Creating Our Own Happiness

Wayne Coyne is singer and guitarist for The Flaming Lips, an indie-rock band he founded. Coyne believes happiness isn't a cosmic coincidence, but something we have the power to make within ourselves.


Welcome to This I Believe, an NPR series presenting the personal philosophies of remarkable men and women from all walks of life. Support for NPR podcasts comes from visa offering the visa signature card featuring concierge services for travel, dining and entertainment at visasignature.com.

I believe in figuring out my own way to do things.
I believe in the power of numbers.
I believe in barbecue.
Well, I believe in friendliness.
I believe in mankind.

This I Believe.

Every Monday, Monday after Monday we have another installment of our series This I Believe. And today we'll hear from Wayne Coyne, the lead singer of the rock group, the Flaming Lips. They just won 2 Grammies. They are known for their spacy arrangements, bizarre lyrics and extravagant live shows which can include bubbles, puppets and confetti. Coyne grew up in Oklahoma City and he still lives there. Here's our series curator Jay Allyson.

Wayne Coyne told us that through his music he wants quote to make the room brighter . His belief is tied to that wish. It's a guiding principle he's held for a long time, but it only became clear to him one day sitting in his car. Here is Wayne Coyne with his essay for This I Believe.

I believe we have the power to create our own happiness. I believe the real magic in the world is done by humans. And I believe normal life is extraordinary. I was sitting in my car at a stoplight intersection listening to the radio. I was, I guess, lost in the moment, thinking how happy I was to be inside my nice warm car. You see, it was cold and windy outside, and I thought life is good. Now, this was a long line, as I waited I noticed 2 people huddled together at the bus stop. And to my eyes they looked uncomfortable, they looked cold and they looked poor. Their coats looked like they came from the thrift store, they weren't wearing stuff from the gap. I knew, because I'd been there.

This couple seemed to be doing their best to keep warm, they were huddled together. And I thought to myself, oh, those poor people in that horrible wind. But then I saw their faces, and yes, they were huddling, but they were also laughing. They looked to be sharing a good joke. And suddenly, insteaded of pitying them, I envied them. I thought, ha, what's so funny! They didn't seem to notice the wind, and they weren't worried about their clothes. And they weren't looking at my car thinking, oh, I wish I had that.

And you know, how a single moment can feel like an hour? Well, at that moment, I realized I'd assumed this couple needed my pity, but they didn't. I assumed things were all bad for them, but they weren't. And I understood we all have the power to make moments of happiness happen. Now, maybe that's easy for me to say. I feel lucky to have fans around the world, a house with a roof and a wife who puts up with me. But I must say I felt this way even when I was working at Long John Silver's.

I worked there for 11 years as a fry cook. And when you work at a place that long you see teenagers coming in on their first dates. And then they are married, and then they are bringing in their kids. You witness whole sections of people's lives. In the beginning it seemed like a dead-end job. But you know at least I had a job. And frankly, it was very easy. After 2 weeks, I knew all I needed to know. And it freed my mind. The job allowed me to dream about what my life could become. The first year I worked there we got robbed. I lay on the floor, I thought I was going to die. I didn't think I stood a chance but everything turned out all right.

A lot of people look at life as a series of miserable tasks. But after that, I didn't. I believe this is something all of us can do. Try to be happy within the context to the lives that we are actually living. Happiness is not a situation to be longed for, or convergence of lucky happenstance. Through the power of our own minds we can help ourselves, this I believe.

Wayne Coyne with his essay for This I Believe. This is Coyne and the Flaming Lips from their album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

The happiness makes you cry...Do you will...That everyone, you know, some day, will die...

We welcome everyone to write for our series. Find out more and read all the essays at NPR. org. For This I Believe, I'm Jay Allyson. This I Believe continues next Monday and all things considered from NPR news when we'll hear an essay from a New Hampshire listener who tells us that he believes in every man's potential for brutality. Support for This I Believe comes from Capella University.

This I Believe is produced for NPR by This I Believe Incorporated and Atlantic Public Media. For more essays in the series, please visit npr. org/thisibelieve.

Support for NPR podcasts comes from Acura, featuring the completely redesigned 300 horsepower NDX. More information is available at Accurate. com