This is the reason why the 50's are parodied.. so many miserable people repressing their real feelings, emotions, pressures, and psyche and ending up as addicts of various substances or activities. I'd say there are levels of expression. I express to strangers and aquaintances one level, while to close friends and family a different level. So if Dennis is talking about that first level, then I agree - it's a superficial mood that comes across as pleasant civility. Otherwise, it's Stepford.
@elementalpuck BTW, I am a tea party advocate, I am neither grumpy nor old, nor are most of us. We are alarmed. I and I dare say, we are happier than most liberal elitist complainers, which I suspect you are among :)
If a man is made happy by raping young children, is it his moral obligation to do that? According to Prager in that video it seems so. There's some truth to what he's saying, but there's lot more to it.
@SPRoubi2020 How can you possibly insinuate that Prager in this message is advocating, "Do whatever makes you happy, even if it is raping a young child"? Are you so depraved and cynical that you have to stretch that far to put someone of such obvious wisdom down? You should take a look at yourself, Mr. "some truth-er".
Happiness is not synonymous with kindness. I have problems with depression and am rarely happy, but I am always kind to people I encounter whom deserve kindness. I will not be kind to a racist, a misogynist, or someone who is rude to others; those people do not deserve kindness.
@chrstilen5 It seems you have perhaps missed Dennis' point. Love is primarily an emotional response - at least that's the common cultural meaning and generally the meaning behind most of the 'love guiding us' comments we hear. Rather, he is espousing just the opposite, that we do not go in that direction. Love is a result; it is a choice. And it often is not the easy road.
However, If I have misunderstood you, then we are in agreement. Which is a good thing! All the best.
@robkal56 I meant that you'd love other people enogh, to spread happiness. So kinda like, love someone and therfor do someting for him. I hope you anderstand what I meant. ^_^
This was wisdom taught by Rabbi Nachman in the 19th century, "Mitzvah Gedolah Le'hiyot Besimcha Tamid" It is a great mitzvah(commandment) to be happy always".
@Kurtlane I am sorry if you think that I was serious when I included pshhh in the sentence and even after I said "This totally isn't one of those bs self help things where bad things happen to people in a bad mood.", but if you just used my comment to share your views then I can understand. On the parent thing, why would the child cling on to the parent? Why not find different parental figures or just live without them? On the other section although I have read Anthem but not 1984.
A handsome tough-looking boy of nine had popped up from behind a table and was menacing him with a toy automatic pistol, while his small sister, about two years younger, made the same gesture with a fragment of wood. ... Winston raised his hands above his head, but with an unseasy feeling, so vicious was the boy's demeanor, that it was not altogether a game.
"You're a traitor!" yelled the boy. You're a thought-criminal! You're a Eurasian spy, I'll shoot you, I'll vaporise you, I'll send you to the salt mines!" - George Orwell, 1984.
Isn't this boy happy? Isn't his childhood happy? It is.
Orwell is always very precise. I've talked with hundreds of people who were children in Stalin's Soviet Union, and every one of them admitted having a happy childhood. Even those who were teenagers admitted being happy under Stalin.
What are they happy about? Orwell tells that too: "What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet it produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against teh discipline of the Party. On the contrary, they adored the Party, and everything connected with it.
"The songs, the processions, the banners, the hiking, the drilling with dummy rifles, the yelling of slogans, the worship of Big Brother - it was all a sort of glorious game to them. All their ferrocity was turned outwardes, against the enemies of the State, against foreigners, traitors, saboteurs, thought-criminals."
It's a neat scheme, where every human emotion has a proper application, where everything is in order and has a place. Except freedom.
How much more difficult it is to live in a world where there is no pre-assigned destiny for everyone, where order of things is unclear and vague, and where one is left left leaderless and purposeless, so one may be one's own leader and select one's own purpose.
The truth shall make you free. But it shall also make you unhappy.
There is something very totalitarian about happiness.
@Kurtlane "There is something very totalitarian about happiness."
It is the opposite, actually. If one is happy, they are (by definition, since 'happy') less inclined to be *bothered* by someone's else's behavior. Totalitarianism *relies* on being bothered (ie. unhappy) by another's actions or inaction; so much so that you force your will on them to change their behavior. Happy people do not throw acid in the face of a girl for going to school.
@Pomiferous I am a miserable person and I want nothing to do to people but other people see that and have a problem with it I am not the problem... they are I have done nothing to them but it seems they would have more respect for me if I tell them to GFTs than not speak to them at all
Then go to your local Hospital and tell all the patients that have fatal diseases that its hopeless. I'm sure they would be much happier. Are you retarded, or do you just not know how to type, because your comment about "Hope" was the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Just because "Hope" affected you in one way, doesn't mean it affects others in the same way. And btw, I'm no church goer myself, but I wouldn't just "assume" hope is bad for everyone, just because it sucked for you.
@Kurtlane Like I said, I'm not a church goer, thus the word "Hope" means nothing to me, but I dont go around like an assclown pooping on happy peoples version of hope. Cock munch. ;)
That was pride. Hope is symptom which can come from either good or evil intent. So sure, they hoped they wipe out what they saw as their inferiors, but so what. Cruelty itself is getting pleasure from someone else's pain. This doesn't mean that pleasure itself it bad. Cruelty is a *perversion* of pleasure, and this hope was a perversion of those Nazis believing a lie. As Dennis says, lies are the source of all evil.
Also, the main reason why WWII was so long and brutal was that other countries (like England, France and the US) HOPED that if they only convince and appease Hitler and offer him yet one more concession, war can be avoided. And he knew that, and exploited their hopes for all he could, while his appetite grew and grew.
THe same thing is going on now, in many places at once, If you'd only care to look,
@Iwubchickenwubbins, there was a time when I believed that being happy and positive will make things better. Andf then I crashed. I was 16 at the time.
I could've said, "I must believe more" and repeated the performance, crashing even harder. But instead I chose to learn, to understand the mechanism of what happened.
When truth is bitter, when it contradicts happiness, I still chose to go with truth rather than with happiness.
I have watched this video, and it's not quite "those bs self help things," but it's not all that different either. Towards the end it's practically the same.
Abraham Lincoln's "We are as happy as we decide to be" is a perfect case of "bad things happen to people in a bad mood."
Yes, there are limits. We do need to take showers, we can't spit at people, and we can't just dump our unhappiness on every stranger. But...
Take his argument re. being raised by an unhappy parent. I've seen family after family where kids are raised by parents hiding their unhappiness. Do they think kids are that stupid, that don't sense it, that they don't get tired of endless insincere happiness they get from parents?
Would such a kid not dream of one moment of honesty from their mom or dad?
And if his mom and dad are like that with everyone, don't their entire lives become big lies?
I also tried telling myself, "The happier I act, the happier I will feel." But what happened is that the happier I acted, the more muddle-headed and confused I felt. I chose to learn this lesson too.
I've met with plenty of "think positive" people too, and I am very tired of their stupidity and blindness. It is this positive thinking that makes them stupid and blind, chosing to follow hopes rather than face reality.
I've recently had a major breakup with one such person, who was only unhappy that I wasn't as happy and positive and rah-rah as her. I accepted her positiveness as her personal flaw I could live with. However she, like every dictator-at-heart, could not accept me deing different.
No, happy people don't make the world better. They make it worse. Much, much worse. That's a whole huge story. Neville Chamberlain alone...
@Kurtlane "...recently had a major breakup ... who was only unhappy that I wasn't as happy and positive and rah-rah as her."
Again, the TRUTH is that it is inherently sad this relationship failed. So, she's being obnoxious, if not cruel, to begrudge you for feeling bad about it. Prager would say of course you should feel sad about it, but just don't take out these bad feelings on another. Be or act as pleasant as U can, in spite of your feeling sad, in consideration of the reality another.
