Entertainment | Wide Eyed In Wonder

Humans are all about HAPPY! Being Happy. Wanting to be Happy. Sad that they’re not Happy. Thinking they can never be Happy. The list is endless.

Happiness plays in huge role in our lives. It’s literally a life or, in some instances, death thing. We’re always looking for happiness and not happy that we’re not there. Kind of an endless cycle and self-fulfilling prophecy.

Yip, I know this is a generalisation, and where it applies it almost always is the same – yip, I know, another generalisation.

What we haven’t as a species, realised, is that happiness comes from within us. It’s already there. It can’t be acquired like going to a supermarket to get bread. It can’t be bought like going to a spa for a massage. It can’t be given to us like relying on someone else to make us happy.

If we’re not happy then we’re don’t accept ourselves as we are – as perfectly made human beings.

Imagine if everyone accepted that happiness was not a state but a way of being. States are transient and don’t last longer than 90 seconds. So we’re going through many states each day. But a way of being is exactly that – a way of being – permanent.

So if happiness is way of being (permanent) we can be:

Happy and not 100% comfortable at this moment

Happy and hungry at this moment

Happy and feel like crying at this moment

You get the idea.

This is not a self-help post, so if you’re looking for tips on how to be happy then you won’t find that here.

What you will find is Pharrell Williams’s song “Happy!” Listen to it, if you feel happy or not. It’s a wonderfully happy song. Visit 24hoursofhappy – the world’s first 24 hour music video – many celebrities in it too.

And clap along if you feel happiness is the truth, because I’m happy… and it’s infectious…

(Check below the video for the lyrics)

Lyrics from http://www.metrolyrics.com/happy-lyrics-pharrell-williams.html:

It might seem crazy what I’m about to say
Sunshine she’s here, you can take away
I’m a hot air balloon, I could go to space
With the air, like I don’t care baby by the way

Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I’m happy
Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do

Here come bad news talking this and that
Yeah, give me all you got, don’t hold back
Yeah, well I should probably warn you I’ll be just fine
Yeah, no offense to you don’t waste your time
Here’s why

Happy, bring me down
Can’t nothing, bring me down
Love is too happy to bring me down
Can’t nothing, bring me down
I said bring me down
Can’t nothing, bring me down
Love is too happy to bring me down
Can’t nothing, bring me down
I said

Happy, bring me down
Can’t nothing, bring me down
Love is too happy to bring me down
Can’t nothing, bring me down
I said

Read more: Pharrell Williams – Happy Lyrics | MetroLyrics

It’s inevitable that as children we’re influenced by what we see, hence the importance of parental control. There wasn’t much sex or violence on TV in the 70s…at least not on South African television.

South Africa in the 70s was insular and closed. Media was heavily censored. TV was only introduced in the late 70s. These TV shows opened things up a little for those fortunate few who had a TV.

Which 70s shows do you remember fondly?

Little House on the Prairie – Every Sunday night the whole family gathered around the TV to watch the latest episode. My sister and I identified with the Ingalls sisters – me with Mary, being the eldest. It was because of this series that we started calling my Mom and Dad, Ma and Pa. We still do. Enjoy the video below of the opening and closing music and credits.

MacGyver – I had a crush on Richard Dean Anderson. Because of him I started carrying a swiss army knife in my bag. And paperclips. I never knew when I’d need them – any tool would do!

Emergency! – This was when I discovered the existence of paramedics. I was bitterly disappointed that I couldn’t dial 911 from South Africa.

Chopper One – It didn’t last longer than 1 season. I had a crush on Dirk Benedict. At one stage I wanted to learn how to fly a helicopter. I never did.

“CHiPS” – Monday evenings were CHiPS evenings, dinner was gobbled as quickly as possible to be in front of the TV when it came on. My fascination with bikes started then.

Which 70s shows do you remember fondly?

Wide Eyed In Wonder

Category Archives: Entertainment

Worldly Encounters – Happy!

Who remembers these 70s TV shows?

Mozambican-born Portuguese South African; reflecting on travel, writing, editing, life, family and change that has social impact; chief wide eyed in wanderer, wonderer and bottlewasher