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Sept. 28, 2020 - Dennis Prager Show
06:04
Turmoil Prevents Inner-Peace | The Happiness Hour
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When I experience, which is not often, I work avidly to avoid it, but turmoil is the antithesis of happiness.
And a lot of people's lives are in turmoil.
None of them are happy.
Is that fair to say?
Like, you know, our friend, you know, Peter.
His life is constantly in turmoil and he's never happy.
Peter Turmoil.
That's how he got his last name.
The whole family is in turmoil.
That's the opposite, right?
You can't be happy if your life is in turmoil.
If you're in a life, in particular, There could be turmoil in your outer life and somehow you have figured out how to weather that storm because everybody has challenges to their peace.
But I'm going to give you two examples of how significant peace is to at least the healthy person.
This one you'll find, you'll find both fascinating.
Number one, I have actually asked on the male-female hour, I've asked men, for whom in general, there are always exceptions, but that doesn't matter.
In general, it matters.
In general, men are more interested in sex than women.
Okay?
Only if you have a graduate degree do you disagree with that.
Because reality is rebelled against at our university.
So I have asked men, would you prefer a peaceful home or a non-peaceful home but more sex?
In other words, less sex in a peaceful home or more sex.
In a non-peaceful home.
Right?
The old happy wife, happy life concept.
Every man I have addressed this to has said, less sex, more peace.
That's how important for most men.
Again, every generalization has exceptions.
If you dwell on the exceptions, you can't understand life.
Right?
Okay.
Just about everybody has five fingers.
Ah, but there are people who are born with four fingers.
Yes, but it's irrelevant to the point.
Okay, next example.
Most of you will not be familiar with this concept, but 99% of Jews are.
It's an unbelievably common phrase.
Religious, not religious, it's irrelevant.
And people will say, they would wish a fellow Jew, may you have nachas from your children.
And it is always that word, which is Yiddish from Hebrew, that nachat, it is always translated as, may you have pride and joy from your children.
Right?
Oh, I have nachas from my child.
He got into Yale.
Alright?
That would be an example.
Wow, wat nachas.
That's an interesting thing.
As I know Hebrew very well, that's not what it means.
It doesn't mean pride and joy.
It means rest.
May you have rest from your children.
Not pride and joy.
May your children give you peace and rest.
That's what the literal word means.
And that, in fact, is really what you want.
Because if your kid goes to Yale and then makes $500,000 a year in some law firm, but it is alienated from you, do you have happiness?
No, because there's no peace from your child.
You may have pride.
But not peace.
Peace over sex.
Peace over pride.
Would you rather have an alienated child who went to an Ivy League school and got a PhD or doctorate in medicine, but who had contempt for your values, or an electrician?
For a child who shared your values and treated you with respect.
Everyone has the same answer to that.
That's why it's so stupid to work for.
I want pride from my child.
No, you want rest.
You want peace.
That's today's happiness hour.
The healthy, I can't speak for the unhealthy.
There are people who love turmoil.
Okay, I can't address that.
But most people want peace.
That's the closest you get to happiness.
At least the definition of it.
1-8 Prager 776. Inner peace.
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