@Kurtlane Or I should have said it's inherently sad when a relationship one had such hope for, fails. I mean, that hope was never fulfilled, thus the resulting sadness from fact. There's nothing wrong with feeling sad in response to a sad event. DP's just saying to be aware that this event has nothing to do with, for example, the cashier at the store; and barking or frowning at her because you're feeling sad only hurts her and spreads the misery. Like his bad breath analogy. Simple & true.
@Kurtlane You wrote: "main reason why WWII was so long and brutal was that other countries...HOPED that if they only convince and appease Hitler"
Yet this hope was based on false belief, that there is no such thing as real evil. (obviously true evil cannot be appeased) Again, they were believing a lie. Hope is a symptom, not a cause, which is what you seem to be arguing. ie. If they acknowledged the truth that these were evil people, they would than have had proper hope in their destruction.
:"Life has become better. Life has become happier." - Joseph Stalin
"It's like someone sticking a knife in your back, saying, 'You must be happy! You must be happy! You must be happy!'" - Dmitry Shostakovich, about repression against him under Stalin
Plenty of Communists were happily "fightng capitalism" and "building socialism."
He'e an ass who deserves to be attacked, and he's brainwashed you sheeple with his self-righteous drivel. I hope ypu sheeple snap out of his spell soon.
@4wheelerDJ It's much better to fall under the spell of gloom and desperation with proper disdain attached.Otherwise; negative influences would feel dissed and under appreciated.Having happy people dictate behaviour is totaly unacceptable during a journey of despair.
Ergh. There's a kernel of truth in it, certainly, and I'd agree as far as advocating not spraying your misery all over everybody else--a little restraint is generally considered part of being an adult. But the argument's definitely tremendously overstated, making it sound rather terribly callous and short-sighted. Of course, commenting in serious detail would be a short psych paper, not a 500-character blurb...
This guy is just the king of oversimplifying things.. in his ideal world people would be walking around with paper bags over their head with smiley faces drawn on them...
@jnick1980 Then as a general rule one should not go around encouraging people to act happy because they may have recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer ? Trying to fit every exception into an acceptable modus operandi may prove impossible.I definatly need some slack in the bad mood department from time to time.
@jnick1980 No, one should feel entitled to have a sour disposition if the circumstances dictate it.After all, authenticity would seem to demand it.The cult of negative thinking should not be discriminated against.
Prager does not advocate covering your unhappiness. He advocates not being a jerk and making the rest of the world unhappy with your "victim" unhappiness attitude. I know all about depression, and how hard it is to pull yourself out of it. I regret that I hurt people during that time of my life and am glad I can embrace a more healthy point of view. Prager's philosophy is nothing new. Look up Viktor Frankl.
@Ontologistics That's what Prager does best. Very simplistic black and white "answers" to very complicated and complex issues. How anyone can take what he says in this video seriously is beyond me. If a person is always unhappy, how about suggesting ways they can get to the root of their unhappiness or depression and work on that instead of just telling "Pretend to be happy even if you aren't" - which is exactly what he is advocating.
@jnick1980 Indeed. He has a very simplistic narrow black and white veiw of the world, of people and of their lives and problems. He presents very simplistic "solutions" to very complex issues. Things a parent would tell a five year old in order to make them feel better and mollify them. He has no sense of nuance or making an honest intelectual effort to analyze complex issues. Just simplistic feel good nonsense - the intelectual version of taking a zanax and ignoring the root problems.
This smacks a bit too much of the Orwellian happy pill fake perfect reality dystopia. Sit there and wear a fake smile while we take all your liberties away. I think it is more important to know what is actually going on in the world and to share that information with your neighbor, even though it makes him upset, than it is to sit there, lie, and pretend everything is all right. I guess I am still holding out hope that we can get everyone off the train tracks before the train comes.
Indeed, acting on all of ones feelings could be a dangerous merry go round for adults.Nothing wrong with a little foul mood suppressant from time to time.
@Pomiferous I don't think anyone has said that people should just act upon raw emotions regardless of the consequences. Being human means experiencing the full spectrum of human emotions - that includes sadness and unhappiness. If you received a diagnosis of terminal cancer next week do you thing you would be happy or in a mood to pretned that you were happy? There are times when it is appropriate to be unhappy , to be sad or to be angry.
One may ask is "being/acting happy" despite circumstances delusional thinking? It would be if those bad circumstances ARE what made you happy. Like saying white is black. If you're happy DESPITE it, you're holding on hope, seeing/acting on the bigger picture. In a sense, you have to believe in something (or Someone) bigger than your situation... which is usually how hope works. Like how a kid will HOPE to eventually be a doctor despite that fact he's still 6 years old.
Honesty is a more important moral obligation than just about anything else, and if someone is honestly upset or angry or sad, then rather than ignoring that, people should instead learn how to express themselves without being petty, violent, or childish. Just as deodorant only hides what is making one smell bad, a false smile and sweet words only hide what could be or become a serious problem.
People are sometimes happy and sometimes unhappy. That's life. Too pretend one is happy when they are not is ridiculous. That type of delusional thinking is dangerous and blinds one to reality. If Mr. Prager suddenly lost his career, money and home I some how doubt he would be 'happy' or in a mood to pretend he was happy.
@Pomiferous Like Dennis says, like Dennis says - can't you come up with something on your own instead of mindless parotting this windbag? What you propose is falseness and the cult of 'positive thinking' - both of which lead to dangerous delusional thinking. One ends up living in some fantasy land, unable to cope with or face reality.
@Pomiferous If one is unhappy or sad, to pretend they are otherwise is ridiculous. They should develop skills to deal with it in a healthy way and to overcome it but not to deny it, which is what Prager is advocating - deny it and pretend all is ok. Just be a robot with a fake smile who only allows themselves to experience one emotion. Very unhealthy.
@jnicholas1980 I do not remember Dennis mentioning denial or pretending.You must be reading your own thoughts into it.Many people make up complex arguments against things that were never said based strictly on personal projection.It is especially common in the political arena.
@Pomiferous That is exactly what he is implying - he offers no suggestions or ideas about how people may learn to cope with sadness or unhappiness - only insists that people must "be" happy at all times (ie. pretend to be happy even if they are not).
@TheJediCharles Yeah right. Sorry for "inflicting on you" a bad state of mind resulted by my global misbelief and negative attitude. How about just trying being responsible for your own mood next time?
It doesn't surprise me you accuse me of having a bad mood for doing nothing more than disagreeing with you. It just further illustrates the only contribution you have to make here.
I don't blame you for trying to equalize me to you and infer we both are failing to live up to Prager's ideals, because if I were you, I'd be embarrassed too. But, just because I oppose your views and your way of expressing them that does not mean I'm in or showed a bad mood.
Again, quoting you; "suggesting a sort of behavior doesn't necessarily implicate the existence of the opposite behavior and definitely is not considered to be an accusation."
What evasive poppycock. I wonder if you'd defer to that logic if I told you "how about not being a (insert whatever expletive here) next time?"
@TheJediCharles suggesting a sort of behavior doesn't necessarily imply an existence of the opposite one, and is far from being considered as an accusation.
How about coming straight out with it then. Instead of insisting you weren't accusing me of having a bad mood, tell me specifically what you WERE saying, in a direct, non-evasive, non-cryptic, non-snide fashion.
Decode this statement of yours...
"How about just trying being responsible for your own mood next time?"
@TheJediCharles well its not a profound one. First - the edge cases of small kid & parents are correct, because the kid can't be responsible. Other cases are ridiculous.
Weeping about having a bad mood because your co-workers have a bad mood sounds like a kindergarden song. if i have an ugly face that looks gloomy, should i put on a stupid non stop smile now. people have personalities. they are not always happy whatever happens. anyway the whole idea is a joke and the discussion is a joke
Your pompous elitist snobbery never takes a break does it?
