Building Your Bench of Happiness
In this episode of the Dennis Prager Show’s weekly “Happiness Hour,” host Dennis Prager argues that happiness is not a selfish pursuit but a moral obligation. He introduces the central metaphor of a sports “bench,” urging listeners to develop multiple, backup sources of happiness—what he calls a “deep bench”—instead of relying on a single source such as a spouse, children, work, or even God. Prager contends that while God is the essential source of meaning, God alone is insufficient for lasting happiness; people also need relationships, hobbies, music, ideas, and community. Throughout the hour, callers share personal struggles—divorce, custody battles, unemployment, anxiety, and the challenge of balancing family with personal interests—allowing Prager to illustrate how a diversified “happiness bench” can buffer life’s inevitable setbacks. He also critiques emotion‑based morality, linking his arguments to his new book If There Is No God, which posits that objective moral truth (rooted in Judeo‑Christian values) is necessary for a stable civilization. The program intersperses promotional spots for Prager’s books, courses, and a financial anecdote about Warren Buffett’s early investment, reinforcing the theme that diversified assets—whether financial or emotional—lead to greater security and fulfillment.
Chapters
Your dog and a stranger are drowning. You can only save one. Who do you choose? Dennis Prager says your answer reveals everything about how you define right and wrong. In his new book, If There Is No God, Prager exposes the danger of emotion-based morality and why, without objective truth, society descends into chaos. This isn't a religious book. It's a rational case for moral clarity in a confused age. If There Is No God, from Dennis Prager. Order now at pragerstore.com. Welcome to Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Hear thousands of hours of Dennis's lectures, courses, and classic radio programs. And to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles, go to dennisprager.com.
On today's episode of Timeless Wisdom, for me, my, my complete happiness It comes from God. Now, it isn't that it isn't added to by my wife, my kids.
They have— Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Then it isn't your complete happiness.
God alone is the source of all my happiness.
The source is not the same as the whole.
That's coming up on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager, and it starts right now.
It's the happy, happy, happy, happy hour. Yes, it is. Hey everybody, welcome to the happiness hour on the Dennis Prager Show. Keep that music going. My maestro, Sean. The maestro. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, everybody, you take it away now. You sing yourselves. Go ahead. Yes, it is. All right, my friends, once a week, every week at this hour, I talk about happiness. It is so important. Happy people make the world better. Happiness is a moral obligation. Do you hear me, folks? It is a moral obligation. It is not a selfish pursuit. Hedonism is a selfish pursuit. Fun may be a selfish pursuit, but happiness is a character trait. You owe it to everyone in your life to at least act happily and try to be as happy as possible. It is a moral failing Not the two. All right, is that strong enough? Hi everybody, this is Dennis Prager. Talk about happiness every week at this time. I wrote a book on the subject titled Happiness Is a Serious Problem. The reason I titled it Happiness Is a Serious Problem is because for most people it is, because life has a lot of pain. That's the way it is. It's built that way, and you can let it destroy you and make you bitter, or you can seek what is happy. And I have a suggestion today which will be the theme of this hour. You know, in sports there's a— what they call the bench. A lot of you men know about it, and some of you with a graduate degree will say Sean, very witty. Sean does not know what the bench is because he was always a starter. That's racist, really. It's a beautifully narcissistic interpretation of the subject. Now, some of you, by the way, with graduate degrees will say that was sexist because women know what the bench is. I'd like to bet that if I took 1,000 people off any street in America, the vast majority of women would not have a clue what the bench is and the vast majority of men would. The bench is the guys who are sitting on the bench. That's what it's called because they're not the starters. In basketball, football, baseball, hockey, it's the same thing. You have the starting rotation and you have the bench. But without the bench, you can never win. Without the backups, when the major players are hurt, tired, whatever the reason is, they missed their airplane flight— well, that's pretty rare. Then you have the bench, and you— and it's called a deep bench when you really have a good one, and they win the best. They win the most in, in any, in any of the sports. We need to have a bench for happiness because we have our starting rotation. You know what our starting rotation is? The starting rotation is usually whatever it is that for most people is the greatest source of constant happiness. And it could be their marriage, it could be their children, could be their family generally, it could be their friends, it could be whatever it is. You have a something or someone you most rely on to be happy, but you need to have a bench for happiness. You need to have backups. Because