Timeless Wisdom: Happiness Hour - Can Another Person Make You Happy?
In this episode of The Dennis Prager Show’s weekly "Happiness Hour," host Dennis Prager explores the complex question of whether another person can make you happy. He articulates a three‑part thesis: (1) only you can make yourself happy; (2) others can make you unhappy; and (3) if you are already happy, others can increase your happiness (but never create it from scratch). Prager frames happiness as a moral obligation, linking it to goodness, integrity, and even religious duty. He references his bestseller Happiness Is a Serious Problem and weaves personal anecdotes, historical metaphors, and philosophical allusions (e.g., Epicurus, virtue ethics). Throughout the hour, callers—including Denise, a blind caller named Paul, a psychotherapist, Father John, and others—challenge, affirm, or expand on his points, discussing topics such as therapy’s role, altruism, marriage expectations, the distinction between pain and unhappiness, the impact of music and art, and the relationship between ethics, virtue, and happiness. Prager repeatedly emphasizes personal responsibility for happiness while acknowledging that external factors can influence the degree of happiness once it exists. The episode also contains sponsor plugs and promotional mentions, which are peripheral to the core philosophical discussion.
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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.
It's the happy, happy, happy, happy hour. Yes, it is. Yes, it is. Hey everybody, this is the Happiness Hour, the Dennis Prager Show. Come hell or high water, we have it. That's correct. In fact, blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, hail, darkness, nothing will stop the Happiness Hour from taking place. This, in fact, this show did begin in ancient Egypt during— actually, it was during the third plague. Of boils. That is right, during boils. I had boils myself, and, and even then I broadcast the Happiness Hour. That is, that is how deep my devotion to the subject is. Hi everybody, this is Dennis Prager, and every Friday at this hour the subject is happiness. And I'll tell you why, because I can't say this too often: happiness is of overwhelming importance. I consider it up there with goodness, integrity, character. How do you like that, folks? I never would have said this 15 years ago. Never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever. You should get my, my, you should get my, my tape on happiness because I explain how this happened in my life. I will. You know what? I will one day on the radio. But I have come to understand the centrality of happiness to the human condition. And that how we have a moral obligation to everybody in our life— our children, our parents, our spouse, our friends, our coworkers— to be as happy as we can be. That's right, we do. Ask anybody who was raised by an unhappy parent what it was like, and you'll understand how important happiness is. Not just other good things like character, which is certainly up there. As you know, I talk about that much of the rest of the week. Happiness is a moral obligation. That is right. You owe it to you. You, if you believe in God, you owe it to God. And that is how deep it is, all right? That's why I devote an hour a week to it. Happy people make the world better. Unhappy people rarely do. Some do, some do, though not the people around them, but the world maybe. So that's why I devote an hour a week to the subject of happiness. Today's subject is Can another person make you happy? Now let me tell you something. This is— this— most of my Happiness Hours consist of me offering an idea that can hopefully change your life in light of happiness. By the way, let me just state at the outset, I spent 10 years writing a book on happiness. It was a bestseller when it came out. I believe it will change your life if you read it. It's called Happiness Is a Serious Problem, published by HarperCollins. Happiness Is a Serious Problem. Okay, got that out of the way, because I don't know how you would listen to this one each week and not want to read that, but I think a lot of you have. All right, now here is a departure a little bit from the norm. The norm is I offer an idea that I hope will really affect your life and affect your happiness. You call in, you question it, you react, you affirm it, whatever you will have to say. Today I am going to do something more of exploring a very complex but incredibly important aspect to happiness. And that is, now listen carefully, don't call in yet, you're calling in, no, don't, don't, don't. Wait and hear, this is very important, then I will take your calls. Can another person make you happy? Now, I have always argued the following: another person can't make you happy. Another person can make you unhappy. That, that generally speaking, our ability to make others unhappy is much greater than our ability to make others happy. And it's true. I mean, that, that I still believe that. For example, uh, here, take children. If your child is unhappy, you're going to be unhappy. I mean, that's the way it is. But if your child is happy, that doesn't mean that you will be happy. There are people with happy children who have unhappy lives or unhappy themselves. Absolutely. I mean, it's not even a question. I'm not talking about 5-year-olds. I'm talking about an adult child and a parent. So there's a good example of where you are the happy person in your life, your child, your spouse, your friend, can, may not make you happy, but if that person's unhappy, it can make you unhappy. So I have usually left it there, but I was talking to Alan prior to this Happiness Hour subject. Said, you know what, this concept, this question is more complex than what I normally say. And I still hold what I normally say to be absolutely true. The ability of others to make you unhappy is much greater than the ability of others to make you happy. You have to make you happy, not others. That is, it is a given, it is a given, it is a given, a given, a given, a given. You are the only one who can make you happy. However, however, it is not true to say that others cannot increase your happiness. So let me now make two points. 2 important points on this subject. Number 1, only you can make you happy. That I stand, I stand with, I affirm absolutely. You can't rely on another person to make you happy. However, it doesn't end there. A person can increase your happiness if you are already happy. And in this regard, and this is a new point in the Happiness Hour, never made this point before because I just thought it up today. Friends, or not our friends, other people are like money. Money does not make the unhappy happy. Money though can increase the happiness of those who are already happy. So others can increase your happiness. Others can make you unhappy. But others can never make you happy.
