Happiness Is a Serious Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual - Hardcover

Prager, Dennis

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060392193 ISBN 13: 9780060392192

Publisher: Harper, 1998

Synopsis

In this unique blend of self-help and moral philosophy, perfect for fans of Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project or Dan Harris’ 10% Happier, talk-radio host Dennis Prager shows us that happiness isn’t just a value—it’s a moral obligation.

 

When you ask people about their most cherished values, “happiness” is always at the top of the list. In this enduring happiness manifesto, Prager examines how happiness not only makes us better people, but has an effect on the lives of everyone around us—providing them with a positive environment in which to thrive and be happy themselves.

Achieving that happiness won't be easy, though: to Prager, it requires a continuing process of counting your blessings and giving up any expectations that life is supposed to be wonderful. "Can we decide to be satisfied with what we have?" he asks. "A poor man who can make himself satisfied with his portion will be happier than a wealthy man who does not allow himself to be satisfied." Prager echoes other political commentators in complaining that too many people today see themselves as victims; he submits that the only way to achieve your desires is to take responsibility for your life rather than blaming others.

If you're willing to put some thought into achieving a happier outlook, you will find plenty to mull over in Happiness Is a Serious Problem.

 

About this title

Review:

In this unique blend of self-help and moral philosophy, talk-radio host Dennis Prager asserts that we're actually obligated to be happy, because it makes us better people. Achieving that happiness won't be easy, though: to Prager, it requires a continuing process of counting your blessings and giving up any expectations that life is supposed to be wonderful. "Can we decide to be satisfied with what we have?" he asks. "A poor man who can make himself satisfied with his portion will be happier than a wealthy man who does not allow himself to be satisfied." Prager echoes many conservative political commentators in complaining that too many people today see themselves as victims; he submits that the only way to achieve your desires is to take responsibility for your life rather than blaming others. Whether or not you agree with that view, if you're willing to put some thought into achieving a happier outlook, you will find plenty to mull over in Happiness Is a Serious Problem.

From the Back Cover:

Happiness, says Prager, is a serious problem. This is because the single greatest obstacle to happiness is insatiable human nature itself. But though lasting happiness is profoundly difficult to achieve, it is not impossible. Now, with his insightful and explosive new work Happiness Is a Serious Problem, an extension of his world-famous lectures, Prager gives readers the powerful new tools they need to make happiness a reality in their own lives.

Happiness Is a Serious Problem contains many life-changing insights, including the idea that the only people we know who are happy are people we don't know well; the fact that being happy is usually seen as a selfish goal but that we have a moral obligation to the people in our lives to pursue it; and that unhappiness is really the difference between our perceptions and our reality. By changing our reality or reducing our expectations, happiness becomes easily realizable. Humorous, accessible and penetrating, Happiness Is a Serious Problem shows that when happiness is treated with the same level of seriousness that people bring to life's other tasks, it becomes immediately more tangible and thus achievable.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0060392193
• ISBN 13: 9780060392192
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208