Jewish Life Digital Edition February 2013 | Page 32

SERIES

THINGS I LEARNED…
WHILE TEACHING EVERYONE ELSE
BY RABBI YOSSY GOLDMAN

Funny how a song which was completely
inane and utterly forgettable should
remain so indelibly etched in our memories so many years later.
“Don’t worry, be happy!”
That such a song – with the most unintelligent lyrics, and offering nothing of
substance whatsoever to those in pursuit
of happiness – became a hit on the airwaves, is a sad testament to the human
intellect and our powers of qualitative
discernment.
You have a problem? “Don’t worry, be
happy,” goes the song. Why? Why not? No
reasons given, no explanations advanced,
nothing thoughtful, pensive or philosophical to ponder over, just, “Don’t worry, be
happy.” Apart from the one worthwhile
idea that worrying only makes things
worse, the song presented a completely
senseless, happy-go-lucky attitude with no
logical underpinning whatsoever.
So let’s think about it now. How can we
stop worrying and find human happiness? What is that most elusive secret of
all time?
Not long ago, I gave a talk in shul on a
Friday night about freedom. One thing is
for sure, I said, having all the creature
comforts in the world doesn’t make us free
– or, for that matter, happy. How many
wealthy neurotics are there who are
bankrolling the psychiatric fraternity with
their failure to find happiness? Now
contrast them with the thousands of
impoverished Africans around us who
haven’t got a pair of shoes, but are
nonetheless dancing in the streets! They
are singing and toyi-toying, and frankly,
they look pretty happy to me! Apparently,
you can own everything you’ve ever

30 JEWISH LIFE

ISSUE 59

How can we stop worrying and find
human happiness? What is that most
elusive secret of all time?
dreamt of and still be unhappy. And you
can have nothing to your name and still
sing and dance. So, clearly, material wealth
is not the answer.
I remember many years ago telling my
children a bedtime story. It was called The
Unhappy King. It was about the king of the
land who simply could not crack a smile.

He was miserable, depressed and all the
king’s jesters and all his wise men could
not make him smile again. They tried
everything under the sun, from clowns to
comedians, but nothing worked.
One day, the king went out for a stroll in
the forest. After a while, he sat down on a
tree stump and put his head in his hands

PHOTOGRAPHS: BIGSTOCKPHOTO; (PORTRAIT): ILAN OSSENDRYVER

BE HAPPY!