sometimes that which we rely on for our starting rotation and happiness will fail us. Not, not intentionally, not through even a flaw. What if the person dies or is incapacitated? Or if you lose your job? If you rely on your job for happiness, let's say, so you lose your job. Your company goes out of business or you're fired for whatever reason. It happens to so many people and you need a backup. I have done a variation on the theme. I have never done this particular subject before in the hundreds and hundreds of shows on happiness I've done, but what I did do that's related to this is devote an hour to the idea that the more that you are passionate about, the happier you will be. That happiness is quantitative, not just qualitative. The more that you have a qualitatively high, obviously, relationship to in terms of happiness, the better it will be for you. You can't, as much as it may be tempting to rely on one thing, You need more than that. For those of you religious, it's not even enough just to have God. And I am a deeply religious, deeply believing person in God, and I will give you proof. A Christian pastor once said this to me after listening to my commentary tapes on the Bible. Said, Dennis, I'll give you an interesting insight. This has stuck with me forever. It was luminous. God says it is not good for man to be alone after he creates Adam, right? That's his first comment about humanity. It is not good for man to be alone. And this Christian pastor made the point, what God was saying is, even I, God, am not enough for people. People need people, not just me, God. Isn't that great? 'Cause after all, God would say, "Hey, Adam has me. That's enough." And there are religious people say, "I have God. That's enough." But God doesn't say that. We need a bench, whatever. We need people. We need God. We need love. We need meaning. We need a lot of things. The more that you have— hobbies. Hobbies. Yes, hobbies. I am a passionate believer in the power of hobby— of hobbies to bring joy, to bring even happiness. I've told you the role that music plays in my life. I believe that music is God's drug, the natural drug that God has given us. That's why the more that you can rely on for your happiness, the better, because almost for everyone, the greatest single source of joy will probably— that well may dry up. If you have a good marriage and you rely on your spouse for happiness, which is beautiful, which is beautiful, you should all be so blessed, we should all be so blessed. Nevertheless, for most people, you don't die the same moment that your spouse does. You need a bench. 1-8-Prager-776 is the number. 1-8-P-R-A-G-E-R-776. Is this clear to you? The number, uh, the number in digits is 877-243-7776. 877-243-7776. Is that clear to you how important it is to have as many things as possible? People put all their happiness eggs in one basket. It's not a good idea. That doesn't mean you love your spouse less, you love your children less, you love God less. It just means it's not a finite pie. It isn't as if I love friends and my spouse then I've taken away from my love of my spouse. It doesn't work that way. Love is infinite. Passions are infinite. Joy is infinite. It's not a, it's not a fine-diet pie that if you cut 4 pieces, you only have 4 pieces left. The more that you have that brings you happiness, the better it is for you. The better it is, for that matter, for the person that you rely on. You, if you, if you get most of your happiness from your children, let us say you do, then please know what a burden it is on your children to provide you all that happiness. You didn't want to be that for your parents. Why do you want your children to be that for you? So you can't rely on that. And, and if you do, let's say your children are young, they're going to leave the house. What are you gonna do then? Go into a depression? And some people do, by the way. Not a few do. Because they have put all their happiness eggs in the child basket. Or in the marital basket. Or in the God basket. And all of these are big deals. Or in the work basket. If I'm fired, I have no meaning, I have no purpose, I have no will to go on. This happens. The men who jumped from skyscrapers in New York during the Depression, those poor, poor souls, had lost their meaning in life because for men, work is a very, very deeply meaningful thing. But even men have to have other sources of meaning and happiness. This is one of those life-changing ideas. I hope that it resonates with you. Any questions, any reactions, any illustrations, 1-8-PRAEGER-776. You are listening to the Happiness Hour on the Dennis Prager Show, and you can email me through DennisPrager.com. We resume in a moment.
This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue Right after this. Your beloved dog and a stranger are both drowning. You can only save one. Who do you save? Every time Dennis Prager asks that question, his audience splits three ways. One-third chooses the dog, one-third chooses the stranger, and one-third aren't sure. Why? Because we live in an age where increasingly feelings define right and wrong. But if morality is based on emotion, then murder, rape, and theft are just opinions. And if people feel justified, Why is rioting or destruction wrong at all? In his new book, If There Is No God, Dennis Prager explains why civilizations cannot survive without objective morality and why Judeo-Christian values shape the moral foundations of the free world.
