DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY
The song Don’t Worry Be Happy was a late 80’s chart buster as it gained phenomenal success for such a simple song. The lyrics written by Bobby McFerrin were copied from original Indian sage from the late 1800’s whose mantra was one of peace. I remember the first time I heard it. I was lifting weights with some serious iron pumpers when the lyrics pounced through the dolby surround sound stereo. Though it was definitely a mood killer to those of us that were lifting with a certain amount of intensity, it was definitely soothing. Despite the unusual beginnings of this now commonly used phrase, the message of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” is one that is designed to relieve pressure from us all.
Psychologists say that common American worries include concerns about our retirement, hoping our salaries rise to meet spending costs, being hit by a lawsuit, accidents with our children, swine flu, and just about every major health issue. An old cliché states that worry cannot add a single day onto our lives and it’s true. With all the pressures facing us today, perhaps we should take McFerrin seriously when he states “in every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double.”
From a sermon by Tom Papez, Don’t Worry Be Happy, 5/22/2012