Hee hee.
Do you get it? Is that clear? It is? Good. 1, now you can call. Do you agree? Does this make sense? Would you like me to explain it? Do you have an example? 1-8-Prager-776. That's numerically, digitally, 1-877-243-7776. 1-877-243-7776, or 1-8-Prager, P-R-A-G-E-R, 776. Now let's— so there were 3 theses. Yes, indeed. You know that I was once called in at a former radio station and told not to use the word thesis on the radio. It was too advanced for the audience. I give you my word of honor. I swear to you. So every time I use that term now on the radio, I think of that program director who told me that. Okay, I've hyperventilated and I got it out of my system. Now let me repeat the three theses on this thing. Number one, only you can make you happy. No one else can. Number 2, others can make you unhappy even if you're happy. But number 3, if you are happy, others can definitely add to your happiness. So in other words, we have very powerful impact on the happiness of others and others do upon us, except for one exception. If you're unhappy, they can't make you happy. All righty, so what do you say, folks? What do you say about this? And I want the reactions on this. Now, for example, I won't take this call even though I fully agree and I know it's a wise call. So Joni, please understand, she says that happiness is a decision, like looking at a glass half full or half empty. That is absolutely right, Joni, there is no question. But it's not on subject. Okay? I argue all the time happiness is a decision. That's what you must decide. I will be happy. Or I will act happy. I did a program that was, I always say this is one of the most important happiness hours I ever did. I almost always say that because it's true. But I will tell you that the one where I said it's a decision that you make, is up there in the top 10. And when I said act it even if you don't feel it, because we transform our insides by how we act outside. Just like, by the way, if you start acting kind, you know what? It'll transform you into a kinder person inside. That's one of the reasons I prefer capitalism to socialism. You have to treat customers nice. Or you lose your job. It's very hard to become cruel after treating people nice all day at work. That's right. Well, it can be done, but it's harder. All right, the effect of others on happiness is the subject of the Happiness Hour on the Dennis Prager Show. We return in a moment to it. Don't go away.
This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
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Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show, specifically the Happiness Hour, an hour each week devoted to the subject I have lectured on happiness on all 7 continents, by the way, including Antarctica. You can see a picture of me speaking to penguins on my website. Since there are no people in Antarctica, I had to somehow speak to somebody to say 7 continents. I've written a book on it, Happiness Is a Serious Problem, and I have incorporated these ideas into my own life. This is an exceedingly important subject. Today's subject is very Powerful, and we have never covered this. Can the effect of others on your happiness— again, my three-pronged approach. One, no one else can make you happy, only you can make you happy. Number two, others can make you unhappy if you are happy. Number three, if you are happy, others can increase your happiness. Okay, let us go, uh, to your calls here, and we begin in Springfield, Oregon. On K-E-E-D. And hello to Denise. Denise, I was supposed to be a Denise, but when I came out a boy— I want you to know this— I— this is how I got the name Dennis.
I understand.
Yeah, no, you don't. You didn't, because I didn't tell you yet. I was supposed to be a Denise. When I came out, they saw I was a boy and, uh, they said, 'All right, Dennis.' No thought given, but, uh, they love the name Denise. Go ahead, Denise. Thanks.
Um, I'm calling to let you know that I agree completely with what you're saying. And especially the part where being happy when you're already happy, that someone can increase your happiness.
Yes.
Um, listening to your show brightens my day every day.
No kidding.
Love your show, love your show, love your show.
Thank you. That is— that's great. Even when I talk about heavy-duty subjects?
Absolutely, because you do it with such class.
