A to Z Quick Tok 39 | Always Happy vs. Always Honest

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In this Quick Tok episode of The A to Z English Podcast, Jack is joined by May, Layla, Hendrick, and Salimeh. The five of them discuss the following Would you rather? question:

Would you rather live in a world where everyone is always happy or always honest?

Transcript:

00:00:01

Jack

Welcome to the A-Z English podcast, where Jack and Social take you on a journey from learning the basics to mastering the nuances of the English language. Our podcast is designed for non-native speakers who are looking to improve their English skills in a fun and interactive way. Each episode covers a wide range of topics.

00:00:23

Jack

From grammar and vocabulary to slang and culture to help you navigate the English speaking world with ease.

00:00:33

Jack

Welcome to the A-Z English podcast. My name is Jack and I’m one of the hosts of the podcast. However, I am without social today, but do not fret because I’ve got some wonderful friends with me. I’ve got selime from Iran. I’ve got Leila from Saudi Arabia may from Malaysia.

00:00:53

Jack

And Hendrick, from Indonesia, guys.

00:00:55

Jack

How you doing today?

00:00:59

Hendrick

Good. Alright, I’m doing good.

00:01:02

Jack

OK, I’m doing pretty well actually I’m doing. I’m doing good. Yeah. And what I’ve got for you today, we’re going to do a would you rather episode? And so I’m going to read you a. Would you rather question and then we’ll go in a circle and I’ll let you guys answer however you want to.

00:01:02

Salimeh

Thanks. What about you?

00:01:22

Jack

And then I will share.

00:01:23

Jack

My answer as well, so here is the.

00:01:26

Jack

Would you rather question?

00:01:28

Jack

Would you rather live in a world where everyone is always happy?

00:01:36

Jack

In a world where everyone is always honest.

00:01:42

Jack

There we go. So let’s start with. Well, May is the one who came up with this one. So I’m going to give may the 1st crack at.

00:01:44

May

This is.

00:01:52

May

This is interesting. This is an interesting question for me. I will definitely go on.

00:02:05

May

For me if.

00:02:08

May

Everyone in this world is honest means.

00:02:14

May

There is no lie, no unfaithful, no doubt so.

00:02:20

May

If all this situation, everyone.

00:02:24

May

I don’t have to feel.

00:02:26

May

Being cheated or being betrayed. So everyone will certainly live happily.

00:02:34

Jack

Ohh so you think honesty will lead to happiness?

00:02:35

May

Yeah, for all this.

00:02:37

Jack

So maybe you’re trying to have. You’re trying to have your cake and eat it too, huh? You want to have it both ways, happiness and honesty.

00:02:38

May

Yeah, because the.

00:02:46

Jack

That’s a very may answer.

00:02:50

Jack

Alright, good. Good. I like it. I like it. OK, we’ll go on a circle here. We’ll go to Hendrick next. Hendrick, what do you think? World of happiness or world of honesty?

00:03:02

Hendrick

So for me, I think I would rather to choose.

00:03:06

Hendrick

To live in the.

00:03:07

Hendrick

World, which is the people, are happy because. Yeah, I mean like what we are looking for in this life is that happiness, happiness is the number one. Yeah, I mean like.

00:03:22

Hendrick

As as long as we are happy, I mean.

00:03:26

Hendrick

Like that’s good.

00:03:28

Jack

OK. Even always happy though, even if something bad happens, you’re happy.

00:03:34

Hendrick

Exactly. That’s the worst.

00:03:35

Jack

All right, all right. He’s sticking to it. He’s sticking to his guns. All right. One for honesty, one for happiness. Let’s jump over to selime. What do you think? Would you rather live in a world where everyone is always happy or everyone is always honest?

00:03:52

Salimeh

And then I would like to live in a world where people are always honest, because as I mentioned, honesty is being honesty can bring happiness and our kind of, you know, realistic person. So if you still if now people.

00:04:10

Salimeh

Honest with each other and I really appreciate this personality of all people. So unlike happiness too. But if something happened, bad thing happened in the world, then people still are happy. This is kind of awkward. So I don’t like. I don’t like this.

