Dennis Prager is right in advising that we choose to be happy or unhappy. By respectively adopting a good or a bad attitude, that is how life comes to be seen an experienced by us.
As a traditional Jewish moralist, both he and most existentialists would offer that we exercise free will, should we choose to exercise it, as it is an inborn condition of the human psyche.
Now, it is known that I am a determinist more that a free-willer, and believe that the deck is unevenly stacked against humans, so much so that they are born evil, can only choose evil, and Satan runs society, so all they know is evil, and they run in packs, and pack-living is innately.
Does that sound like I am an enthusiastic supporter of people being happy, being called to choose and being responsible for their choices and actions? It may not but I do support people living as individualists, exercising their will, however free it is, and I do stress that a positive attitude is basic to surviving let alone succeeding.
As a truth-teller, I am going to contradict myself and urge people to lie to themselves here, a little: by living as if the fiction of being free and enjoying free will, of adopting a positive attitude, and by individual-living. People still have enough free will, can live independently enough, can be optimistic enough that such wholesome adopted habits allow for them to be free, and exercise free will, to be positive and activistic. Over time, these positive postures and uplifting actions will become true, and the agent so living is a "truly good and cheerful person and individuator".
Hoffer believes that we are shallow creatures, at least on the surface, so just making superficial changes will lead to substantive character growth and gain over time.
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