If you claim that certain things are good, certain things are evil, independent of how you feel about it, you are in effect affirming God.
If There Is No God by Dennis Prager, available now at PragerStore.com. That's PragerStore.com. Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
You're listening to the Happiness Hour on the Dennis Prager Show, an hour each week at this time devoted to the subject of happiness. I am making the case for all of us, like sports teams, needing to have a deep bench. You can't rely only on your starting players for happiness. You lose your job, you lose your happiness. You lose your marriage, you lose your happiness. You have problems with your child, you lose your happiness. You can't, you can't have all your eggs in one happiness basket, or all your happiness eggs in one basket. I can't figure out which metaphor is more accurate, but the point is well taken, I am sure. That's why the more that brings you joy, the more people The more religion, the more hobbies, the more work, whatever it is, the greater your chances of happiness. You can't rely on one thing, no matter how wonderful that thing is. Josanne, is that your name, in Palos Verdes, California?
Yes. Hi, Dennis Prager. How are you?
I'm well, thank you.
Um, first I just want to say my husband and I admire you so much, and we're so lucky to have you and your show. Um, it's the best thing that comes to us every morning.
That's so kind. Thank you. I'm glad you feel that way.
Thank you. I wanted to ask you if you've ever seen the movie, um, it's an English movie called About a Boy with Hugh Grant.
It's actually one of my favorite movies.
Okay, that's why I called you, because it's actually my number one favorite movie, and You know how they talk about how no man is an island, right? Everybody needs backup.
Yeah, well, you're right. That's a perfect illustration of my point. I'm glad you— I'm glad you recommend it. It is a beautiful movie and people should go out and get it. You're right.
Yes. So I just wanted to bring that to your attention and to your viewers.
Well done. Thank you, Josanne.
Thank you.
Okay, bye-bye. Appreciate it. We go to Hannibal, Missouri, and Brad. Hello, Brad. Dennis Prager, hi.
Hi, how are you?
Okay, thanks.
My question is, I have a lot of hobbies, right? My wife doesn't understand why I have so many hobbies. She, she revolves her life around, around the kids, therefore she doesn't think she needs to have a hobby, right? And my question to you is, how do I explain to her why I have so many hobbies? I struggle with generalized anxiety.
You know what, give her a tape of this hour. This is the best case that could be made for it because you know that the more that brings you happiness, the better a man you are, the better a father you are, the better a husband you are because you will be a happier human.
Right.
That's good. That is the more— I love when people have many sources of happiness. They're more interesting. They're obviously by definition happier. I admire the fact that your wife is devoted full-time to the kids. That is wonderful. However, it is a danger for her. They will grow up and they will have to leave her.
That's something I've told her too. I said, well, you know, what are you gonna do when the kids grow up?
And what did she say?
She's like, well, I'll cross that road when it gets there.
Yeah, but that road gets there. Having been at that road now, you don't know how fast it gets there. It did. And it's not when they're 21 or even 18, it's when they're 13, right? Especially a boy who's going to have to start dissociating from his mom in order to become a man. It's a very painful thing for mothers, and I feel for them terribly. They have diapered and doted on and loved up and cuddled and sung to this boy who then says, excuse me, I'm a man. Have a nice day, mom. So it's, it's good for her. It's good for her, and you're a better guy for having the hobbies. Now, if you spend all night building model ships, to take an old quaint hobby and don't hang out with the family, that's a problem. But I don't suspect that's the issue.
No.
Okay, alright, good luck. It's very important question. 1-800-PRAGER-776. And we go to Chicago. Chicago, Rebecca. Dennis Prager, thank you for calling.
Hi, Dennis. Thank you for having me. And just first, I wanted to say thank you so much for your show and your tender heart. You know what? I'm taking a sabbatical from work, and I make it a point to listen to your show.
Oh, good.
Yeah.
Thank you. Thank you.
It enriches my life, definitely.
I do have a tender heart, if I'm allowed to say that.
Yeah, you definitely do.
And thank you.
It's expressed every day on your show.
Good.
