She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they had been happy; and they clapped their hands.
The lyrics to "if you're happy and you know it" imply you can be happy and not know it
Submitted 2 weeks ago by FreshParsnip@lemmy.ca to showerthoughts@lemmy.world
Comments
Rhynoplaz@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Maybe you have been and you just never knew it.
Zealotte@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
I was happy once. It was awful, and I forgot to clap.
Assassassin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
If your mood is ambiguous, make a sound!
oce@jlai.lu 2 weeks ago
Pfff
YoSoySnekBoi@kbin.earth 2 weeks ago
Gneurshk
ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
A lot of people have everything they need to be happy but their perspectives keep them unhappy… It might not be exactly the premise given but it’s pretty close. 👍
morto@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
If people were happy and content, it would be much harder to manipulate them in many senses of it, so making people feel bad about them is part of the chushing machine design
ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Sometimes it’s also just very profitable (the beauty industry comes to mind). 🤷
Cevilia@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Dave Gorman did a stand-up bit about this. His version goes something like
If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it clap your hands
If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it clap your hands
But if you’re happy and don’t know it, or unhappy and you do
Then the clauses in this song do not apply to you
But if you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it
Then, and only then, please clap your hands
Kolanaki@pawb.social 2 weeks ago
Subconscious desires being met while conscience ones aren’t.
medem@lemmy.wtf 2 weeks ago
Best (and most existential) one I’ve seen in quite a while.
Fridam@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
As someone who’ve struggled through life, my impression is that a lot of people who dont’t, often don’t realise how happy they are. It’s like they are so used to being satisfied they don’t really notice the happiness because they are so used to it
oce@jlai.lu 2 weeks ago
If you’re unhappy and don’t know it, eat one more snack. Crunch crunch.
AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It also implies that you might clap anyway if the song didn’t clarify.
Drusas@fedia.io 2 weeks ago
Does it? It sounds to me like it implies that you wouldn't clap your hands unless you are happy, you know it, and you also want to show it. All three must be true for it to be hand-clapping time.
AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
What difference would you expect if the “and you know it” clause were omitted?
Suppose there are indeed some people who would clap if the clause were omitted, but refrain when it’s included. The implication would be that these people are happy and don’t know it—and yet they clap anyway.
If they didn’t clap, adding the clause would have no effect and its inclusion would have no motivation.
FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
One time I was both fine and dandy for about an hour, but nobody asked how I was!
58008@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Sometimes you don’t know how good you have it until your “rock bottom” turns out to be an elevator which is now headed down a mineshaft 😭
TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I think it’s incredibly true.
waz@feddit.uk 2 weeks ago
And ignorance is bliss
the_q@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Happiness is used incorrectly as a gauge of how one should feel as a baseline. Because of that people get sad or worried when they aren’t happy. In truth “meh” is the default state, but it’s harder to sell you stuff if you’re feeling OK.
Atlas_@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Most of the time, yeah
Trex202@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I like the cover of this song
mr_noxx@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
There have been times in my life where I was happy but didn’t realize it until it was too late, so this checks out.
feddylemmy@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” Andy Bernard
EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 2 weeks ago
“Don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone”
cv_octavio@piefed.ca 2 weeks ago
This totally happens to me too. I even tried clapping my hands one time as the realization washed over me like a rogue wave catching a kayaker off guard, tossing them into the cold gray-green water, the sounds of gurgling bubbles robbing them of their last hope for deliverance.
Alas.
ClownStatue@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Yeah often happiness is just contentment. It’s easy to get bored with that and “want more” from life. Bad choices can often follow these instincts!
mr_noxx@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Life is making mistakes and deciding how to live with them. :)
mycodesucks@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I mean… I would expect most happy people don’t really fully appreciate it unless they consciously work on it… our brains are wired to notice pain - we adapt to comfort. It’s why people who already have the world still want MORE.
mr_noxx@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
I think culture plays a huge part in this. In heavily industrialized countries (like America, for example), we are taught that more is always better and that living a simple life is somehow shameful or a waste of potential (not everyone believes this, of course - I’m generalizing). Many, many studies have consistently shown that the happiest people on earth are often those who lead the simplest lives. Perspective really is everything.