, I believe that our enjoyment of living should never be at the expense of some one else, especially if he or she is a member of the younger generation.

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