Conning Yourself Into Happiness

“Insomuch as it’s possible to distill any one theme from the last couple decades of pop music, it’s the presentation of — and insistence upon — self-empowerment as an infallible path toward joy. Those sorts of affirmations can induce a wild ecstasy in the moment — I AM THE BEST! NO ONE CAN TOUCH ME! SUCK A DICK, JERKS! — but eventually, one has to worry about whether those same notions are not, in fact, a deeply odious and toxic force in the world. It can’t be great for whole generations to come of age hollering self-aggrandizing anthems that never quite acknowledge the most gratifying and dangerous thing a human being can actually do: courageously make room for another person in her heart.”
 — Yes.