00:04:25

Salimeh

So yeah, I’m.

00:04:26

Salimeh

Definitely with honesty.

00:04:29

Jack

I mean, these are two kind of very strange choices, right? Like if you get in a car accident and you’re like, thank you for.

00:04:34

Jack

Hitting my car. I’m so happy, you know.

00:04:37

May

You can’t. You can’t be laughing at that woman, right?

00:04:45

Jack

But what about? OK, I’m going to give.

00:04:47

Jack

I’m going to give Salima a hard time because this is her first.

00:04:49

Jack

Time on the show.

00:04:50

Jack

So alright, husband and wife wife says, do I look, do you like this dress? And I don’t like the dress.

00:05:01

Jack

But I have to live in.

00:05:02

Jack

A world of honesty.

00:05:04

Jack

Is that? Do I tell the truth?

00:05:07

May

Yeah, definitely it’s.

00:05:08

Salimeh

OK, after you say you’re the honest answer, you know the husband, they can have fives. It’s.

00:05:16

May

OK.

00:05:19

Jack

Right.

00:05:21

Salimeh

Yeah, the normal thing, you know the my life.

00:05:21

Jack

OK, OK, alright.

00:05:25

Jack

I don’t. I don’t like that dress. Yeah, I don’t like your. You’re bald. You know that? That’s what she could say to me or something, you know. OK, Layla, let’s, let’s hear your.

00:05:36

Jack

Your answer here.

00:05:39

Layla

In my opinion, I would rather have to be in in the world with the honestly.

00:05:47

Layla

Yeah, because in case everyone is honest.

00:05:53

Layla

That will help each other with us to improve ourselves because we will know other mistakes from others. They already will tell us we do mistakes or do something not appropriate. Something like.

00:06:10

Layla

Like that. But in case we live in a world in a, in a world, in a world, how people there are heavy, they will never help to develop our community and we will just think that we do the right thing, but we in reality.

00:06:30

Layla

We don’t do it so with honestly, maybe some people will will not like.

00:06:40

Layla

That, and maybe they will get upset about it, but eventually, honestly will be the good way to to reach the the good results and to be in a good community. And I think as the.

00:06:59

Layla

And the main mission we will be happy eventually because of our honesty.

00:07:06

Jack

OK, OK. So just like really pure honesty leads to to happiness. Alright, here’s my I’m on the fence. This is a really tough one, actually. This is really tough because I’m not sure I like either world. I might. I might. I wish there were, like a third choice that I could live in.

00:07:26

May

What’s your choice?

00:07:28

Jack

OK, well here’s here’s my problem with the world of happiness. If you have. If you have only happiness.

00:07:35

Jack

Can happiness exist if there’s only happiness? Do you know what I mean? Like I only feel happy because sometimes I feel unhappy.

00:07:44

Jack

Like if I always feel happy, then happy is like my normal state, right?

00:07:49

Jack

And so then it becomes boring. And so you never get to really enjoy anything because life is always like a roller coaster ride or a theme park or something, right? You’re just always happy.

00:08:02

Jack

However, like Layla said and uh.

00:08:06

Jack

And may and Selime mentioned.

00:08:08

Jack

If people are always honest with me sometimes.

00:08:11

Jack

I don’t want.

00:08:11

Jack

To hear the truth.

00:08:14

Jack

You know what I mean? Like.

00:08:16

Jack

We say in in English we have an expression called. Ignorance is bliss, which just means like not knowing is is happiness, you know. And once you learn something, then you can’t unlearn it. And so.

00:08:31

Jack

That way that can really make you unhappy too. But if I’m going to be honest, no pun intended with my answer.

00:08:40

Jack

I have to say I agree with Layla may and selime that I think honesty living in a world where everyone is honest is better than living in a world where where everybody is always happy, because that would be a crazy that would be awful. That might be hell.

00:08:59

May

Don’t you?

00:08:59

May

I mean, I don’t think that situation will happen. Yeah, anyway, because that doesn’t make sense.