You may think you are succeeding at confusing me, but it's really a pathetic display. You don't need to answer the question for MY benefit or education, but for YOURS. You're obviously not used to being held accountable to what you say and addicted to "hit-and-run" character assassination.
Well, there's no better word to describe what you're full of than the very first word you said on this video.
In this vein, I have noticed that whenever I am feeling down, I tend to do less for others, like say picking up a piece of trash on my campus or opening the door for a girl or calling my family less frequently.
You have no moral obligation to be, or act, as if you're happy. But, for your own happiness, it's a good idea. It's an even better idea to love, even those you despise, like "muslims" or "liberals."
Thank you Dennis. Your efforts are appreciated and revered and I cannot thank you enough for your work . I am very grateful and happy for your highly regarded knowledge.
Jake you are an idiot.Mr Prager has hellped thousands of people with his wisdom and knowlege.I have learned alot and look forward to his broadcast.You need to open your peesized brain and actually listen to the mans heart.He is one of the good guys.........
I think this is the most important lesson that I have learned, since I first stumbled on Dennis' columns back in 2002, and then started listening to his show.
Was listening to "Prager U" today on the radio, lucky it's free, cause it ain't worth a cent. He was going on that only Marxist & leftists think work is unpleasant & people don't want to work. So is that why they charge admission to amusement parks & movies but have to pay people to come & work? Why would they have bosses to watch over the workers if everyone loved to work so much? Prager attributes everything wrong in the world or human nature to the "LEFT". Such pseudo-intellectual drivel!
@jakefree24 wow! What a scintillating, BLAZING retort. You have elevated the dialog here almost to the level of PeeWee Herman. "I know you are, but what am I?"
@jakefree24 You're missing an important point. Prager stated that Leftists/Marxists may consider work to be necessary, but tragically necessary. They don't regard work as uplifting, but degrading and counterproductive to what people should be doing: hobbies, vacations, art, etc.
You cannot reason people out of emotional states. This is why procrastination, bad diets, and failed attempts at quitting smoking are so common. These people logically know what they are doing is wrong or counterproductive, but they cannot fight off the emotional states that drive their actions. Tell a person to "act happy" when they are feeling down. If they are open-minded, they might already know this, but chances are they don't want to put in the energy to go against their emotions.
That's why (good) psychologists recommend regular cardiovascular exercise for people who are depressed. They'll find that their energy level rises, their mood brightens, and that, in turn, fosters better relationships with others. But if they wallow in their depression, then it only gets worse.
Furthermore, if you really believed in this stuff, you would not have even mentioned the fact that your relative died a year ago. That's not a happy topic. Way to practice what you preach.
How would you define "happy as possible"? I think most people already try to be happy - acting happy is a part of social skills. But sometimes one is so far into negative emotions that it would simply take too much energy to be happy. This is where you have the people who are openly sad or angry. They would likely want to be happier, but try to reason with them that by acting "as happy as possible", they will become happier, and I will send you a dollar if they become happier.
So if I were starving, burning or freezing to death, and dying of cancer, I'm still morally obligated to act happy? If I told you this and all you think is "I don't wanna hear it, you make the world a crappy place", then you can go GET FUCKED!
Sure, people can be unhappy about minor issues which can be annoying to hear, but do you really expect people to act happy if things like the above were happening to them? If so, then you are completely unrealistic.
I'll wager that nothing so serious is going on in your life, and yet look at you. You aren't even trying to exude happiness. Nothing but a dark cloud of crude anger.
2:50 "...don't inflict your bad mood onto anybody"
A relative of mine died about a year ago from cancer. She was a wonderful woman, but during her last years, she did tremendous damage to relationships with friends and family, as a result of her fear and pain.
I'm not angry, nor am I complaining about my life. I live pretty comfortably and I am grateful. I'm just saying that to constantly expect people to act happy all the time is simply unrealistic. Sorry to hear about your relative, but it sounds like you are actually blaming HER for the damage to the relationships within your family. If I am picturing this correctly, she needed some consoling and support as she approached her final moments. Is that really so hard to understand?
When did communists become "unhappy people". I am sure there are many Americans both inside and outside the US suffering from the capitalists that live here. And certainly some of those capitalists may be quite happy, despite the pain and suffering they create. Happy is certainly better than unhappy, but aren't we really talking about kindness. Isn't kindness the action that comes out of happiness and don't actions speak louder than words or facial expression?
I love this philosophy. It seems like all people want to do now days is spread drama, and generally it is of a negative patter. The more happy I am, the more happiness I spread, and the more happy it makes me. It is contagious. Happiness does not depend on my circumstances. That is the beauty of it.
Jesus in his day was popularly considered a Rabbi by some Jews. He said that he had come to fulfill the previous Old Testament scriptures, not to overthrow them. Jews do not believe he was the Messiah of the earlier scriptures because accordingly when the Messiah comes, the whole world will change including the fallen order of nature. Obviously no such thing has yet happened. Believing in Jesus is not sufficient for it to happen. Essentially we are to become like him if that is to happen.
It seems to me that the importance of compartmentalizing emotions was covered to a considerable degree in this Video.. Certainly it pertains. Although there are techniques for compartmentalizing such as don't wallow in your emotions, Ultimately, being happy comes down to personal disposition of the will. That disposition of the will is possible is rooted in the spiritual mystery of each and every one of us having individual free will choice.
I have noticed that on YouTube my comments will sometimes appear out of sequence and distort the significance of what I was saying. Apostrophes and quotation marks may be missing. But the spelling and grammar doesnt get changed. I think that whatever one's religion, one is morally obliged to behave happily and not inflict ones moods on others. I don't like it when others gratuitously dump their foul moods on me. Whether a "Christian" or not, very few people are in a good mood all the time.
Take for instance, can safely me ignored in the below comment. That actually said safely be ignored. Now if you know about typing, you realize that one would not make that kind of typo. You make the b and the m with entirely different fingers and hands. Plus, I proofread my comments. That typo was entirely created. And, I've noticed that it happens all the time.
Wow, you truly are schizophrenic... I thought I was having a discussion with a normal person with a few skewed beliefs, but now I see the whole picture. Don't worry, I won't be replying to you, changing subjects (yes, your rebuttals were oh so intelligent), and hacking YouTube to mess with your comments anymore. LOL! And please stop claiming to be Christian when you are so full of hate and foul language. (psst look out behind you!)
Did anyone else ever notice that when your comments appear somewhere there are ALWAYS typos and misspellings even though they clearly weren't there when you typed your comment?
thepaledeaths comments have mostly all been removed in order to take my comments out of context and make it look like I'm just spewing anti-Jew crap and can me safely ignored. Obviously my comments must have been pretty threatening if they have to resort to that kind of shit.
I would like to know who keeps jumbling the order of the comments and why. As anyone can see, the comment about the "amazing point of view" is out of order and was pushed to the top by someone. No real surprise though.
"A lecture about ones moral obligation to "act happy" is absurd and pathetic.
He is forced to sink to this level because he is a Jew and has nothing else."
I'll have you know that Jesus (ie. God) made and loves Dennis every bit as much as He loves you. Also, please remember that Jesus is not only God, He is also Jewish.
My original statement consisted of a 23 word sentence that didn't even mention Jews. You are really annoying. As soon as your comments are rebutted, you immediately change the subject and respond to something that was never said. It's okay for you to say the Jews are benighted, but not me.
And he's not trying to influence moods. His point is that everyone has a moral obligation to ACT happy.
That's okay, Paulette. Being a great speller doesn't make the world a better place. True, it projects an image of yourself being more academically perfect, but even Hitler had a sound education and perhaps spelled great.
But, not acting on your unhappiness does make the world a better place. To deny that is to say that you have no bearing on the world. I reject that you are that irrelevant. And, when you have a good reason to be down, your effort to act happy anyway makes the world better.
