Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. (Psalm 78: 1-4)

The relationship of God with the people of Moses is almost always troubled. It is an ongoing story of love, betrayal, fear, anger, arrogance, abuse, hope, forgiveness, and redemption. Dark sayings and glorious deeds.

Contentiousness is key to the story's survival and power.

Leo Tolstoy begins Anna Karenina with "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." We tire of hearing the same happy story. Unhappiness is a constantly new source of fascination.

The rules of happiness are simple: faith, hope, and love.

The sources of unhappiness are complicated. Unhappiness is almost always the result of a mistaken sense of happiness. It is the passionate pursuit of an illusion that often gives a story its dramatic power and keeps us reading.

Above is Pursuing Happiness by an unknown artist.