00:09:09

May

We went like laughing every day 24/7 without any sadness or any, you know, anything incomplete that will never happen. There must be some excitement.

00:09:22

Jack

Yeah, I agree.

00:09:25

Salimeh

It’s like, yeah, it’s like bunch of crazy people just gathering and laughing, you know, actually.

00:09:30

Layla

This is.

00:09:33

Jack

It is scary. It might be like a horn.

00:09:38

Jack

Yeah, people are dying.

00:09:39

Jack

And everyone’s just.

00:09:40

Jack

Laughing and yeah, they’re they’re so happy.

00:09:45

May

Makes sense?

00:09:46

Jack

Yeah, I I think it’s kind of like the do you guys know the yin Yang Yin Yang sign? You know, it’s like a circle and then there’s like, kind of a squiggly line through the middle. It’s a it’s a Chinese symbol. It’s a circle, but it has the yin is the is in the top and the Yang is the bottom. The Yin Yang sign.

00:10:04

Jack

Some some of our listeners might know what what I’m talking.

00:10:07

Jack

About I think you know.

00:10:08

Hendrick

Yeah, it’s.

00:10:09

Salimeh

I’ve heard.

00:10:10

Jack

Yeah, you can’t really have happiness without sadness. I don’t think one can exist without the other. It’s they’re two sides of the same coin.

00:10:20

Jack

But a world of honesty, I think is possible if everybody decides we’re going to be honest with each other, brutally honest. At least we know how what people are thinking. And so I think that would be a better choice. Yeah.

00:10:34

May

Yeah, at least we can still see a smile on someone’s face.

00:10:40

Salimeh

When we tell the truth.

00:10:42

May

You know any self the person on the other side know that we don’t. We are.

00:10:47

May

Not lying to that.

00:10:49

Jack

There’s too it could be.

00:10:49

Jack

Like, hey, I like that shirt. I like that dress. And then you feel good.

00:10:53

May

That we.

00:10:54

Jack

And you know they’re.

00:10:55

Jack

Honest. They’re not just, they’re not.

00:10:56

Jack

Just shining you on.

00:10:57

Jack

They’re telling you the truth, yeah.

00:10:57

May

Yes, even if the clothes doesn’t look look nice. Maybe you can replace the sentence and leave it.

00:11:07

May

And if you wear blue dress, it will look better on you compared to this red event.

00:11:18

Jack

It looks good on you.

00:11:18

Layla

We could.

00:11:19

Jack

Though, yeah, there you go. OK.

00:11:21

May

Rephrase the sentence.

00:11:23

Jack

There you go. OK.

00:11:24

Salimeh

Psychologists usually recommend that you know, instead of using the negative sentences, you can change that to a positive way. So it’s more you know.

00:11:34

Salimeh

Effective and better for communication.

00:11:35

May

We provide a suggest.

00:11:36

May

And on top of the site just complaining, I mean just what should we say? Condemning you offer a suggestion?

00:11:37

발표자

OK.

00:11:38

발표자

Yeah, yeah.

00:11:46

Jack

Right, and being honest doesn’t mean you have to say something every time either. My mom used to.

00:11:51

Jack

Say if you don’t.

00:11:53

Jack

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at.

00:11:56

Layla

Just. Yeah, just.

00:11:56

Jack

All that’s what my mom told me.

00:12:01

Jack

But in the happy world, Hendrick, in Happy world, everyone is a little bit crazy and cuckoo. Do you want to revise your answer or are you going to stick with your your answer?

00:12:11

May

OK.

00:12:12

Hendrick

Oh no, I’m. I’m still sick with my answer. Yeah, I I still want to live in the happy life. That’s what I want it because I think, yeah.

00:12:19

Hendrick

Sometimes you know.

00:12:20

Hendrick

Like being honest, it’s also, you know, hurt people’s feelings. It’s not just always about, like, being happy also. For example, like when you tell someone that you don’t like.

00:12:32

Hendrick

Him or you don’t like her? And I think that people.

