a happy person

[Geoffrey]

a happy person is
someone who has been deceived
without knowing it -
an unhappy person is
someone who has found out

[seadove]

True. Nice piece of wording. I take it from the title of your thread that you are optimistic.

I would like to mention that there are degrees of deceivements. There are some that will make you rage with anger when you find out and there are some that you don't really mind that you have been deceived.

[Lion of Lions]

a happy person is
someone who has been deceived
without knowing it -
an unhappy person is
someone who has found out

I don't like this at all. It doesn't have the weight of the usual philosophy you find in a Fortune Cookie.

A person deceived without knowing it doesn't become happy because of his ignorance. As I walk to work, unaware of some deceit, it may rain on me, I may have an illness, I may have an accident, my football team may have lost, I may be dreading my first appointment. How do I become happy just because I don't know I have been deceived? If you meant he is happy with the person whom he does not know has deceived him, he may nonetheless not enjoy that other's company, or have an instinct about him that he is not to be trusted and yet does not know of the deceit.

The discovery of deceit may be joyful because it helps you make a decision to end a relationship, or to sack someone. It may give satisfaction by the apparent confirmation that all people are fundamentally bad.
1.

A happy person is
someone who reads
a decent poem before he goes to bed
An unhappy person is someone
who reads a weak poem
before he goes to bed.

2.

a happy person is
someone who has deceived himself
not realising his poem is poor
an unhappy person is
someone who has found out
that his poem is poor
having really thought it was good

another type of happy person
is someone who has found out
his poem is dire
but is inspired to improve
by friendly fire

3.

yet another type of happy person is one who remembers the song by Neil Innes, and the sweet way he sang it

How sweet to be an Idiot,
As harmless as a cloud,
Too small to hide the sun,
Almost poking fun
At the warm but insecure, untidy crowd.
How sweet to be an idiot,
And dip my brain in joy,
Children laughing at my back,
With no fear of attack,
As much retaliation as a toy.
How sweet to be an idiot. How sweet.

I tiptoed down the street,
Smiled at everyone I meet,
But suddenly a scream
Smashes through my dream.
Fee fie foe fum.
I smell the blood of an asylum.
(Blood of an asylum. But mother, I play so beautifully. Listen. Ha ha.)
Fie fye foe fum.
I smell the blood of the asylum.
Hey you. You're such a pennant.
You got as much brain as a dead ant,
As much imagination as a caravan sign,

But I still love you. Still love you.
Oooh, how sweet to be an idiot.
How sweet. How sweet. How sweet.

[iveta]

The discovery of deceit may be joyful because it helps you make a decision to end a relationship, or to sack someone. It may give satisfaction by the apparent confirmation that all people are fundamentally bad.

did you mean something like this:

The walls of this hotel are paper-thin
Last night I heard you making love to him
................................................
I stood there with my ear against the wall
I was not seized by jealousy at all
In fact a burden lifted from my soul
I heard that love was out of my control.
..........................................
You ran your bath and you began to sing
I felt so good I couldn't feel a thing
...........................................
LC

paper thin hotel is the most cynical, cool and dignified version of emotional emptiness

[Lion of Lions]

thanks, iveta. your comment made me play a track that had mostly passed me by. really enjoyable.

[Geoffrey]

Lion of Lions wrote:
>I don't like this at all . . .[long post clipped]


Thank you for reply with song texts. I don't like it either, but then again I cannot think of anything I've written that I do like. But this one was flippantly written, and admittedly no substance can be detected. So, I agree with you, not as a tactic to avoid or deflate your argument, but because you are right - and that is a pity. It would have been better if I had not agreed with you, for that would have presented an opportunity to show that it is not necessary to run away from this forum when a negative critique is received.

[Lion of Lions]

Lion of Lions wrote:
>I don't like this at all . . .[long post clipped]

I went to the zoo barber's today, didn't like it at all (long hair clipped)

[Lion of Lions]

a happy person is
someone who has been deceived
without knowing it -
an unhappy person is
someone who has found out

a happy person is
a selfish bastard
who doesn't understand
that simple decency demands
that he doesn't smile
in my exclusion area
where I've carefully set
the mood-dial
to "miserable"