Yea, in fact Hitler had a lot going for him. That's why the Germans loved him so much. Because he did so much for them. I'm sure he did spell very well. I'm sure he did many things very well. He well may have been academically perfect, I'm not really sure. I feel fairly confident that acting happy was not too high on his list, but he still managed to accomplish a lot of positive things for his people. And that's important.
Well, he did accomplish destroying his nation, if that's what you mean by "positive things".
But, you seem to have missed my point, and dare I say meant to.
My point is that if you seem to hold high value in being seen as a good speller by others. Why do you think that matters more than not acting on your unhappiness?
"...he (Hitler) still managed to accomplish a lot of positive things for his people. And that's important."
Why do you say it was important? Whatever good he did, we (decent people everywhere) could have done without considering all the evil he did. I mean, how could he do enough good in a million lifetimes (much less his one) to justify his existence enough to appreciate the good he did do as "important"?
What is moral obligation?
MrAbdullah23 5 days ago
Brilliant Simply Brilliant
Keep up the great work Dennis!!!
yair1010 2 weeks ago
This is the reason why the 50's are parodied.. so many miserable people repressing their real feelings, emotions, pressures, and psyche and ending up as addicts of various substances or activities. I'd say there are levels of expression. I express to strangers and aquaintances one level, while to close friends and family a different level. So if Dennis is talking about that first level, then I agree - it's a superficial mood that comes across as pleasant civility. Otherwise, it's Stepford.
brothermoon 1 month ago
bring on the money!!!!
Ogram1000 1 month ago
I Love you, Dennis.
Decepticon491985 2 months ago
This is so great that you're trying to change the world that way.. i think you should be awarded
xBangittyBang 3 months ago
This should be required viewing for all those grumpy old tea party complainers. BTW what's with showing a bare man's ass crack?
elementalpuck 3 months ago
@elementalpuck BTW, I am a tea party advocate, I am neither grumpy nor old, nor are most of us. We are alarmed. I and I dare say, we are happier than most liberal elitist complainers, which I suspect you are among :)
4202jcjc 2 days ago
If a man is made happy by raping young children, is it his moral obligation to do that? According to Prager in that video it seems so. There's some truth to what he's saying, but there's lot more to it.
SPRoubi2020 3 months ago
@SPRoubi2020 How can you possibly insinuate that Prager in this message is advocating, "Do whatever makes you happy, even if it is raping a young child"? Are you so depraved and cynical that you have to stretch that far to put someone of such obvious wisdom down? You should take a look at yourself, Mr. "some truth-er".
4202jcjc 2 days ago
@4202jcjc ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
SPRoubi2020 2 days ago
Happiness is not synonymous with kindness. I have problems with depression and am rarely happy, but I am always kind to people I encounter whom deserve kindness. I will not be kind to a racist, a misogynist, or someone who is rude to others; those people do not deserve kindness.
that1commandment 3 months ago
This is greate. Let's let love guide our ways!
chrstilen5 4 months ago
@chrstilen5 It seems you have perhaps missed Dennis' point. Love is primarily an emotional response - at least that's the common cultural meaning and generally the meaning behind most of the 'love guiding us' comments we hear. Rather, he is espousing just the opposite, that we do not go in that direction. Love is a result; it is a choice. And it often is not the easy road.
However, If I have misunderstood you, then we are in agreement. Which is a good thing! All the best.
robkal56 4 months ago
@robkal56 I meant that you'd love other people enogh, to spread happiness. So kinda like, love someone and therfor do someting for him. I hope you anderstand what I meant. ^_^
chrstilen5 4 months ago
Dennis Prager for president.... this man has more wisdom than my entire graduating class combined.
Geeksandbeats 4 months ago
This was wisdom taught by Rabbi Nachman in the 19th century, "Mitzvah Gedolah Le'hiyot Besimcha Tamid" It is a great mitzvah(commandment) to be happy always".
BornInTzyon 4 months ago
Communists really?
TheBigtazzy 4 months ago
I was always hapy with my life and am even more happier after seeing this video of ur's... Thnx a lot for this wonderful video.... God bless...:)
ProjEnggMSPL10 4 months ago
Wonderful video!
bw01a 4 months ago
Good sermon(?) but the Lincoln smile really freaks me out!
ShishirYerramilli 6 months ago
u r great
links3712 6 months ago
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@Kurtlane I am sorry if you think that I was serious when I included pshhh in the sentence and even after I said "This totally isn't one of those bs self help things where bad things happen to people in a bad mood.", but if you just used my comment to share your views then I can understand. On the parent thing, why would the child cling on to the parent? Why not find different parental figures or just live without them? On the other section although I have read Anthem but not 1984.
Iwubchickenwubbins 7 months ago
Here is a book "The Uses of Pessimism: And the Danger of False Hope" by Roger Scruton.
I haven't read it, but it sounds good.
Kurtlane 7 months ago
"Up with your hands!" yelled a savage voice.
A handsome tough-looking boy of nine had popped up from behind a table and was menacing him with a toy automatic pistol, while his small sister, about two years younger, made the same gesture with a fragment of wood. ... Winston raised his hands above his head, but with an unseasy feeling, so vicious was the boy's demeanor, that it was not altogether a game.
(cont.)
Kurtlane 7 months ago
(cont. quote)
"You're a traitor!" yelled the boy. You're a thought-criminal! You're a Eurasian spy, I'll shoot you, I'll vaporise you, I'll send you to the salt mines!" - George Orwell, 1984.
Isn't this boy happy? Isn't his childhood happy? It is.
Orwell is always very precise. I've talked with hundreds of people who were children in Stalin's Soviet Union, and every one of them admitted having a happy childhood. Even those who were teenagers admitted being happy under Stalin.
(cont.)
Kurtlane 7 months ago
What are they happy about? Orwell tells that too: "What was worst of all was that by means of such organizations as the Spies they were systematically turned into ungovernable little savages, and yet it produced in them no tendency whatever to rebel against teh discipline of the Party. On the contrary, they adored the Party, and everything connected with it.
(cont.)
Kurtlane 7 months ago
(cont. quote)
"The songs, the processions, the banners, the hiking, the drilling with dummy rifles, the yelling of slogans, the worship of Big Brother - it was all a sort of glorious game to them. All their ferrocity was turned outwardes, against the enemies of the State, against foreigners, traitors, saboteurs, thought-criminals."
It's a neat scheme, where every human emotion has a proper application, where everything is in order and has a place. Except freedom.
(cont.)
Kurtlane 7 months ago
How much more difficult it is to live in a world where there is no pre-assigned destiny for everyone, where order of things is unclear and vague, and where one is left left leaderless and purposeless, so one may be one's own leader and select one's own purpose.
The truth shall make you free. But it shall also make you unhappy.
There is something very totalitarian about happiness.
Kurtlane 7 months ago
@Kurtlane "There is something very totalitarian about happiness."
It is the opposite, actually. If one is happy, they are (by definition, since 'happy') less inclined to be *bothered* by someone's else's behavior. Totalitarianism *relies* on being bothered (ie. unhappy) by another's actions or inaction; so much so that you force your will on them to change their behavior. Happy people do not throw acid in the face of a girl for going to school.
itreeye 7 months ago
@itreeye Good point.Happy people seldom go around inflicting angry acts on others.
Pomiferous 2 months ago
@Pomiferous I am a miserable person and I want nothing to do to people but other people see that and have a problem with it I am not the problem... they are I have done nothing to them but it seems they would have more respect for me if I tell them to GFTs than not speak to them at all
SWEP2AOTC2002 2 months ago
Interesting point, Pomiferous.
4wheelerDJ 8 months ago
All my life, I was a very grim person.
But recently I have become a bit happier. It happened when I realized and accepted that everything is hopeless.
When Pandora opened that box and all sorts of evils flew out, hope remained. I think that of all the evils, it was the worst.