Oh, I love the word class. Do you know, by the way, do you know kids today, if you say, you know, that that there's no class if you do that, or talk like they don't know what you're talking about. The word class actually has a bad connotation because it implies class.
Exactly. Well, that, that goes into the degradation of our educational system, but we won't get into that.
Well, we won't because this is the happiness hour. That, that's my girl. That's right. Yes.
But, uh, it— to listen to you, I've, I've listened to a number of other morning programs, and when I found yours, it's, it's like a a vitamin because you are always happy even though serious topics are discussed.
Right.
There is such a—
Well, let me tell you something. This is very meaningful what you say to me, and I thank you immensely, but I want to tell you I try to live by what I advocate on the Happiness Hour. I try. I don't say I fully succeed, but I have been transformed by these ideas as much as anybody listening to them. They have affected me, so I know the importance of trying to be as happy as possible.
And you know, that comes through because if you were not sincere and if you had not integrated this paradigm shift, it would not come through in the consistency with which you deal even with people who disagree with you.
Well, that's wonderful.
In your demeanor, that is absolutely delightful.
Well, thank you.
To all of us.
Wow. Listen, I'm so— I'm— it's good it's not TV. I'm all red. Denise, God bless you. It's all I could say. I did not expect this because it was not listed as your topic, but good. If you know, that's a good point though. If I can contribute, there's a— if you're already happy and everybody's happy has unhappiness, let's be clear, and has many have terrible pain in fact. But pain and unhappiness are not the same thing. That is something that I constantly stress in the book and have to tell you folks. One of the reasons a lot of unhappy Americans is that so many think that avoidance of pain equals happiness. That's why a lot of guys don't get married. They equate commitment with pain, which to the male nature it is. It is. That's, that's how the male nature thinks. Oh my God, can't touch any other woman till I die. Okay, but there, uh, but, uh, you are not going to be happy staying single the rest of your life. Okay. Uh, thank you. Let's go to Baltimore, W-I-T-H, in Baltimore, Maryland. Hello, Paul, this is Dennis Prager. Thank you for calling.
Yeah, um, first of all, let me begin— I didn't tell your screener this, but, uh, let me begin by telling you I'm totally blind, and— but I don't let that stop me from doing things.
When did you become blind?
I was born that way.
Oh, good. I have some questions to ask you, okay?
Okay, if you don't mind— if you don't mind taking up the time on the hotline.
No, no, on the what? I won't— that's right. I am too interested in people blind from birth. It fascinates me, so I gotta ask you a couple of questions.
Okay, shoot away.
Thank you. Number one, does the word color mean anything to you?
No.
That's what I thought. Well, how is this then? Do you understand if somebody says, "I see something"?
Well, yeah, I perceive it, or I perceive it. That's the way I look at it.
That one perceives it.
Yeah, see, I speak Esperanto. You may have heard of that.
Of course, the universal language, yeah.
I, even though that's my second language, I kind of, uh, whenever I hear a word that I don't understand, I just try to like in my head translate it into Esperanto and, uh, it comes out a little bit, uh, more of a better meaning, shall we say.
Right. But if I say to you that, um, you don't, you obviously don't know what a person looks like. No, exactly.
I could, I could tell by the sound of his or her voice whether they're short or tall, that sort of thing.
Right. That, and that of course is imaginable, short or tall. So it really is, of course, there are certain concepts that cannot be explained unless experienced, and seeing is one of them.
True.
Just like I couldn't explain to one who never heard what hearing is.
That's true.
You'd ask Helen Keller that question.
Oh God, yes, well that's very different. Now, uh, let's see here. Are you married?
No, I'm single. I'm content in my single life.
No, no, no, that could happen. I fully acknowledge that. All right, my friend, I, I'm not taking from your time. Shoot away.
Okay, about happiness, um, one of, one of my hobbies, and I like to make it an extension of a hobby because I enjoy, I enjoy taping, you know, making audio cassettes for my collection of old records and radio. And what I do, while I myself am happy to keep them, I like to pass them along. And I used to belong to a tape club which is no longer in existence for different reasons. And, uh, the tapes that I would send, as well as other members would go around to, oh, maybe about 100 or 150 people, so you would get answers back like, "I particularly like this particular number or that song that you sent." So, you know, you're passing on the happiness to others even though you are keeping it yourself. Do you get my idea?
Yes, in other words, we increase, and we certainly don't decrease, but we can increase our happiness by affecting others' happiness.