I just wanted to say that through my divorce, you know, I found comfort or my happiness was through my friends, definitely my children. But Saturday I made it a point of having my own time. Like I would get up at 6 in the morning, go to my favorite coffee shop. It's a very nice restaurant. And I would read my book. I would just sit alone, have my alone time, and read a book. And, you know, I have friends that think I was crazy for going alone to a restaurant, but I enjoyed it and it helped me so much go through what I was going through.
What were you going through?
Well, um, well, the divorce was very hard and he made the children choose sides and confused them. It was really, really hard. So, you know, it helped me a lot.
Well, God bless you. You are a blessing to your children.
Because I refuse to get down to that level and call names and, you know, speak bitterly of him. And you know what, after 3 years, thank God that my relationship with my children has improved. And even with him, now we're having— we're able to have some type of dialogue. And I don't hold those bitter feelings.
You know what, you're going to make some man very lucky one day.
Oh, you know what, from your mouth to God's ears.
I agree. From my mouth to God's ears, I do agree. 1-800-PRAGER-776. Alan, put this down. I'd like to do a show on that, uh, what she says that the children have come back to her after the other parent helped alienate them. I would like to hear stories like that. 1 hour, I think it would be comforting to a lot of parents. 1-800-PRAGER-776 is the number. And we go to Dallas, and in Dallas it's Lane. Lane, thank you for calling. I'm Dennis Prager.
How you doing, Dennis?
Okay, thanks.
Love your show.
Good.
My children like to listen to you. Um, I've gone through a terrible time in the last 2 years and lost my job, been unemployed for over a year, decided to go back to school. And, but what I'm really worried about is my children's happiness, my 2 little boys, also going through a divorce and a very bitter custody battle. And the boys are starting to panic now when the mother comes to pick them up. They'll run and hide, lock themselves in the bathroom. Get under the sink. And, uh, I mean, it's absolutely ripping me apart.
Oh my God, I'm worried about them.
Yeah, I've tried to sit down with them and tell them, you know, this has nothing to do with you, it's not your fault, um, you know, both your mother and I love you.
And, uh, there's nothing worse than seeing— there's nothing worse than seeing your children in pain.
It's hell.
It is. It's hell. You, you would rather 3 times the amount of pain if they would be okay.
I would put my hand in a vice.
I know you would. I know.
I'd set myself on fire with gasoline if I had to watch that.
I know. Well, they're blessed to have you. Why do they run away when mom comes?
The problem is she's moved in with a man, and I found out during the baseball playoffs last year that he forced my 4-year-old and my 7-year-old to drink beer. Just terrible things are going on over that house, and I've been in touch with child welfare.
He's a live-in boyfriend?
Yes.
Yeah, that's, that's, I mean, there are times when that works out, but I, that's another subject. I don't think it's right if you have kids to have a live-in. What do you think of that, Alan? A tough question. We'll talk about that. 1-800-PRAGER-776. You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show. Happiness Hour continues.
This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this. Your beloved dog and a stranger are both drowning. You can only save one. Who do you save? Every time Dennis Prager asks that question, his audience splits three ways. One-third chooses the dog, one-third chooses the stranger, and one-third aren't sure.
Why?
Because we live in an age where increasingly feelings define right and wrong. But if morality is based on emotion, then murder, rape, and theft are just opinions? And if people feel justified, why is rioting or destruction wrong at all? In his new book, If There Is No God, Dennis Prager explains why civilizations cannot survive without objective morality and why Judeo-Christian values shape the moral foundations of the free world.
If you claim that certain things are good, certain things are evil, independent of how you feel about it, You are in effect affirming God.
If There Is No God by Dennis Prager, available now at PragerStore.com. That's PragerStore.com. Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
Alrighty everyone, you're listening to The Dennis Prager Show. By the way, we getting Jimmy Durante, Alan, or not? Is he going to come on? I look forward to that every happiness hour. I'm Dennis Prager, and I devote an hour a week, no matter what, as I say, come hell or high water, blood, frogs, lice, darkness, smiting of the firstborn, we will still talk about happiness. It is a moral obligation to be as happy as you can be. That is one of my deepest beliefs as I have gotten older. I never knew this when I was younger. I thought happiness was a selfish pursuit. I now realize it is a moral obligation. And I'm talking to you today about the need to have reserves, or have a deep bench as they say in sports. You can't put all your happiness eggs in one basket. That basket will inevitably not always be able to provide happiness, and it is not fair to it, even if that happiness basket is God himself. Of whom— in whom I am a deep believer and without whom I could not be happy. But God himself is not sufficient, as God himself says, "Not good for man to be alone." In other words, I am not enough, as a Christian pastor taught me. Sarasota, Florida, Melissa, Dennis Prager. Hi, Melissa.
