Happiness

He walks in the park again – wondering about the proposal tags - some open points still in the office – he thinks about Claudia again - and soon she will pick up her daughter ...

You'll find the entire lyrics here (pdf).

Happiness - this is a state of well-being that everyone strives for. But in the daily routines, in the everyday little struggles, in the goals that we set for ourselves, what does "happiness" mean there?

You may have already noticed it in conversations with friends, acquaintances, colleagues, etc.: There are people for whom everything in life is always "wonderful". The holiday was "so nice".

The birthday was a celebration that excited everyone. The weekend with the wife/husband was fantastic. The sex life anyway. You never hear from people like that that maybe something in their lives isn't perfect. Why is that?

Our culture of happiness denies pain, physical as well as emotional, and ignores its biological and social function. This has not only individual, but also interpersonal reasons. As a social being, status and recognition are important to us.

So far, all sorts of material possessions have increased the status, but also performance or knowledge. Only recently has hedonistic happiness been added as a new dimension. The lucky ones have a precious commodity that we would all like to have. Since it can be shown to the whole world with pictures, the noble dinner at the selected boutique travel destination has become an expression of a fulfilling life.

But of course, when showing happiness itself becomes status, no one comes out and talks about dark and painful experiences - it could reduce the recognition of others.

Status symbols such as material success (e.g. owning your own house), titles (why have there been so many plagiarism scandals in relation to doctoral theses by politicians?) and power naturally still play a major role. Also, having a happy life has become a kind of status symbol that people like to flaunt.

Now let's have a second look: All the negative thinking, the dissatisfaction, anger, resentment - doesn't that also belong to us? Does it maybe have an important function - socially and politically?

Length 4:27 min 6,1 mb

music & text: andy enroe; guitars and e-bass: tanja soler zang; vocals, drums, strings, gt: andy enroe; executive music & art advisor: tanja soler zang.

models: hanseatic group feld-
straße; photos, paintings and graphical construction: andy enroe.