Yeah, let me ask you one question while we're on the happiness thing. What about altruism? Is altruism equated with happiness?
No. It's not equated, but in my book, and let's see, I think it's on tape, so obviously—
I don't have access to the web, so I have no idea how I could copy that.
Yeah, yeah, I'm going to look it up and announce it. But anyway, what was your question again?
About altruism.
Oh yes, I do have a chapter on why I believe good people are happier than bad people. And I will tell it to you in a moment. I'll tell it to you now. Paul, thank you for calling.
You're welcome.
Bye-bye. And let me tell you, folks, I'll tell you why. In fact, I'll tell you as soon as we get back. It's very important because a lot of people think, you know, I can't raise my kid to be all that ethical and stuff. It's a dog-eat-dog world and they'll, you know, they'll lose out. Or people think, oh, the good guy comes in last. You know, Leo DiRocia's famous line, good guys finish last. I will give you one Basic reason why I believe good people are happier than bad people. We'll be back in a moment. You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show, 1-800-PRAGER-776.
This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
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Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
I'm Dennis Prager. This is the Happiness Hour, an hour every week at this time on the subject of happiness. My book on it is titled Happiness Is a Serious Problem. I believe that happiness is the ironically among the most underrated of the most important things in life. There is nothing, almost nothing more important. There, there, and I, as I get older, the more I believe that. And I will tell you one other thing, when I meet people who are happy, I have admiration for them because life is very tough. It's tough for everyone, even the most blessed. It's tough. And, uh, when you have attained— when you, uh, have a happy demeanor, I salute you. Anyway, the last caller wanted to know, uh, our blind caller from Baltimore, is there a connection between goodness and happiness? Which is not exactly the subject, but I will answer it anyway very quickly. Good people are happier than bad people as a rule. There are good unhappy people, that is true, but they would be better if they were happy. That's a separate issue. Why are good people happier than bad people? Very simply, because bad people can never be properly loved or properly love. That's why. They, they, they think that others will treat them the way they treat others. And therefore they will largely be alone in life, whereas good people bring people into their lives for that alone. There are many other reasons, but that alone, uh, is the— is as big as any. All righty, over to Diamond Bar, California. And I believe you, uh, Dennis, are listening on KRLA 870, is that right?
Yes.
Hi Dennis, what's on your mind? Welcome to the Happiness Hour. Well, I want to disagree with you. I think unhappy people can be made happy by happy people.
I, I, that's the job of psychiatrists, psychologists.
No, it isn't, but it's very— that's why I took your call, and it's a very important call, and I'll give you my, my response, and you tell me if you still think there's a contradiction or I'm wrong. The good therapist, and I believe in good therapy, the problem is a lot of therapists are not good, But I— but when a therapist does his or her job, what they are doing is enabling you to make you happy. If you depend on your psychiatrist to be happy, you will never be happy, and they will all tell you that. After all, the best therapist gets rid of you, so obviously they are not the source of your happiness. They are enabling you to get rid of the impediments in your life to your unhappiness. That is all a therapist could do. It's huge, but that is all one can do.
That's true, but there is still that outside force that brings about—
but that's my—
the reason I say this is because I think that's the hope of humankind, is to bring about happiness where there is misery in the world. I mean, if we can't do that, then there isn't much hope for any of us.
I agree with you. That's why I believe in therapy. It's why one of the reasons I so believe in religion. Absolutely. I think that anything that you can do to increase your happiness should be utilized.
I think that holds true for what's going on in the Middle East.
If we can't bring about—
I think the Muslims have a kind of a sadomasochistic relationship with their God and also their leaders.