Hi, Dennis. The comment that I wanted to make was about the authenticity of happiness, because in our culture a lot of people mistake mistake going out after happiness for the real thing. And what I told your screener was my concern— I'm a psychotherapist, and what I see is a lot of couples using, finding all kinds of ways to be happy to avoid the legitimate problems in their lives or their marriages that should be causing them some unhappiness. If they have the reserves that you talk about, it doesn't make their entire life unhappy, But I have a problem with people using our cultural view of happiness to avoid real issues in their life.
Yeah, it's hard to disagree with you, but it's also hard to get a handle on it because I would need a good example.
Well, one example that would be a composite of people that I've worked with in the past is women who are raising children. They decide that that doesn't really fulfill them the way they thought it would, and so they go out searching after all the things they can do to make themselves happy. Whether— I guess I could name certain sort of socially acceptable things, but it's a woman putting herself on the happiness mill the way we try to sometimes put our kids on the happiness mill, getting overly involved in social things, in tennis and golf and— Exercise.
Well, that's having everything, right? Well, you're right. That's exactly right. Those are fun things. They could be more than fun. They could— hobbies can give happiness, not just fun. But those— you're right, the collecting of fun things— I have talked and written about this in the book. Fun, fun does not equal happiness.
Exactly. That's a very good way to put it. And what I see in people who recognize that maybe they have an issue in their marriage or some other important relationship and they address the issue, it's the process of addressing the issue that adds to their fundamental reserves of happiness.
Okay, that sounds good, but I, you know, it— I can't deny that whatsoever. Confront those issues. I agree totally, because they'll catch up with you and eat you up eventually. At the same time, it's not a bad idea to try to act as happy as you can. Within that context. But it's a good balance, and I thank you for your call. Appreciate it. 1-800-PRAGER-776. I want to make sure here— Lane, did I finish with you? Lane?
I'm here, sir.
Yeah, did I finish with you? I mean, your terrible situation with your kids running away from your wife, your ex-wife, when she comes to pick them up, who's living with a guy who has them drink beer and so on.
Well, we're still in the middle of the divorce, actually.
Right.
That even, that just really compounds it. And, uh, oh man, they're great little guys, but it's starting to affect my 7-year-old who's in the 7th grade. I said 2nd grade. Um, he, uh, is an excellent student but is having problems focusing at school. And, uh, I can't, I've tried to, uh, deal with her so that we can just at least be civil, even, uh, even in dropping the kids off at her house and my house, but it's, it's It's impossible.
Yeah, it's a curse. It's a curse. Well, that— the problem there is not a happiness issue. The problem there is a narcissism issue. I am the center of my life and I will look after me, and the kids are a secondary issue. Both members of both sexes can do it. I think that in, in these custody matters, it comes more easily, unfortunately, to women because they're more likely to be certain that they are better than the man. We'll be back in a moment. Oh, I get carried away that I forget I have to actually speak. I'm not here to listen to music. I love this, it so touches my heart, this Jimmy Durante song. Hi everybody, this is Dennis Prager and this is the Happiness Hour. This hour dedicated to the idea that we need as much as possible, as many happiness eggs in the basket, one, all of them in one basket. I guess we need more baskets, I guess, not more eggs, or both. Again, I'm tripping up on my own metaphor. I think the point is clear. You can't rely on just one thing, no matter how wonderful it is. And that includes all the many things that I have found, including religion. And God. Even they are not enough. They are necessary in my opinion, but not sufficient. As is children. Well, even children— there are people who are happy who don't have children. I— you may recall the week that I discussed the issue, can you be happier than your unhappiest child? And a lot of people said you have to be, when they were right. That is exactly right. This is why it is an art, happiness. It is an achievement. When I meet happy people, or people who act happy, and I don't mean in some phony smiley way, I admire them. I admire people for attaining happiness. Life is tough. Scott in Minneapolis, Dennis Prager, thank you for calling.