Hope is the core reason for unhappiness. Hope is also the great reason for mad nonsense like Nazism or Communism. I hate hope.
Kurtlane 9 months ago
@Kurtlane
Then go to your local Hospital and tell all the patients that have fatal diseases that its hopeless. I'm sure they would be much happier. Are you retarded, or do you just not know how to type, because your comment about "Hope" was the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Just because "Hope" affected you in one way, doesn't mean it affects others in the same way. And btw, I'm no church goer myself, but I wouldn't just "assume" hope is bad for everyone, just because it sucked for you.
xCALCIUMx 8 months ago
@xCALCIUMx, what a polite dude you are.
Roght, you've known the ultimate truth since you were in a kindergarden, and everyone who thinks differently is a retard.
No point wasting my time on you. You have no idea what I mean, nor do you want to learn.
Go with your hope, and choke on it also.
Kurtlane 8 months ago
@Kurtlane Like I said, I'm not a church goer, thus the word "Hope" means nothing to me, but I dont go around like an assclown pooping on happy peoples version of hope. Cock munch. ;)
xCALCIUMx 8 months ago
@xCALCIUMx, yes you do, baby.
You've done it to me in your previous post, and again in the latest.
The oldest trick in the world: you push yourself up by putting others down.
In my first post aobut hope, I wasn't attacking you, or anyone in particular. I just said what I thought and felt. You don't like it - don't read it.
You, however, went right into personal attack on me. So who is the assclown?
One day someone will kick your self-righteous ass.
Kurtlane 8 months ago
@Kurtlane ITS OK, I STILL LOVE YOU.
xCALCIUMx 8 months ago
@xCALCIUMx, sorry, I am a sworn celibate.
Kurtlane 8 months ago
@Kurtlane You wrote: "Hope started Nazism"
That was pride. Hope is symptom which can come from either good or evil intent. So sure, they hoped they wipe out what they saw as their inferiors, but so what. Cruelty itself is getting pleasure from someone else's pain. This doesn't mean that pleasure itself it bad. Cruelty is a *perversion* of pleasure, and this hope was a perversion of those Nazis believing a lie. As Dennis says, lies are the source of all evil.
itreeye 7 months ago
@Kurtlane TO SAY HOPE STARTED NAZISM.......IM FLABBERGASTED THAT YOU WOULD UDDER SUCH IGNORANCE IN MY PRESENCE SIR.
xCALCIUMx 8 months ago
@xCALCIUMx, yes, it did start Nazism. Take a look at how it was born in the defeat, humiliation and poverty of Germany right after WWI.
Also the Nazis fought so hard because they had HOPE that their ideas would win.
Kurtlane 8 months ago
Also, the main reason why WWII was so long and brutal was that other countries (like England, France and the US) HOPED that if they only convince and appease Hitler and offer him yet one more concession, war can be avoided. And he knew that, and exploited their hopes for all he could, while his appetite grew and grew.
THe same thing is going on now, in many places at once, If you'd only care to look,
Kurtlane 8 months ago
@Kurtlane Pshh, you obviously didn't watch the video.
They had to believe harder man. This totally isn't one of those bs self help things where bad things happen to people in a bad mood.
Iwubchickenwubbins 7 months ago
@Iwubchickenwubbins, there was a time when I believed that being happy and positive will make things better. Andf then I crashed. I was 16 at the time.
I could've said, "I must believe more" and repeated the performance, crashing even harder. But instead I chose to learn, to understand the mechanism of what happened.
When truth is bitter, when it contradicts happiness, I still chose to go with truth rather than with happiness.
(cont.)
Kurtlane 7 months ago
I have watched this video, and it's not quite "those bs self help things," but it's not all that different either. Towards the end it's practically the same.
Abraham Lincoln's "We are as happy as we decide to be" is a perfect case of "bad things happen to people in a bad mood."
Yes, there are limits. We do need to take showers, we can't spit at people, and we can't just dump our unhappiness on every stranger. But...
(cont.)
Kurtlane 7 months ago
Take his argument re. being raised by an unhappy parent. I've seen family after family where kids are raised by parents hiding their unhappiness. Do they think kids are that stupid, that don't sense it, that they don't get tired of endless insincere happiness they get from parents?
Would such a kid not dream of one moment of honesty from their mom or dad?
And if his mom and dad are like that with everyone, don't their entire lives become big lies?
(cont.)
Kurtlane 7 months ago
I also tried telling myself, "The happier I act, the happier I will feel." But what happened is that the happier I acted, the more muddle-headed and confused I felt. I chose to learn this lesson too.
I've met with plenty of "think positive" people too, and I am very tired of their stupidity and blindness. It is this positive thinking that makes them stupid and blind, chosing to follow hopes rather than face reality.
(cont.)
Kurtlane 7 months ago
I've recently had a major breakup with one such person, who was only unhappy that I wasn't as happy and positive and rah-rah as her. I accepted her positiveness as her personal flaw I could live with. However she, like every dictator-at-heart, could not accept me deing different.
No, happy people don't make the world better. They make it worse. Much, much worse. That's a whole huge story. Neville Chamberlain alone...
(cont.)
Kurtlane 7 months ago
And many terrorists are quite happy doing what they do. Same with Communist or Nazi fanatics.
And no, we don't all always have the capacity. I've been where I couldn't even answer when I was told "Good morning."
Sorry, but I see honesty and integrity as moral obligations. Not happiness.
Kurtlane 7 months ago
@Kurtlane "...recently had a major breakup ... who was only unhappy that I wasn't as happy and positive and rah-rah as her."
Again, the TRUTH is that it is inherently sad this relationship failed. So, she's being obnoxious, if not cruel, to begrudge you for feeling bad about it. Prager would say of course you should feel sad about it, but just don't take out these bad feelings on another. Be or act as pleasant as U can, in spite of your feeling sad, in consideration of the reality another.
itreeye 7 months ago
@Kurtlane Or I should have said it's inherently sad when a relationship one had such hope for, fails. I mean, that hope was never fulfilled, thus the resulting sadness from fact. There's nothing wrong with feeling sad in response to a sad event. DP's just saying to be aware that this event has nothing to do with, for example, the cashier at the store; and barking or frowning at her because you're feeling sad only hurts her and spreads the misery. Like his bad breath analogy. Simple & true.
itreeye 7 months ago
@Kurtlane You wrote: "main reason why WWII was so long and brutal was that other countries...HOPED that if they only convince and appease Hitler"
Yet this hope was based on false belief, that there is no such thing as real evil. (obviously true evil cannot be appeased) Again, they were believing a lie. Hope is a symptom, not a cause, which is what you seem to be arguing. ie. If they acknowledged the truth that these were evil people, they would than have had proper hope in their destruction.
itreeye 7 months ago
I have a big problem with this.
:"Life has become better. Life has become happier." - Joseph Stalin
"It's like someone sticking a knife in your back, saying, 'You must be happy! You must be happy! You must be happy!'" - Dmitry Shostakovich, about repression against him under Stalin
Plenty of Communists were happily "fightng capitalism" and "building socialism."
There is something very totalitarian about this.
Kurtlane 9 months ago
He'e an ass who deserves to be attacked, and he's brainwashed you sheeple with his self-righteous drivel. I hope ypu sheeple snap out of his spell soon.
4wheelerDJ 9 months ago
@4wheelerDJ It's much better to fall under the spell of gloom and desperation with proper disdain attached.Otherwise; negative influences would feel dissed and under appreciated.Having happy people dictate behaviour is totaly unacceptable during a journey of despair.
Pomiferous 8 months ago
Prager is one of the dumbest and most self-righteous turds in the history of broadcasting.
