Happy Happy Joy Joy!

I wonder if the doomed and hysterical pressure to be happy is as prominent in other countries as it seems to be in this one.

I was listening to Tommy Tiernan's comedy sketch "Toxic Optimism." The whole track is amazing, funny and insightful - but he really puts his finger on the mania involved. When you HAVE to be happy, how can you really BE happy?

"REALLY want to BE HAPPY. I'm going to try my best to BE HAPPY. I don't care if it drives me F'ing inSANE.."

What if what makes you happy is good criticism? What if your bliss is, well, kind of a downer for other people sometimes? Insights are gained that would be forever opaque if no-one ever made the wrong decision, or found themselves in an unaccountably melancholy mood. Sometimes I'd rather damn the darkness than light a candle. When I try too hard, nothing beams me on. When I'm a bit down, I notice other aspects of life and people and the niche(s) I inhabit than I do in those rare episodic moments of happiness.

Trying too hard to BE HAPPY doesn't make anyone happy. It can even make them a little crazy. But if you know that, there's no reason not to be a little bit silly sometimes, too.

So here's the classic hysteria song, "Happy Happy Joy Joy." Yeah, it does beam me on, but maybe only because my brother and I had so much fun watching it. Doesn't it illustrate the whole point? And yet, doesn't undermining the idea of forced happiness make you feel silly and kind of happy anyway? Enjoy!


Link:

Ren And Stimpy - Happy Happy Joy Joy

Hello boys and girls, this is your old pal, Stinky Wizzleteats
This is a song about a whale,
NO
this is a song about being happy
That's right!
It's the happy happy, joy joy song!

Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy joy

I don't think you're happy enough, that's right!
I'll TEACH you to be happy!
I'll teach your grandmother to suck eggs!
Now boys and girls, lets try it again...

Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy joy!

Iffin you ain`t the grandaddy of all liars!
The little critters of nature - 
they don't know that they're ugly.
That's very funny! A fly marrying a bumble bee!
"I TOLD you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me!
WHY didn't you believe me?"

Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy, joy joy
Happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy happy, joy joy joyyyy!

Silly Quizzes that Serve to Validate My Intuitions

They *are* silly and most of them have pretty much zero validity. Still, I just love multiple-choice questions!

Got a bit of a theme going today!

You Crave a Blissful Life

Your dream is to live a light hearted, carefree life. You don't want to be bogged down by stress. You'd like to recapture some of the playfulness and innocence you had as a child. You believe that life should be about celebrations and fun. The world needs more happiness. You want to focus on the positive and stay optimistic. It's too easy to get depressed.

The Sunset Test

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

 

Your Happy Word is "Bliss"

You are happy because you don't need a lot to be content. You experience happiness in the best and worst of times. You see the divine in everything. You believe that every moment, person, and creature is unique and special. You are an oasis of calm in this chaotic world. You never lose your head. You can feel totally elated and exuberant from the smallest pleasures. You don't hold back when it comes to ecstasy.

What's Your Happy Word?

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

        

You Try to Tread Lightly

You would like to make the world a better place, but you also don't want to inflict any damage on it. You try to live a green and sustainable life. The environment matters deeply to you. You are thoughtful in your decisions and words. You think everyone should try harder not to harm one another. You don't think big... in fact, you tend to think small. You know that one small action can make a big difference.

The Footprint Test

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

You Are Spirit

You are resilient, hopeful, and inspiring. You have a lot of emotional, physical, and mental energy. You nurture and nourish yourself. You know that you need fulfillment and downtime if you want to be your best. You stay present in every moment. You don't allow yourself to be distracted or flustered. You appreciate the life you have been given. You embrace all that is beautiful in the world.

Are You Mind, Body, or Spirit?

Blogthings: Waste Time at Work!

      

You Are a Bay

You are a blissful, peaceful person. Some might call you spiritual. You are easy-going and tranquil. You take solace in life's sweet moments. You are sentimental and open-hearted. You love many people, places, and things. You try to live an enlightened life. You are benevolent, noble, and intuitive.

What Body of Water Are You?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

Cheerful Happy

Laughing baby! Can anyone look at a laughing baby and not feel happy?


This one is outstanding! Watch and listen...



Feel it? You're smiling, aren't you?

(Thanks to my brother for posting this)

Playing with My Hair

Anytime someone plays with your hair it feels wonderful, right? It's a pure sensual pleasure.

I love to go to a beauty salon, and feel someone wash my hair, and comb it, and cut it, and dry it. All that hair play - ahhhh. It relaxes me all the way down to my toes.

And there's something very sweet about a child grabbing hold of your hair.

So that's a good relaxation meditation. Picture someone (the someone is of course your choice, so pick someone really. really. good!) playing with your hair, running his (and assume "or her" throughout) fingers through it, taking up a a little chunk of it and feeling the sensation across his own face - just because it is so irresistible.

Imagine someone massaging your skull, too, and your temples, and speaking to you in sweet tones - stopping for a kiss now and then, perhaps. And...

And if you have a true love, imagine him holding a lock of your hair close and dear - a material fixed point for a spiritual/erotic reality - even if you never see each other again.

If you actually have a lock of hair of someone you love tucked away - in a locket, on your alter, on a significant page of a book, wherever seems a secret and treasured place to you - you are already a romantic, so build on that. Not everyone has hair long enough to snip a good lock of hair from, but even just a few little bits will work. You can imagine a thread of connection, a wisp of their spirit that remains present.

A lock of hair is almost always a remembrance, an urge to closeness, even if it is also sometimes a form of grieving and loss. Hair is, I think, inherently meaningful, and in the right circumstances it can be incredibly erotic. There are many associations involved in this particular theme, but the primary thread involves pleasure, happiness, intimacy. If two people feel the desire to exchange locks of their hair, that's a heart signal (in case you hadn't been paying attention) of lasting love, or at the very least, a very singular kind of friendship.

Whenever I imagine my love running his fingers through my hair, I feel happy and relaxed and somewhat purry. It's a toe-tingler, even just in the imagination.

This is something to remember, in case of emergency.