Thank you for taking my call, Dennis. First, let me say how much I appreciate you and your show. You have given me numerous sermon illustrations from your writings and your—
Oh, thank you. Well, you— I need to tell you, it is one of the great joys when I hear this from a clergyman and I often think, God, I am a real gift to these guys because I give you a lot of good material. And it's not boasting, but I raise issues that I know you people love.
Absolutely.
Yes. So it's just like that pastor gave me that notion about, you know, it's not good for man to be alone. Even I, God, I'm not enough. I got that from a pastor. Go ahead.
Well, you really helped me in the Second Great Civil War, I think, was the article that you wrote concerning liberalism and conservatism. And help me be able to share that from a pulpit without violating the tax codes. But anyway, my point is this: first of all, I agree with you that happiness is extremely important. One of the problems that I run into, especially in counseling situations as a pastor, is people come to me that are very unhappy, and their definition of happiness seems to be skewed. They will share with me, whether it be their job or their marriage or their relationship with God, And some have come to me in a very disappointing sentiment of saying that we search for God, but we don't feel happy. And one of the things I've noticed is, especially when we're going through trying times, whether it be divorce, whether it be financial problems, that sometimes God uses those times to sharpen us. And our temporary happiness, or I guess I should say satisfaction in those times, should be sacrificed for the character sharpening that God is doing in us, which is going to bring the ultimate happiness in the end. And I just kind of wanted to get your thoughts.
What is that ultimate happiness in the end?
Knowing that God's purpose is being fulfilled in your life and you're becoming the person he intends.
I don't have a problem with that. I have gone through a lot of pain and believed that there was meaning in it. And in fact, it's our choice whether to derive meaning. In fact, I agree with everything you said, but nothing you say, unless you mean it to, differs with what I've said. Okay, is that fair? Is that fair? The more, the more that one has in life that can bring one happiness— I don't mean fun like television, but happiness— the more that that does, the better it is for the individual.
I think what could be misconstrued is in our focus on happiness, which I believe is legitimate, that the definition of it, as I'm saying, people are saying, well, I'm not happy right now, therefore I need to to bail out of this situation in order to find it. And the end of that situation is actually what's going to bring happiness by not bailing out of it.
Well, you don't— but you don't know when to— well, but, but you would have to acknowledge there were times when a ship is sinking and you should bail out.
But I believe the trials that we walk through, especially if we put our trust in God, that, uh, that's— there's not going to be a need to bail.
Are you referring specifically to divorce or something else as well? What if you have— let's say you have a bad job Maybe you should bail out of a bad job. Why should you say— how do you know it's God's will that you be in a lousy job or in a lousy marriage?
I guess defining bailing out would be a good, a good item. Uh, sometimes leaving the job is fine, but people move away from the things that try to sharpen them. They move away from unhappiness, or they move away from the contention or the strife that sometimes God is allowing to sharpen them, whether it be that job or that marriage. And yes, sure, there may come a time where the situation must change, but I believe what we're putting our trust in, as far as seeking happiness, is pre-defined.
Yeah, it may be so, Pastor Scott, it may be so. I would need to have an individual case and analyze our reactions to it to see if they differed or were the same. I'm honored by your call, needless to say. Let's go to Riverside, California, and Larry. Hello, Larry, Dennis Prager.
Pleasure, Dennis.
Thank you a lot. Thank you.
The point I wanted to make was my— I'm going through a divorce, and, and the program where you read out the announcement that you had meant a lot to me, touched me deeply as well, the situation I'm going through. Right. After 20 years of marriage, my wife had no interest, no hobbies. She collected, uh, she had one type of collection, but when it came time to try and join together with anything. I found it very difficult. I have many, many interests and hobbies. Yeah, so many so that they frustrate me because I don't know which one to do, and you know, they're very consuming. But there was nothing we could join together with. And when it came time for gifts or Christmas—
men are more likely to have hobbies, women are more likely to be— to follow their nature and gravitate toward nurturing. And, and, and Go on.
That was lacking also. That was lacking also. I had a lot of interest in my kids, but you know, again, there was tremendous difficulties there. So it was very frustrating.
So she didn't show up. Yeah. Well, you had bad luck.