4wheelerDJ 9 months ago
@4wheelerDJ
And intellectually he could pop you like the little zit that you are...how does that make you feel?
bw01a 9 months ago
@4wheelerDJ How about next time attack his ideas instead of him as a person? It's much more respectable that way.
angelddaz 9 months ago
Ergh. There's a kernel of truth in it, certainly, and I'd agree as far as advocating not spraying your misery all over everybody else--a little restraint is generally considered part of being an adult. But the argument's definitely tremendously overstated, making it sound rather terribly callous and short-sighted. Of course, commenting in serious detail would be a short psych paper, not a 500-character blurb...
pardusardens 9 months ago
This guy is just the king of oversimplifying things.. in his ideal world people would be walking around with paper bags over their head with smiley faces drawn on them...
a575981735977018 9 months ago
@jnick1980 Then as a general rule one should not go around encouraging people to act happy because they may have recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer ? Trying to fit every exception into an acceptable modus operandi may prove impossible.I definatly need some slack in the bad mood department from time to time.
Pomiferous 9 months ago
@jnick1980 No, one should feel entitled to have a sour disposition if the circumstances dictate it.After all, authenticity would seem to demand it.The cult of negative thinking should not be discriminated against.
Pomiferous 9 months ago
It's the PC police! Watch out!
riethc 9 months ago
amm interestin point ov view
soussasuper 10 months ago
obvius troll is obvius
espacially on april fools
LostInNumbers 10 months ago
Prager does not advocate covering your unhappiness. He advocates not being a jerk and making the rest of the world unhappy with your "victim" unhappiness attitude. I know all about depression, and how hard it is to pull yourself out of it. I regret that I hurt people during that time of my life and am glad I can embrace a more healthy point of view. Prager's philosophy is nothing new. Look up Viktor Frankl.
skitzoidlady 10 months ago
This is in error - watch my video on neo-nihilism.
In fact this video is ridiculously simplistic.
Ontologistics 10 months ago
@Ontologistics That's what Prager does best. Very simplistic black and white "answers" to very complicated and complex issues. How anyone can take what he says in this video seriously is beyond me. If a person is always unhappy, how about suggesting ways they can get to the root of their unhappiness or depression and work on that instead of just telling "Pretend to be happy even if you aren't" - which is exactly what he is advocating.
MaryJo1950 10 months ago
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This is in error. Watch my video on neo-nihilism.
Ontologistics 10 months ago
let's just be happy people.....
djaiseman 10 months ago 2
@jnick1980 Indeed. He has a very simplistic narrow black and white veiw of the world, of people and of their lives and problems. He presents very simplistic "solutions" to very complex issues. Things a parent would tell a five year old in order to make them feel better and mollify them. He has no sense of nuance or making an honest intelectual effort to analyze complex issues. Just simplistic feel good nonsense - the intelectual version of taking a zanax and ignoring the root problems.
MaryJo1950 10 months ago
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MaryJo1950 10 months ago
1 credit down, 199 credits left.
TheGreenteawithmilk 11 months ago
This smacks a bit too much of the Orwellian happy pill fake perfect reality dystopia. Sit there and wear a fake smile while we take all your liberties away. I think it is more important to know what is actually going on in the world and to share that information with your neighbor, even though it makes him upset, than it is to sit there, lie, and pretend everything is all right. I guess I am still holding out hope that we can get everyone off the train tracks before the train comes.
Hilary15212 11 months ago
Indeed, acting on all of ones feelings could be a dangerous merry go round for adults.Nothing wrong with a little foul mood suppressant from time to time.
Pomiferous 1 year ago
@Pomiferous I don't think anyone has said that people should just act upon raw emotions regardless of the consequences. Being human means experiencing the full spectrum of human emotions - that includes sadness and unhappiness. If you received a diagnosis of terminal cancer next week do you thing you would be happy or in a mood to pretned that you were happy? There are times when it is appropriate to be unhappy , to be sad or to be angry.
jnicholas1980 1 year ago
One may ask is "being/acting happy" despite circumstances delusional thinking? It would be if those bad circumstances ARE what made you happy. Like saying white is black. If you're happy DESPITE it, you're holding on hope, seeing/acting on the bigger picture. In a sense, you have to believe in something (or Someone) bigger than your situation... which is usually how hope works. Like how a kid will HOPE to eventually be a doctor despite that fact he's still 6 years old.
daart1234 1 year ago
Please expound on the benefits attached to negative thinking.
Pomiferous 1 year ago
Honesty is a more important moral obligation than just about anything else, and if someone is honestly upset or angry or sad, then rather than ignoring that, people should instead learn how to express themselves without being petty, violent, or childish. Just as deodorant only hides what is making one smell bad, a false smile and sweet words only hide what could be or become a serious problem.
LANCEOFDONGINUS 1 year ago
@LANCEOFDONGINUS You said it very well!
jnicholas1980 1 year ago
People are sometimes happy and sometimes unhappy. That's life. Too pretend one is happy when they are not is ridiculous. That type of delusional thinking is dangerous and blinds one to reality. If Mr. Prager suddenly lost his career, money and home I some how doubt he would be 'happy' or in a mood to pretend he was happy.
jnicholas1980 1 year ago
@jnicholas1980 Like Dennis says.Bad breath and body odor are more authentic....
Pomiferous 1 year ago
@Pomiferous Like Dennis says, like Dennis says - can't you come up with something on your own instead of mindless parotting this windbag? What you propose is falseness and the cult of 'positive thinking' - both of which lead to dangerous delusional thinking. One ends up living in some fantasy land, unable to cope with or face reality.
jnicholas1980 1 year ago
@Pomiferous If one is unhappy or sad, to pretend they are otherwise is ridiculous. They should develop skills to deal with it in a healthy way and to overcome it but not to deny it, which is what Prager is advocating - deny it and pretend all is ok. Just be a robot with a fake smile who only allows themselves to experience one emotion. Very unhealthy.
jnicholas1980 1 year ago
@jnicholas1980 I do not remember Dennis mentioning denial or pretending.You must be reading your own thoughts into it.Many people make up complex arguments against things that were never said based strictly on personal projection.It is especially common in the political arena.
Pomiferous 1 year ago
@Pomiferous That is exactly what he is implying - he offers no suggestions or ideas about how people may learn to cope with sadness or unhappiness - only insists that people must "be" happy at all times (ie. pretend to be happy even if they are not).
xexixk 1 year ago
bullshit
logout1 1 year ago
@logout1
Thank you for offering yourself as Exhibit A proving Prager's point.
TheJediCharles 1 year ago 9
Comment removed
logout1 1 year ago
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@TheJediCharles Yeah right. Sorry for "inflicting on you" a bad state of mind resulted by my global misbelief and negative attitude. How about just trying being responsible for your own mood next time?
logout1 1 year ago
@logout1
It doesn't surprise me you accuse me of having a bad mood for doing nothing more than disagreeing with you. It just further illustrates the only contribution you have to make here.
I don't blame you for trying to equalize me to you and infer we both are failing to live up to Prager's ideals, because if I were you, I'd be embarrassed too. But, just because I oppose your views and your way of expressing them that does not mean I'm in or showed a bad mood.
Sorry if that makes yours worse.
TheJediCharles 1 year ago 7
@TheJediCharles =) =D =) =D =)
machpc 8 months ago
@logout1 i do not accuse. i am not inventing "things" about others.
logout1 1 year ago
@logout1
Of course you're accusing me. I quote you. "How about just trying being responsible for your own mood next time?"
What are you saying there if you are not accusing me of not being responsible for my mood this time?
TheJediCharles 1 year ago 3
Comment removed
logout1 1 year ago
@logout1
Again, quoting you; "suggesting a sort of behavior doesn't necessarily implicate the existence of the opposite behavior and definitely is not considered to be an accusation."
What evasive poppycock. I wonder if you'd defer to that logic if I told you "how about not being a (insert whatever expletive here) next time?"
Again, I don't blame you for deleting it.
