In their sagacity, our founders recognized the God-given right to define and pursue one’s own happiness. As the Declaration of Independence avers:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
Indeed, if one cannot define and pursue his or her happiness, there can be no liberty. And without liberty, what is life but a penal sentence beneath the boot of a tyrannical regime?
Further, the founders differentiated the pursuit of happiness from its attainment, something that is impossible for any government to guarantee. Throughout our nation’s revolutionary experiment in self-government, generations of Americans have realized that a government powerful enough to provide your happiness will also be powerful enough to define what will make you happy—with or without your consent. This is likely to make one very unhappy, indeed. As former President Gerald R. Ford succinctly expressed the danger: “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.”
The Left, however, traditionally has conflated the pursuit with the attainment of happiness; and attempted to seduce citizens with the siren song of a Leviathan government able to provide the means to one’s happiness. Of course, this promise can never be fulfilled, which has compelled the Left to try and “fundamentally transform” Americans’ expectations both of what constitutes happiness and how it must be pursued. In the process, the Left fundamentally rejects the foundational principles of sovereign citizens engaged in self-governing, and their consenting to the acts of a subservient government.
My happiness cannot be understood by most of the people in our government today. They don’t have the character to understand another way but theirs, let alone the idea that monetary wealth is not what makes anyone truly happy.
My wife. Dah.
Here are 4 happy dudes living their best life in Miami tonight:
https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1644895351118217216?cxt=HHwWgIC-gevm69MtAAAA
I’ll tell you for sure who DOES NOT determine my happiness and the is the government! Those no good bastards do nothing but aggravate the hell out of me! My wife, my kids and my grandkids are the source of my happiness! If I had a dog right now I’d include him too but he’s been gone for a few years, but I’m still happy remembering him.
Mike Tyson, Kid Rock. Donald Trump, I recognize the bald guy but I’m not putting a name to him. No matter, it’s a good group!
Happiness cannot be bought,
Only rented
This post illustrates one of the many differences between the right and the left. We as conservatives are willing to bet on ourselves. We want to be the captains of our own ship, to own every triumph and every failure, to be the soul determiner of our destiny and with government getting out of our way.
Whether it’s lack of confidence, lack of determination, or lack of maturity, I don’t know, but the left prefers to be just one out of many. They would prefer security over agency, and be told what to do and how to behave.
Of course, when you deny The Moral Lawgiver, that entity which created all of us, in his image, then you must secure purpose and meaning from outside sources, which are neither true or satisfying.
@joe6
I believe that is Dana White, the CEO of the UFC in a rock ribbed conservative.
joe6pak
That’s Dana White. I belong to two gyms. Ones a MMA Gold Gym. Even at that level, every one of them, no matter the age, love Trump. I can’t explain it. All really decent young people. They give me hope.
Happiness is an emergent property.
So, who or what makes it emerge?
🤣
Brad/Rich, of course! I was racking my brain, what little I have, it was bugging me, I know who that is. Now I can to to sleep not wondering who that bald headed guy was!
^^^^^ Titties make me happy.
Happiness?
Is a warm gun.
Outdoor you-know-who
I see you’re still hiding out with no last name. It ain’t right brother. LOL. Damn injuns.
Brad is right.
I should’ve said happiness is warm titties.
Somethin’s peekin’ out!
It’s emerging!
Look! Up in the sky…
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No…
It’s Super TITIES!
(I have had nothing to drink.)
@General ‘Riddle Me This’ Malaise — Happiness emerges from a set of values and principles, the confidence that they are consistent with objective reality, and the conscious adherence to them to the best of one’s ability.
You can use the cold ones as make shift golf tees. No divots though.
I’m obviously having trouble being serious. But thank you, Uncle Al, Doctor of Philosophy, Happiness Engineering. I was thinking along those lines before I got goofy. It’s Brad’s fault, of course.
OK, not that I’m trying to change the conversation away from tities but Brad did bring up golf. Did anyone see how close a couple of the “patrons” came to being squished by the trees that came down at the Masters yesterday? I saw at least one guy in between two trees that came down side by side at the same time. It didn’t look like there was two feet on either side of him.
Are we to gather that titties, no matter the thermal properties, have little or no effect on Uncle Al?
Doesn’t look like he’s on the same page. Titties and golf, and he’s talking about values and principles? Hey it’s Saturday night.
Titties are indeed a gift from Heaven! However, never really connected the to golf outside of the beer chicks.
When we first got married and I was 24 and my young wife was 21 she had titties in spades. Hubba, hubba. She had to have a surgical breast reduction when was in her 40’s but they still looked good. Money can’t buy happiness, but a good wife and great sex can. I miss being married but I am still happy and content.
@Brad, @joe6pak — It’s entirely within the paradigm of values, principles, objective reality, and consistent adherence, to find happiness with the right titties!
Titties?
Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ………
Federal judges, if you’re a libtard
Uncle Al
Why don’t you like the left ones?
“The problem is, as the truism warns, misery loves company; and the Left will never be happy (or at least sated) until they have foisted upon Americans an equality of misery.”
Progressives/Marxists/Satanists resent anyone who they believe is living a more joyous and fulfilling life than they themselves are. They are totally consumed by envy. Therein lies the problem, envy is insatiable, so long as anyone has a single thing the miserable, pathetic failures believe they themselves are entitled to, but have been unfairly denied they will resent that person.
What others have, that they resent most of all, is a sense of joy and fulfillment. Trust me on this, I live among individuals who have made millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars at Microsoft, Amazon, Nintendo etc who’s ass is absolutely charred by the fact that there are people who living on modest incomes whose lives are filled with greater joy.
They are totally unconcerned with anything they purport to care about, particularly “social justice” other than to use the concept to inculcate a sense that envy is not a cardinal sin, but in fact a cardinal virtue. They are totally without any sincerity and totally lack any capacity for empathy or concern for anyone.
Like the song goes, not a rich man in ten has a satisfied mind. All the money and power in the world can’t buy wealthy people satisfaction.
For those of you into titties (spelling?), visit the “Feral Irishman” on Fridays. Listed on Diogenes blog roll if’n you’re not familiar…
Happiness is something inside you.
I know people who have that glass-half-empty outlook, constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop, who live miserable lives.
Others ride the storm and take whatever comes head on, and look at adversity as a challenge and a possibility.
You’ve got one life; roll the fucking dice.