Dennis Prager Show - How Has the Lockdown Affected Your Emotions?
Aired: 2021-02-05
Duration: 09:36


=== People's Uncontrolled Happiness Factors (09:36) ===

[00:00:00]  Repeated theme on the Happiness Hour, so I want you to start calling in now.
[00:00:04]  Maybe I can help you get through this emotionally, or at least in terms of behavior.
[00:00:14]  And maybe I can't, and maybe you will be able to share what you have done, if it's been successful.
[00:00:21]  1-8 Prager 776. I feel, I tell you, I think about the people in apartments, especially a New York-like apartment.
[00:00:34]  Now, New York has voted Democrat, and I do believe that if you vote a certain way, and the people who do that, you are warned about them, as people have warned about the left being in power for decades, if it's not a century, and, or more.
[00:00:54]  But nevertheless, I do feel for people who have been cooped up in an apartment.
[00:00:59]  Here's an interesting question that you may have a thought on.
[00:01:04]  What divides the mask wearer, the 24-7 one?
[00:01:09]  I mean, nobody wears it to sleep, so it's not 24-7.
[00:01:14]  It's, how about, 15-7.
[00:01:18]  The people I see...
[00:01:21]  Outdoors.
[00:01:22]  The people I see outdoors wearing masks, even walking alone.
[00:01:25]  What animates them?
[00:01:27]  So I think I know the answer, but since I so don't relate to it, I can't fully understand it.
[00:01:36]  Are any of you that frightened that you want to wear a mask?
[00:01:41]  I don't mean in general, but now.
[00:01:44]  You want to wear a mask because it's the safe thing to do, even if you're walking alone.
[00:01:51]  Well, the thing on the driving in the car, I believe, I don't believe anybody is driving in the car alone.
[00:01:59]  Let's put it that way.
[00:02:01]  Wearing a mask because they think it will keep them safe.
[00:02:08]  You don't think so either, right?
[00:02:10]  Or you do think so?
[00:02:13]  You don't know why.
[00:02:14]  Alright, that's a good question.
[00:02:16]  If you're one of them, tell us why.
[00:02:19]  In fact, if you're one of them, we'll send you an award.
[00:02:24]  You deserve some sort of prize for listening to this show and doing something so foolish.
[00:02:31]  So, and you know, I won't insult you.
[00:02:35]  I insult in general, but not to a person, because you're created in God's image, and I am very keenly aware of that fact.
[00:02:48]  So these are the questions about how people are handling this.
[00:02:54]  For myself, it's been a mixed bag because I have very, very good, as Dr. Marmer, the psychiatrist I have on the Happiness Hour said, you have, he said to me, great shock absorbers.
[00:03:09]  And that's correct.
[00:03:11]  But I also have...
[00:03:13]  An immersion in reality because it's my temperament is not to tune out and because I have to do a radio show.
[00:03:21]  I need to know what's going on.
[00:03:25]  So I am more aware than most about what is happening to this country.
[00:03:31]  The idea that there is an enemy within and the reference is entirely to Trump supporters.
[00:03:37]  74 million terrorists within.
[00:03:40]  That's essentially the message that is going out at this time in this country.
[00:03:47]  And so you feel vulnerable at your place of work.
[00:03:52]  I don't blame you.
[00:03:55]  So these are toughies.
[00:04:01]  Look, the name of my book on happiness is Happiness is a Serious Problem.
[00:04:08]  So is that not true?
[00:04:11]  Is happiness not a serious problem?
[00:04:14]  Of course it is.
[00:04:17]  There's one other aspect that I'd like to isolate for your consideration.
[00:04:24]  Most pain, in our society at least, has been caused by the micro, not the macro.
[00:04:33]  As in macroaggression, right macro, the big picture.
[00:04:39]  And I'm a fan of the macro, and I completely get disoriented when they give me their scenarios.
[00:04:51]  But this is a new phenomenon that society is governed by models.
[00:04:59]  And that has not done very well for us.
[00:05:03]  If you asked, what would I have done better?
[00:05:06]  I would have asked the...
[00:05:08]  Those likely to get COVID because of age or infirmity to stay locked down.
[00:05:15]  The rest of the society not to.
[00:05:18]  To develop a herd immunity as a result.
[00:05:23]  And I would know that there were limitations to my power.
[00:05:31]  So that means you let people do what they want.
[00:05:34]  But the Democrats have such power.
[00:05:39]  In the political sphere that they won't allow you to do what you want.
[00:05:46]  It's a big problem at this time, but I was saying the name of my book is Happiness is a Serious Problem.
[00:05:54]  I have known all along that we were so lucky.
[00:06:00]  Do you know, I don't think I've shared this.
[00:06:03]  I've shared about Superman, but I haven't shared this.
[00:06:09]  I look back at America when I was younger.
[00:06:14]  And one of the distinguishing features of this country was it left you alone.
[00:06:22]  And that is so important.
[00:06:26]  A value.
[00:06:29]  If you don't want the government involved in your life, you are in the majority of Americans.
[00:06:39]  And yet, it intrudes more and more.
[00:06:42]  I believe that the greatest source of unhappiness is events we cannot control.
[00:06:51]  That's a big issue.
[00:06:56]  You can be fully in charge of your own life, which is a very remarkable moral achievement.
[00:07:03]  But you are not fully in control of macro life.
[00:07:09]  So I get the challenges, believe me.
[00:07:12]  1-8 Prager, 776-877-243-7776.
[00:07:21]  Alright.
[00:07:24]  Let's go to Patsy, my apologies, in Glendale, Arizona.
[00:07:31]  Hello from Glendale to Glendale.
[00:07:36]  Hello, Dennis.
[00:07:37]  I've been trying for years to talk to you, and I'm so excited.
[00:07:42]  I've read your book.
[00:07:44]  I loved your book, especially when you said, and I read it a long time ago, so obviously I'm not quoting you specifically, but where you said, life isn't fair.
[00:07:55]  And it really isn't fair.
[00:07:57]  But this political stuff's driving me crazy because it's playing with my faith.
[00:08:03]  And how can God allow this evil to happen?
[00:08:13]  Abortion, not supporting Israel, obviously, with the new administration, man being man, woman being woman, you know, all of this stuff.
[00:08:25]  And I start rationalizing and saying, well...
[00:08:31]  Maybe we're in the end times.
[00:08:34]  Maybe he's going to come and make everything right.
[00:08:40]  And then I start thinking, oh, is my faith failing?
[00:08:45]  Because I know we're supposed to pray for our leaders, which I even do for Biden.
[00:08:51]  I pray more for our nation, but I do pray for him.
[00:08:56]  What can I do to...
[00:09:00]  So I feel like I really have faith, and I'm not just rationalizing that, you know, God chose him as a leader for a reason, to show, to wake people up, possibly.
[00:09:14]  I don't know.
[00:09:15]  I'm struggling, Dennis.
[00:09:17]  Right.
[00:09:17]  No, no, God bless you.
[00:09:19]  Look, first of all, remember this.
[00:09:21]  To struggle is part of faith.
[00:09:24]  The name Israel, God's chosen people, when he renamed Jacob Israel, Explain it.
[00:09:31]  Read it.
[00:09:32]  Read it in the Bible.
[00:09:33]  Because he struggles with God.
[00:09:35]  That's what Israel means.