TheJediCharles 1 year ago 3
@TheJediCharles deleted because confused imply vs implicate
logout1 1 year ago
@TheJediCharles suggesting a sort of behavior doesn't necessarily imply an existence of the opposite one, and is far from being considered as an accusation.
logout1 1 year ago
@logout1
How about coming straight out with it then. Instead of insisting you weren't accusing me of having a bad mood, tell me specifically what you WERE saying, in a direct, non-evasive, non-cryptic, non-snide fashion.
Decode this statement of yours...
"How about just trying being responsible for your own mood next time?"
If I have it wrong, what DOES that mean?
TheJediCharles 1 year ago 3
@TheJediCharles well its not a profound one. First - the edge cases of small kid & parents are correct, because the kid can't be responsible. Other cases are ridiculous.
Weeping about having a bad mood because your co-workers have a bad mood sounds like a kindergarden song. if i have an ugly face that looks gloomy, should i put on a stupid non stop smile now. people have personalities. they are not always happy whatever happens. anyway the whole idea is a joke and the discussion is a joke
logout1 1 year ago
@logout1
You're changing the subject away from what you levied against me personally to open generalizations about how you disagree with Prager's video.
Focus like a laser beam and decode your statement I'll again quote for your evading pleasure...
"How about just trying being responsible for your own mood next time?"
How does that NOT mean you're claiming I'm not in a good mood this time?
TheJediCharles 1 year ago 3
@TheJediCharles already explained, refer to my prev. comments, no time for simple logic nurse-mentoring
logout1 1 year ago
@logout1
Your pompous elitist snobbery never takes a break does it?
You may think you are succeeding at confusing me, but it's really a pathetic display. You don't need to answer the question for MY benefit or education, but for YOURS. You're obviously not used to being held accountable to what you say and addicted to "hit-and-run" character assassination.
Well, there's no better word to describe what you're full of than the very first word you said on this video.
TheJediCharles 1 year ago
happiness means carrying your own weather
lovellespice 1 year ago
Hey Dr. Prager! GREAT message. May I suggest you smile when you're talking about happiness? Your being is not congruent with your message. :-)
Smallshifts 1 year ago
In this vein, I have noticed that whenever I am feeling down, I tend to do less for others, like say picking up a piece of trash on my campus or opening the door for a girl or calling my family less frequently.
dancinmonkey2000 1 year ago
You have no moral obligation to be, or act, as if you're happy. But, for your own happiness, it's a good idea. It's an even better idea to love, even those you despise, like "muslims" or "liberals."
keepaopenmind 1 year ago
how do you make muslims happy?
lovellespice 1 year ago
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@lovellespice how do you make muslims happy?
_
Convert to islam and join a jihad war agains infidels.
taraz808 1 year ago
@lovellespice you can't. there leaders are miserable people, so the common will never be happy
controledinsanity 1 year ago
A very wise video, good to hear.
TheSanityInspector 1 year ago
Could you make a video about The Law of Attraction? Taken from the movie called "The Secret"
Thank you.
fluvvless 1 year ago
Semprei pensei assim...
voidelton 1 year ago
Happiness is a decision we make, others can't affect how I feel. But you are right I don't enjoy being around unhappy people.
happyone813 1 year ago
Thank you Dennis. Your efforts are appreciated and revered and I cannot thank you enough for your work . I am very grateful and happy for your highly regarded knowledge.
ralphmotorhead 1 year ago
i love listening to Denis Prager he knows the answer, but he doesn't act all superior
bluenebula8 1 year ago
Happiness and the World's difficulty
uncle4257 1 year ago
Jake you are an idiot.Mr Prager has hellped thousands of people with his wisdom and knowlege.I have learned alot and look forward to his broadcast.You need to open your peesized brain and actually listen to the mans heart.He is one of the good guys.........
xexdxgxex 1 year ago
I suppose anyone who makes a big deal about Dennis' opinion about happiness needs to take time off to self-reflect.
psyf3r 1 year ago
He caannot only see it he can put it into words
tes1900 1 year ago
I think this is the most important lesson that I have learned, since I first stumbled on Dennis' columns back in 2002, and then started listening to his show.
theBaron0530 1 year ago
Was listening to "Prager U" today on the radio, lucky it's free, cause it ain't worth a cent. He was going on that only Marxist & leftists think work is unpleasant & people don't want to work. So is that why they charge admission to amusement parks & movies but have to pay people to come & work? Why would they have bosses to watch over the workers if everyone loved to work so much? Prager attributes everything wrong in the world or human nature to the "LEFT". Such pseudo-intellectual drivel!
jakefree24 1 year ago
@jakefree24, Prager is correct. Sorry you're unable to see the truth in how damaging the "LEFT" is to this country.
zambonimacncheese 1 year ago
@zambonimacncheese the RIGHT isn't far behind.
jakefree24 1 year ago
@jakefree24 wow! What a scintillating, BLAZING retort. You have elevated the dialog here almost to the level of PeeWee Herman. "I know you are, but what am I?"
About what I expected from the Left.
zambonimacncheese 1 year ago
@jakefree24 You're missing an important point. Prager stated that Leftists/Marxists may consider work to be necessary, but tragically necessary. They don't regard work as uplifting, but degrading and counterproductive to what people should be doing: hobbies, vacations, art, etc.
Aegius 1 year ago
@Aegius to Augustinian monks and most monastic orders "work is prayer"
lovellespice 1 year ago
@lovellespice Good point,
Aegius 1 year ago
This is so true!
hardestytim2000 1 year ago
SOOOOO .... WE SHOULD "HAPPYSHOWER" EVERY DAY AS WELL!!!!
HAHAHAHAHA XD º.º xb
PPL, .... REGULAR PPL LIKES TO BE SAD, ITS A NICE AND POLITE WAY TO SAY I NEED ATENTION!!!
SHUT!! IM SMOKIN..... WANT ANOTHER "HAPPY" SOLUTION ---GET HIGH---
pinacatito 1 year ago
The only thing that makes me happy is..... MONEY.
TheFranksantana 1 year ago
You cannot reason people out of emotional states. This is why procrastination, bad diets, and failed attempts at quitting smoking are so common. These people logically know what they are doing is wrong or counterproductive, but they cannot fight off the emotional states that drive their actions. Tell a person to "act happy" when they are feeling down. If they are open-minded, they might already know this, but chances are they don't want to put in the energy to go against their emotions.
Freedomm1987 1 year ago
@Freedomm1987
That's why (good) psychologists recommend regular cardiovascular exercise for people who are depressed. They'll find that their energy level rises, their mood brightens, and that, in turn, fosters better relationships with others. But if they wallow in their depression, then it only gets worse.
DonTruman 1 year ago 2
@Freedomm1987 Prager would be a great psychologist, in the 15th century maybe. He is the most insincere, superficial person imaginable.
jakefree24 1 year ago
Furthermore, if you really believed in this stuff, you would not have even mentioned the fact that your relative died a year ago. That's not a happy topic. Way to practice what you preach.
Freedomm1987 1 year ago
@Freedomm1987
1:31 "...act as happy AS POSSIBLE".
2:50 "...don't inflict your bad mood onto anybody"
Do you oppose that?
DonTruman 1 year ago
@DonTruman
How would you define "happy as possible"? I think most people already try to be happy - acting happy is a part of social skills. But sometimes one is so far into negative emotions that it would simply take too much energy to be happy. This is where you have the people who are openly sad or angry. They would likely want to be happier, but try to reason with them that by acting "as happy as possible", they will become happier, and I will send you a dollar if they become happier.
Freedomm1987 1 year ago
So if I were starving, burning or freezing to death, and dying of cancer, I'm still morally obligated to act happy? If I told you this and all you think is "I don't wanna hear it, you make the world a crappy place", then you can go GET FUCKED!
Sure, people can be unhappy about minor issues which can be annoying to hear, but do you really expect people to act happy if things like the above were happening to them? If so, then you are completely unrealistic.
