The Emancipation of Happy People

"Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah,

Well, give me all you got, and 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"

- Pharrell Williams, "Happy"

Find happiness and allow others to have theirs,
even if it includes Westwood hats and astronauts.

I'm "happy" that Pharrell's song is being received so well. Everyone and their mother (including mine) is walking around doing the Carlton, singing "Cuz’ I'm happyyyyyyyyyyyy!" It's cool. In addition to being a huge fan of Williams' music (if you love “Happy”, check out “Just a Cloud Away”) and persona, the song is a testimony to my constant sermon that there remains an audience of people who enjoy, appreciate, and request positive images. Every so often we get songs like “Happy”, Outkast’s “Hey Ya”, “Blessed” by Jill Scott, and classics like “Happy Feelings” by the legendary Maze feat Frankie Beverly that draw you out of the playlist of purgatory we usually ingest. In a world littered with those who live to kill the joy and innocence of others, another cast of characters endures, here to seek and empower. Despite negativity inundating and flooding our daily existence, there appears to be an opportunity to escape the sorrow and make a break for happiness.

Let me be clear: I understand the general consensus to be down in the dumps. We live amongst violence, financial disparity, drugs, and sexual deviancy, elements that work together like the associative property of math. To compound this, it’s easier to be negative about life and its daily happenings. We wallow in our own pity, be it to ourselves, to friends, or through memes and posts on social networks. It takes dedication and faith to change our circumstances for the better; the will to overcome life’s various hurdles requires things that we can’t buy or Google. Bishop TD Jakes compares it to being a child who whines at each change of sustenance, crying when we cut the cord or take the bottle away. Like the baby we cry until we understand we can survive (and more importantly, strive) without that particular nourishment. In our “crying” we attract others to participate in our misery, through drawing out their sorrow or personally dishing it out. You see it frequently; through the constant sharing of World Star videos and posts of acts of violence/hatred or actually partaking in words or acts of hatred, we impose our unhappiness on others. I am frequently lamented for my criticism of shows like Scandal and Being Mary Jane, but consider that while there are truths imbedded in these telecasts, they continue to broadcast and promote an unhealthy lifestyle. By no means should we be oblivious or uninformed on the ways of the world, but there is a huge difference between awareness and advertising.

With songs like “Happy”, we are challenged to discover or rediscover happiness, and experience shows that happiness is hugely predicated on how you feel about yourself. Over the past few years, I’ve battled with finding a true definition of manhood; for a while I allowed manhood to be defined by the thoughts of others, whether it be chasing the image of my father, comparing myself to my peers, or trying to stare through the eyes of a significant other. Like happiness though, manhood starts with being comfortable with who you are. As you find comfort in yourself, facets of your life began to redefine themselves, specifically thoughts on strength and struggle. There is no strength in being cold or heartless; strength comes from love. 1 Corinthians 13 speaks of love as “The Greatest”, a Muhammad Ali of sorts:

“4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

“13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

Struggle can't guard you. Put it in the post and break it
down.

Love overcomes struggle, which becomes nothing more than a nuisance as you gain sense of self. On the basketball court (which I haven’t been on in WAY too long) we yell out a phrase when we are dominating a weaker opponent: “TOO BIG!” If you’re playing someone slower than you, you’re sure to remind them, “TOO QUICK, BABY!” I’m sure your first response is, “Ced, who are you bigger than?” to which I say mind your business, but struggle cannot contain you. Struggle cannot manhandle you unless it gets into your head. When you battle against a struggle in your life, free yourself from it. You’re either too big for it, or too quick. Post that bad boy up like LeBron, or outthink it and blow past it like Chris (or Cliff) Paul.

Gain your happiness. Hold onto it, and let NO ONE interfere with it. Puffy’s been telling us for years: “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”. As a person who tries to view the world in a positive light, I encounter people every day that tell me what I and others are incapable of. It doesn’t matter: I believe in myself, the downtrodden, even the hater I’m talking to. You can’t take my joy, fool; I’m “Optimist Prime”. 

We can all be “transformers” and change our individual world by sharing the happiness we have. As we inspire, we take back our world from the bigotry, racism, sexism, the hatred that plagues our society. Spreading positivity does not require you be a certain age, race, creed, status, or upbringing. You don’t have to be the President; you just have to be happy.

-Ceddy P

Post Game: What are some songs that get you happy? Comment below or tweet me @cedsconfessions!