It lists 17 obstacles to happiness and 30 solutions. Needless to say I can't make anyone happy. Prager spoke at Congregation Beth David in Saratoga as part of the Jewish Community Center of Greater San Jose's Distinguished Lecture series. Human nature is the greatest obstacle to happiness, Prager says. Gratitude is the solution.
Human nature is insatiable.
It can never be satisfied. There is no question in my mind that people who thank God for what they have are happier. Prager adds that while gratitude is ubiquitous in all religions, Judaism offers specific prayers for a variety of situations, from meeting a learned person to waking up in the morning. Secular Jews uphold the Holocaust and Israel as reasons to be Jewish, he says. Prager argues that the Jewish people have a unique role in history and that this is reason enough to be Jewish.