Well, we can never say the, but you can certainly say the militant Muslims. Yes, that's right. I think I think that there is a lot of pathology in, especially in the Arab world. I do. I agree with you. They're not happy. These are not happy people. They're not raised happily. Read books on it like The Arab Mind, one of the most— it's on my list of the 10 books that most affected my thinking. But I don't want to get into that because it's another subject. But you're right. These people are not happy people. They are squashed. They are squashed, I think, religiously, many of them, uh, personally, in their— in the way they're raised, in the— in the— in the staggeringly, uh, unhealthy relations between men and women. All right, anyway, thank you for your call. I, I want to repeat what, uh, what I said to Dennis here about a therapist. A therapist doesn't make you happy. A therapist enables you to make you happy. Nobody whom you have an hour, meet an hour a week makes you happy. And you get rid of them when you achieve it. Whereas friends, obviously, as an example, relatives, these people are with you forever. I will continue. Only you can make you happy. Others can make you unhappy. But if you're happy, others can increase your happiness. My three-pronged thesis on the effect of others on our own happiness on this, the Happiness Hour. Phone number 1-800-PRAGER-776. You're listening to the Dennis Prager Show and the Happiness Hour. Alrighty, my friends, you're listening to the Dennis Prager Show, the hour each week devoted to the subject of happiness because of how important I believe it is. God bless the founders of this country for saying life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in the Declaration of Independence. The, I think, the only country that did that, put it as one of the ideals. That's right, equality's not there, but pursuit of happiness is. And by the way, they are often unrelated. Indeed, sometimes they are in contradiction, the pursuit of equality and the pursuit of happiness. We will put that aside because it's not a political or philosophical— well, it's a philosophical hour, but you know what I mean. Now, again, the subject this hour is: can others make you happy? Number 1, only you can make you happy. 2, others can make you unhappy but not happy. Number 3, if you are happy, others can increase your happiness. They just can't make you happy. One of the ramifications of this is how you marry. You can't marry thinking he or she will make you happy. I'm unhappy, but I'll get married and, uh, he or she will make me happy. That is a guarantor of unhappiness for both of you. And I bet that happens a lot of times. Big mistake, even though it is a very natural thing to do. Get happy, then marry. Fix yourself up, then get married. 1-800-PRAGER-776. Steve in— let's excuse me, Mike in Denver. Sorry about that, Steve. The temptation there must have been terrible. In Denver on KNUS, it's Mike. Mike, Dennis Prager, welcome to the Happiness Hour.
Hi, Dennis.
Hi.
I am a psychotherapist, and I can't agree with you more on what you said with your last caller about the purpose of psychotherapy.
Oh, good. I'm delighted.
And I'll also tell you that I try never to miss the Happiness Hour. You would be pleasantly surprised to know how much of your wisdom makes its way back to my clients.
You can't imagine how important that is to me to know. I am pleased, not just for me from an ego standpoint, but I am pleased to know that I share the views of a lot of therapists because it makes me believe even more in therapy to know that. So thank you. I'm glad you do.
My pleasure. Well, listen, I wanted to take exception, though. I wanted to disagree with your postulate that others can make you unhappy. I think if you're going to say that you're responsible for your own happiness, then you would have to acknowledge that one needs to be able to salvage happiness from pain from time to time in their life. Is that true?
Absolutely. There's no— you have no choice.
Okay, and so I would agree that others can make you hurt, can provide you with pain from time to time, but if you say that others can make you unhappy, then you can't be responsible for your own happiness. Your happiness is still in some ways dependent on others' behavior.
That's very true, but it's fair. I mean, look, let's take an extreme case. You are, you know, the Nazis round you up and put you into a death camp. They have made you unhappy.
I mean, Well, Dennis, certainly heinous action.
All right, so, all right, all right, I went to the most extreme, but let's go to less extreme. A parent with a child, uh, who, uh, uh, who, who dies. A child is killed. I mean, there— I know a lot of parents whose children have died, only which most people don't know a lot of such people, but I, I, by being public, I know more people, and so therefore I'll experience more. And you know it too, would be given a therapist. Now, sure, is, is there— have you ever encountered in, in all your years of, of being a therapist a parent who lost a child who regained the original happiness they had?
Well, I would not say that they regained their joy in that child that, that they, that they got when the child was born and as they raise it. But I would all— let me assure you, Dennis, that I always encourage my clients who have lost a loved one of any nature—
well, loved one is not— not loved one, I don't think, is the same as a child.
Well, I, I am childless, so there may be more to it than I'm aware, but let me say this. If I have a client whose child has died, I encourage that client to know that happiness is available, that they walk through a season of pain, uh, but that happiness is not denied them.
I, I agree, I agree, uh, but obviously there's a period of time of such where the pain does affect one's happiness.
Sure. And so, Dennis Prager—
What about, what about, well, wait a minute. I mean, have you counseled couples in an awful marriage?
Oh, I do a lot of that, Dennis Prager.
Alright, then fine. Then you're telling me that an awful marriage doesn't affect your happiness?
Well, it certainly does, but the first thing I try to teach people who are in a very unhappy marriage is that they can disengage from their partner's behavior that has been making them unhappy. I tell people, hey, if your happiness depends on your spouse's behavior, then who's in charge? And that really motivates them to understand that they're in charge of their happiness.