Well, it's getting better, so you know.
What is getting better? Oh, you mean, oh, you've divorced.
Well, we're going through the divorce, and of course it's painful, but you know, I don't have that, Well, hopefully, if you described it correctly—
and of course she's not here to describe her side— but if you described it more or less correctly, hopefully she will also grow from this and say, you know what, I do need more things to be passionate about. I do have to get outside of myself. Final segment of the Happiness Hour coming up on the Dennis Prager Show.
This episode of Timeless Wisdom of it. We'll continue right after this. Your beloved dog and a stranger are both drowning. You can only save one. Who do you save? Every time Dennis Prager asks that question, his audience splits three ways. One-third chooses the dog, one-third chooses the stranger, and one-third aren't sure. Why? Because we live in an age where increasingly feelings define right and wrong. But if morality is based on emotion, then murder, rape, and theft are just opinions. And if people feel justified, why is rioting or destruction wrong at all? In his new book, If There Is No God, Dennis Prager explains why civilizations cannot survive without objective morality and why Judeo-Christian values shape the moral foundations of the free world.
If you claim that certain things are good, certain things are evil, independent of how you feel about it, you are in effect affirming God.
If There Is No God by Dennis Prager, available now at pragerstore.com. That's pragerstore.com. Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show, and I thank you for doing so. This hour dedicated to the idea that you need a bench, like in sports. You need reserves for your happiness. You can't just put your eggs all in one basket. The more baskets, or the more eggs— one of them is true, or both— the happier you will be. Monterey, California, and George. Hello, George. Dennis Prager.
Hi, Dennis. Hi, George. Nice to talk with you.
Thank you, same here.
Yeah, I was telling your screener there that for me my complete happiness comes from God. Now it isn't that— It isn't added to by my wife and kids?
Wait, wait, then it isn't your complete happiness!
Well let me clarify, sorry I'm a little nervous.
That's alright, I understand.
Um... He alone, God alone is the source of all my happiness.
The source is not the same as the whole.
Well, I'm not sure I follow that.
Well, it could be the source. See, I put it this way: without God, I know I can't be happy no matter how much I have. Okay, but God alone is not sufficient to make me happy. I need people, I need music, I need ideas, I need books, I need friends, I need God, I need a lot.
Yeah, yeah, no, I understand that, but the way I see it is that God is everything that I need. I'm sufficient and completely happy in He alone, but that's— but, but that's life and kids that add to it.
Well, no, you can't say He alone is, is everything and they add to it. You can't add to the whole. And so God You would not be as happy if you just had God and didn't have the wife and kids that you love. I mean, it would be understandable if you lost them. If they— if your house burned down and they— and they did too, you'd be, well, I have God. No, no wife, no kids. Oh well, but I have God. It's— it's not— that's not the way God wants us to think. It's a Buddhist notion, incidentally. Ironically, it's not a Western notion. The Buddhist notion is that suffering should always be conquered because it is all a misguided attachment to this life. And so I remember I interviewed a Buddhist monk on a show many years ago, and I said, His Holiness, if you lost— because he had no children or a wife because he was a monk— and I said, who do you love? He said, my brother. If your brother died, I assume is the Buddhist ideal that you would not mourn. You would not weep. So that's the ideal. I don't know if I could achieve it, but that's the ideal. Okay, I don't know if that's a Jewish or Christian ideal. I'm so sorry to Cindy and Aaron and Abel and others whose names are coming up that I couldn't get to your calls. Please take this seriously. The more it is better for those you love, even, and for those who do bring you happiness. That you have many sources of happiness in your life. We need a good bench just like a good team does to win. And now call in on anything you want at 1-800-PRAGER-776.
On Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager.
Jacob is a patriarch of the Jewish people. The story that is told here seems to be one of a particularly disgusting sort of act. His brother is weary, he comes back, asks for lentil soup, and he gives it to him on the condition that he gives him his birthright. How many of you see Jacob as unqualifiedly wrong in the story? As, well, let's put it this way, wrong is not the word I'm looking for, as unqualifiedly the bad guy? Right in the story.
Join us tomorrow to hear more on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. This has been Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Visit DennisPrager.com for thousands of hours of Dennis's lectures, courses, and classic radio programs, and to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles.
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