Freedomm1987 1 year ago
@Freedomm1987
I'll wager that nothing so serious is going on in your life, and yet look at you. You aren't even trying to exude happiness. Nothing but a dark cloud of crude anger.
But anyway...
1:31 "...act as happy AS POSSIBLE".
2:50 "...don't inflict your bad mood onto anybody"
A relative of mine died about a year ago from cancer. She was a wonderful woman, but during her last years, she did tremendous damage to relationships with friends and family, as a result of her fear and pain.
DonTruman 1 year ago
@DonTruman
I'm not angry, nor am I complaining about my life. I live pretty comfortably and I am grateful. I'm just saying that to constantly expect people to act happy all the time is simply unrealistic. Sorry to hear about your relative, but it sounds like you are actually blaming HER for the damage to the relationships within your family. If I am picturing this correctly, she needed some consoling and support as she approached her final moments. Is that really so hard to understand?
Freedomm1987 1 year ago
Comment removed
TheJediCharles 1 year ago
@Freedomm1987
Disregard that, Freedom1987. I had confused your response part of the message of who you were responding to. Sorry.
TheJediCharles 1 year ago
hmbrauche dringend beschäftigung bin so einsam! Jemand lust zu chatn
TessRemlingaacx1 1 year ago
When did communists become "unhappy people". I am sure there are many Americans both inside and outside the US suffering from the capitalists that live here. And certainly some of those capitalists may be quite happy, despite the pain and suffering they create. Happy is certainly better than unhappy, but aren't we really talking about kindness. Isn't kindness the action that comes out of happiness and don't actions speak louder than words or facial expression?
sequoiaorchids 1 year ago
I love this philosophy. It seems like all people want to do now days is spread drama, and generally it is of a negative patter. The more happy I am, the more happiness I spread, and the more happy it makes me. It is contagious. Happiness does not depend on my circumstances. That is the beauty of it.
skitzoidlady 2 years ago
The only unhappy people and terrorists are those who thing they are the good ones (USA).
musiquecontemporaine 2 years ago
Visiting family for thanksgiving, My sister-in-law has a plaque that states: Be pretty if you are, be wise if you can, Be cheerful if it kills you.
jrhelgeson 2 years ago
"Act happy" = "Be cheerful".
It's not hypocrisy, but it IS a gift. :)
taratorah 2 years ago
Jesus in his day was popularly considered a Rabbi by some Jews. He said that he had come to fulfill the previous Old Testament scriptures, not to overthrow them. Jews do not believe he was the Messiah of the earlier scriptures because accordingly when the Messiah comes, the whole world will change including the fallen order of nature. Obviously no such thing has yet happened. Believing in Jesus is not sufficient for it to happen. Essentially we are to become like him if that is to happen.
howardz43 2 years ago
It seems to me that the importance of compartmentalizing emotions was covered to a considerable degree in this Video.. Certainly it pertains. Although there are techniques for compartmentalizing such as don't wallow in your emotions, Ultimately, being happy comes down to personal disposition of the will. That disposition of the will is possible is rooted in the spiritual mystery of each and every one of us having individual free will choice.
howardz43 2 years ago
I have noticed that on YouTube my comments will sometimes appear out of sequence and distort the significance of what I was saying. Apostrophes and quotation marks may be missing. But the spelling and grammar doesnt get changed. I think that whatever one's religion, one is morally obliged to behave happily and not inflict ones moods on others. I don't like it when others gratuitously dump their foul moods on me. Whether a "Christian" or not, very few people are in a good mood all the time.
howardz43 2 years ago
Take for instance, can safely me ignored in the below comment. That actually said safely be ignored. Now if you know about typing, you realize that one would not make that kind of typo. You make the b and the m with entirely different fingers and hands. Plus, I proofread my comments. That typo was entirely created. And, I've noticed that it happens all the time.
paulette01 2 years ago
Wow, you truly are schizophrenic... I thought I was having a discussion with a normal person with a few skewed beliefs, but now I see the whole picture. Don't worry, I won't be replying to you, changing subjects (yes, your rebuttals were oh so intelligent), and hacking YouTube to mess with your comments anymore. LOL! And please stop claiming to be Christian when you are so full of hate and foul language. (psst look out behind you!)
thepaledeath 2 years ago
Comment removed
paulette01 2 years ago
Did anyone else ever notice that when your comments appear somewhere there are ALWAYS typos and misspellings even though they clearly weren't there when you typed your comment?
paulette01 2 years ago
Oh, I see what the game was now.
thepaledeaths comments have mostly all been removed in order to take my comments out of context and make it look like I'm just spewing anti-Jew crap and can me safely ignored. Obviously my comments must have been pretty threatening if they have to resort to that kind of shit.
paulette01 2 years ago
Comment removed
paulette01 2 years ago
I would like to know who keeps jumbling the order of the comments and why. As anyone can see, the comment about the "amazing point of view" is out of order and was pushed to the top by someone. No real surprise though.
paulette01 2 years ago
A lecture about ones moral obligation to "act happy" is absurd and pathetic.
He is forced to sink to this level because he is a Jew and has nothing else. How can you argue with THAT when it's true?
I don't really care to know any more about your conjectures about me or anything else. I will not reply to you again.
paulette01 2 years ago
@paulette01:
"A lecture about ones moral obligation to "act happy" is absurd and pathetic.
He is forced to sink to this level because he is a Jew and has nothing else."
I'll have you know that Jesus (ie. God) made and loves Dennis every bit as much as He loves you. Also, please remember that Jesus is not only God, He is also Jewish.
itreeye 2 years ago
Thanks men we need more ppl like you in this world
Fuckingringosukmycok 1 year ago
My original statement consisted of a 23 word sentence that didn't even mention Jews. You are really annoying. As soon as your comments are rebutted, you immediately change the subject and respond to something that was never said. It's okay for you to say the Jews are benighted, but not me.
And he's not trying to influence moods. His point is that everyone has a moral obligation to ACT happy.
paulette01 2 years ago
What an amazing point of view....
crosenblum 2 years ago
sorry, no k in benighted
paulette01 2 years ago
That's okay, Paulette. Being a great speller doesn't make the world a better place. True, it projects an image of yourself being more academically perfect, but even Hitler had a sound education and perhaps spelled great.
But, not acting on your unhappiness does make the world a better place. To deny that is to say that you have no bearing on the world. I reject that you are that irrelevant. And, when you have a good reason to be down, your effort to act happy anyway makes the world better.
TheJediCharles 1 year ago
Yea, in fact Hitler had a lot going for him. That's why the Germans loved him so much. Because he did so much for them. I'm sure he did spell very well. I'm sure he did many things very well. He well may have been academically perfect, I'm not really sure. I feel fairly confident that acting happy was not too high on his list, but he still managed to accomplish a lot of positive things for his people. And that's important.
paulette01 1 year ago
Well, he did accomplish destroying his nation, if that's what you mean by "positive things".
But, you seem to have missed my point, and dare I say meant to.
My point is that if you seem to hold high value in being seen as a good speller by others. Why do you think that matters more than not acting on your unhappiness?
TheJediCharles 1 year ago
@paulette01
"...he (Hitler) still managed to accomplish a lot of positive things for his people. And that's important."
Why do you say it was important? Whatever good he did, we (decent people everywhere) could have done without considering all the evil he did. I mean, how could he do enough good in a million lifetimes (much less his one) to justify his existence enough to appreciate the good he did do as "important"?
Do you agree?
itreeye 1 year ago
I think what he calls "acting happy," is just behaving in a Christ-like manner, but he is too beknighted to realize this.
paulette01 2 years ago
paulette01, that's a little harsh, don't you think? Besides, he's Jewish...
thepaledeath 2 years ago
yea, that would be the benighted part...
paulette01 2 years ago