Make One Someone Happy
And light the world as you do.
Susan L Hart / June 21, 2026
Out of the profound sadness that haunted much of Vincent Van Gogh’s life emerged one of the most famous paintings of the world, The Starry Night (1889).
Vincent was one of those souls who lived a life that in the fullness of time proved to be famously inspiring to others. While he was alive, his most fervent wish for his art was that it would help people “to see” the beauty of the world and humanity. During his own personal journey of darkness he created works that would help to light the world.
Not everyone will paint a world-famous picture or write a widely read novel that inspires others. However, each one of us CAN be a light in the world.
There is a song out there that epitomizes a life philosophy, which if we all embraced it, would make the world a phenomenally better place. Somewhere along the way, society’s mandate for winning at life became about beating the other guy to “the goods”. Success started to mean a bigger house and more TVs.
But this song, when it wafted from the radio when I was a kid, spoke to me even then of how life should be. Make Someone Happy was written by Jule Styne, Adolph Green and Betty Comden, and first performed December 26, 1960. This song has never gone out of style - read the list of 100+ performers who sang it over 31 years - because although admittedly romantic in nature, it also expresses a fundamental truth about life.
When we are of service to others, when we are busy making someone else happy, we become happy too. Service to others is a core philosophy that humanity is working on understanding and adopting as a collective, in order that we may shift to a higher level of vibration.
Look around you. What something can you do today for someone you know (or a stranger) that would contribute to that person’s happiness, your own happiness in the doing of it, and the bigger picture of the growth of humanity?
Let’s bring some old-fashioned values back into style.
“Make someone happy.
Make just one, someone happy
And you will be happy too...”
Inspirational Quotes:
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” ~ St. Francis Of Assisi
“Learn to light a candle in the darkest moments of someone’s life. Be the light that helps others see; it is what gives life its deepest significance.” ~ Roy T. Bennett
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” ~ Plato
“When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Make Someone Happy © Susan L Hart 2026 / SusanLHart.com / humanitysfuture.substack.com
This post is dedicate to my Dad on this Father’s Day. He did live by the philosophy “make someone happy”.
@Margaret Fleck, thank you for sharing. :)
Such important reminders, Susan. Thank you 🙏