00:12:37

Hendrick

The people that say that the thing the people wanna, you know, like like other thinking and maybe yes, they’ll start, you know, like depressed because you know, like how people just because these people like I really know that, you know like people.

00:12:56

Hendrick

I mean like other people don’t like him. Yeah.

00:13:00

Jack

Yeah, it’ll hurt. You’ll hurt people’s feelings for sure. If you’re. If we’re always honest. But.

00:13:06

Jack

Honesty is the best policy as we.

00:13:08

Jack

Say in English.

00:13:09

Jack

So all right, there we go. I think honesty wins the day today. Honesty is the winner, the clear winner. Hendrick, we still love you. It’s OK. Even though you’re wrong. I’m just kidding. Yeah. How’s the?

00:13:22

Jack

Love you guys.

00:13:23

May

Are you feeling happy now?

00:13:25

Hendrick

Yeah, I’m happy.

00:13:28

Jack

Good, good. OK. Well, I’m happy because I got to hang out with you guys so. And that’s the. And I’m being honest and I’m happy. So there we go. All right.

00:13:37

Layla

They are too.

00:13:39

Layla

Happy and honest.

00:13:40

Jack

Listeners out there. What do you think about this? Would you rather live in a world where everyone is always happy, or a world where everyone is always honest? Let us know what you think by sending us an e-mail at A-Z, englishpodcast@gmail.com or leave a comment on our website A-Z englishpodcast.com.

00:14:00

Jack

And don’t forget to join our WhatsApp group. We’ve got great things happening in the WhatsApp group, lots of different groups. What do you guys think about the multiple groups like the news?

00:14:10

Jack

Group and the.

00:14:11

Jack

I don’t know what there’s so many right.

00:14:14

Salimeh

And my my favorite one is the only version.

00:14:18

Salimeh

I’m more active in like I love that.

00:14:21

Jack

You’d like to, but yeah, I.

00:14:22

Salimeh

Like steak?

00:14:23

Salimeh

OK. Yeah, I like speaking. I’m too lazy to write and I hate grammar. I’m selling things. So yeah, now I’m working on the part of my says that I’m better. So speaking either I prefer speaking so I’m more active in the only voice in school. This is a test.

00:14:39

Jack

Only voice. And actually, that’s my new habit, is to only reply in voice notes. Now because I’m so lazy, I’ve got fat thumbs. I can’t type very fast. I make a lot of mistakes.

00:14:46

May

Yeah. Yes, like I notice that you prefer voicemail. Sorry. Voice not these days.

00:14:55

Jack

Yeah. Yeah, it’s it’s a pure laziness. It’s just pure laziness. So.

00:15:00

Jack

Yeah, I have.

00:15:00

Jack

To leave voice notes. All right, well, like I said, listeners out there, if you want to enjoy conversations with this group right here, these guys are really active in the WhatsApp groups. Join our WhatsApp group. We’ll move you into the main group.

00:15:16

Jack

And you can even join two weeks of free online zoom lessons with yours truly. I’m the teacher in the group, and you can join VIP status if you want to continue past those two weeks for just $10 a month.

00:15:30

Jack

So it’s a, it’s a great deal you get.

00:15:34

Jack

What are we up to 16 lessons?

00:15:35

Jack

A month now.

00:15:36

May

Yes, including Sweden. Sweet, I think.

00:15:37

Jack

Yes, yes.

00:15:41

May

We get 20.

00:15:43

Jack

I think it’s 20.

00:15:43

Jack

I think there are 20 classes. If you if you count the student LED class on Tuesdays, so Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Yeah, it’s fantastic. It’s a great deal and.

00:15:54

Jack

It’s all on online.

00:15:54

Salimeh

It’s various topics.

00:15:56

Jack

Various topics, yeah, we we had a a wild conversation yesterday.

00:16:00

Jack

So yeah, anyway it’s it’s great fun in there and guys, thank you again for joining me. I really appreciate it. And we’ll see you everyone next time. Bye, bye.

00:16:13

May

Bye bye.

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