No, I agree. You know what? We're in total agreement. I think it's almost at a point of such fine-tuning. I'm simply contrasting. I'm saying others can't make you happy, but they have a greater ability to make you unhappy. You're saying even there we have to determine for ourselves. I agree with you, but why would you tell a spouse who was beaten by a spouse—
and, and that is a large part of my practice, is domestic violence.
All right, what do you tell that spouse? Be happy anyway?
Well, no, what I, uh, when, when I get it, when I get a victim of domestic violence, yes, uh, and, and they are as often male as female, and right, okay, the solution is the same for both of them. What I do is I start to say, other than physical safety, let's assume first that or, you know, that they're able to come to the determination that their physical safety is not at risk. And then, then my question is, uh, do you, you know, one, are— do you feel like you would be happier without any marriage?
Well, exactly. All right, in other words, they have to get rid of the person who's making them unhappy. They have to divorce in that case.
Yeah. And, and, and, and, and, and in that event They are taking responsibility.
Oh, I agree. Oh, God bless you. Okay, Mike, thank you. We agree then. Until they get rid of that person, that person is making them unhappy. I just don't want to disqualify the notion for many people listening that another can never decrease your happiness. Of course they can. Great call, and because it forced us to explore it even further. So I want to make that clear. Again, my 3 things. Only you can make you happy. Two, others cannot make you happy, but they have the ability to make you unhappy. Then you have to figure out what to do about that. And number three, others can increase your happiness if you're already happy. That's true. It's like money. Money cannot make you happy if you're unhappy, but if you're happy, money can make you happier. Just talk to me about my stereo system. We'll be back in a moment. I'm Dennis Prager.
This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
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Now back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless Wisdom.
Talk about pain. I have pain over the excellent calls that are on, and I can't take everyone, but stay on if you got on. And I'm going to try to be brief so I can get as many of you as possible. The question on this Happiness Hour final segment is the question of Can others make you happy? And my, my theory on that. Let's go to Father John in Minneapolis on the Patriot. Hello, Father, thanks for calling.
Blessings, Dennis.
Thank you.
See, I'm sure enjoying this. Oh good. I, I just called to throw in a pitch for your fine-tuning of this topic. I taught a course in a secular college on ethics. I'm sure you're acquainted with Epicurus.
Yes.
Now, his definitions of ethics was ethics is the pursuit of happiness through the practice of virtue. So I want to point out two things there. Uh, goodness is key to this.
I agree. I said that to the caller from Baltimore. Go ahead.
And without it, uh, you're— and now I changed his definition when I taught a little bit. I had to change a few things. They told me I couldn't wear my collar and I couldn't use I don't use the word God. However, you know what the word ethics means. It's from God, of God.
I didn't know that. Tell me that. Say that.
Well, it's like atheist. It means away from God. A-theos. A is from, but away from. E is from or of, the source of. Theos is God.
Hey, I love it! I love it!
What I want you to do a little bit is on the word happiness, because in our Constitution that thing has been so perverted.
Oh, that's sad.
People have even stolen the name gay. I know 3 men named Gay, but I have— I've counseled many gay people.
I, I hear you.
None of them are happy.
Yeah, no, I know. Well, some, some are, but anyway, Father, only for because of the time, you have made my day. Ethics from God. I love it. Thank you so much, my dear friend. I'm glad you listen. Eric in West LA, you don't have a lot of time, but I love your subject. Go ahead on 870 KRLA. Hello, Eric.
Oh, how you doing? I'll be quick and to the point. Do you think that music provides a false or a real happiness? And my quick and sort of devil's advocate thoughts are there were obviously Nazis who enjoyed Beethoven and Mozart and then proceeded to do profoundly evil things. So What are your thoughts on that?
I don't know. A lifetime of music loving and listening. I— it's for— it soothes, and it soothes my— my— my— it soothes me. I have endorphins. I know that I'm secreting endorphins when I hear music. When I'm sad, it expresses my sadness for me and gives me beauty. In the sum total of things, I have to argue it adds, it does add to my joy of life. I would have to say that. Did it do it for a Nazi? Yes. But I always say the arts do not make your character better, but they can touch you in other ways. Don't go away.
This has been Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Visit DennisPrager.com for thousands of hours of Dennis' lectures, courses, and classic radio programs, and to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles. 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 3 ways. 1/3 chooses the dog, 1/3 chooses the stranger, and 1/3 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.
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