Lou Reed's "Perfect Day"

In the persuit of happiness which I aim to show is a continuous and conscious action, our upbringing has 'taught' us to relate to certain things (very broad) in various ways and sometimes differently to the way others may experince them. Music is one part of my life (our lives) that more often than not, has a possitive spin and provides feelings of goodness and happiness and yes, sadness too.

From his 1972 album 'Transformer' that I am led to believe, David Bowie had an hand in, Lou Reed wrote this song that many believe to be about his addiction to heroin. While this may be so, I think that it can also be taken very much at face value or a basic level where even heroin addiction can be reduced to the simple things in life that make us happy: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYEC4TZsy-Y) or (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2JXy1Z9ovs for a special BBC various artisis mix which is not bad at all).

"Just a perfect day,
Drink Sangria in the park,
And then later, when it gets dark,
We go home.
Just a perfect day,
Feed animals in the zoo
Then later, a movie, too,
And then home.

Oh it's such a perfect day,
I'm glad I spent it with you.
Oh such a perfect day,
You just keep me hanging on,
You just keep me hanging on.

Just a perfect day,
Problems all left alone,
Weekenders on our own.
It's such fun.
Just a perfect day,
You made me forget myself.
I thought I was someone else,
Someone good.

Oh it's such a perfect day,
I'm glad I spent it with you.
Oh such a perfect day,
You just keep me hanging on,
You just keep me hanging on.

You're going to reap just what you sow,
You're going to reap just what you sow,
You're going to reap just what you sow,
You're going to reap just what you sow...

(One must not forget, it is also the way that he sings the song that adds to the effect of lonliness and the need for goodness. There are many cover versions that do not come close to creating the emotions he stirs up in this song)

The first verse reduces our wants and desires to the five senses and associated feelings of goodness. He has masterfully picked on the likely things from our childhhod's that make us happy: favorite drink, carefree moments of freedom (memories), the secuirty of home, animals (being adventurous or just the cudly type) and preferred relationships that one wants to keep when one returns home. In this verse I think we are asked to identify our own basic elements and histories that make us happy.

The chorus reiterates the need for ongoing perfect happines and to escape that which makes us unhappy. While he seemingly refers to a human relationship to share this with, I would like to think that he asking us to find all the things that make us happy and to string them together, often - and so be able to face the reality or necessities of modern life that we are required to fulfil in order to survive or just be part of the human race. He is asking us to make every day a perfect day. 'You just keep me hanging on' seems to tell us that we need to find a balance (or overbalance) on the side of happiness and goodness - that which makes life worthwile.

The second verse carries on from here where we must escape from that which makes us unhappy and strive for a more positive outlook on life. We need to discover that within us that makes us good and move away from that which makes us mediocre. Like behaviourists, continuous rewarding or re-emphasising that which is 'good' will overcome 'bad' to the extent that we may even associate a lot of good which we in the past have have not liked at all. Create you own 'good associations' and avoid the bad.

"You're going to reap just what you sow" is perhaps the most vital ending; telling us to take responsibility for ourselves, find inner happiness, peace etc and perhaps even spead this message. We are accountable to ourselves and therfore we need to find out what makes us happy and creat the ongoing scenarios for this to be achieved. If you are unhappy with your life - it is your fault so get out there and change it. Make every day a perfect day.

Introduction

Somewhere along my life’s period of socialization I chose to complete a social science degree and as such have always been interested to some degree or another in the psychological and or social aspects of human behaviour. However, this blog is inspired by an article on the Leader SA site where Bronnie Ware discussed the five main regrets of terminal patients after working with them for many years. To summarise, the five main points are:

I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not what others expected of me

I wish I did not work so hard

I wish I had the courage to express my feelings

I wish I had stayed more in touch with my friends and

I wish I had let myself be happier.

The full article is available at: http://www.leader.co.za/article.aspx?s=6&f=1&a=3144

I have long observed in myself, my family and friends (and perhaps this can be extended to society in general) that we have become focused or even obsessed about acquiring material objectives at the expense of personal happiness. Whilst material needs or the attainment thereof are certainly part of achieving the end goal of general happiness, I believe we all spend a disproportionate amount of time thereon while compromising real personal happiness as a result. No doubt, this does make some class assumptions as there are people who need to spend a lot more time on survival - let alone afford themselves the luxury of personal happiness but I will stick to my own requirements and what I can afford.

Happiness is an emotion that results from a cognitive process of evaluating things that make you feel good, against that which does not. This is not necessarily a judgemental or moral issue of good versus bad – just a personal emotion that may increase the release of endorphins from the pituitary gland for a feeling of well being. Because happiness is an emotion that has resulted from a process of occurrences and or the evaluation thereof, it follows that one has to make the pursuit thereof a cognitive and conscious process. The pursuit of personal happiness therefore must also be seen as that what you would prefer to happen to or around you for a greater amount of time than that which is enforced or not of principal choice.

This is also about self recognition, a process of introspection to discover ones inner drivers. Discovering (or rediscovering) what fuels desires and dedication to people, issues or projects is about confidence and acceptance of ones want’s, needs and also failures. It is about truly understanding the nature-nurture potential of one’s being. It is also only with the true recognition of the ‘self’ that we can relate (and interact) truthfully to others and their needs.

Acquiesce or submission to the personal needs or happiness of immediate others at the expense of ones own also requires attention (selflessness). In personal relationships we often avoid confrontation in order to ‘keep the peace’. However, more often than not, this can become a way of life (or weakness) with self-fulfilling repercussions as we continue to ‘give-a-little’ each and every day until there is a gaping hole in our own happiness bag. Understanding who the givers and takers are, the users and the used will help in redefining one’s self in order to attain happiness. It is here that the ethics and morality of happiness and self needs to be explored.

Happiness of course must be seen within its social context where compromise with those around you needs to be taken into consideration and as a result, personal happiness must also be a process of truthful negotiation with others so as to meet their happiness requirements as well. We have all had quite different upbringings and therefore personal needs and wants will differ, as much as our social consciences and perceptions thereof will differ as well. Relative value systems need to be recognized.

If the pursuit of happiness is to become a conscious goal then so too must its antithesis be, i.e. to avoid that which makes us unhappy. There is no doubt that certain situations or the presence of unsavoury characters that are beyond our control create a level of discomfort and as such must become part of the strategy to attain happiness.

Selfishness, versus self, versus selflessness is the most important part of the ‘life equation’ that one must always find balance in, in the ever changing surrounding environment (both created and subjected to) in order to find true self actualization and the happiness that will accompany it.