You can listen to it here.
It was the Seventh Annual Ariel Avrech memorial lecture at Young Israel of Century City. Robert J. Avrech blogs:
Dennis Prager, recovering from back surgery on Friday, limped into the Young Israel of Century City and delivered a witty and wise lecture titled: Happiness is a Mitzvah, Not an Emotion.
Karen and I chose this topic because, as I said in my opening remarks, our son Ariel Chaim, ZT'L, was essentially an optimistic and happy person. During his long illness, Ariel refused to surrender to despair.
And even towards the end, when things were going badly, Ariel told us: “I have had a good life.”
Happiness, argues Dennis, is a choice. It is, in fact, a moral choice.
Says Dennis: Work hard to ignore your feelings—made sacrosanct in America by narcissistic baby-boomers—and instead concentrate on your behavior.
