Monday, September 13, 2010

On the subject of joy (#591)

I rarely write on the subject of joy so today I will add to what little I have written. What is joy? It is a positive feeling inside me that puts a bounce in my step, a smile on my face and uplifting thoughts in my mind. Joy is a tonic of happiness and hopefulness. Often I find myself joyful when I have been honest and decent with those around me. Joy is the occasional byproduct of being the best person I can be. Joy also comes to me from others who display positive attributes, such as caring and helping. It is so simple a concept, joy, how to bottle it is not so simple. As I continue to learn about how to have more joy in my life, I am also learning how to live a life that produces joy. I am not blind to what is happening in the world. I know that there is continual pain and suffering beyond human endurance at times. Therefore, because of that I must continue to investigate those things in life like joy that can be alternatives to habit and convention. Our current habits and conventions are not the ultimate strategy to alleviate the lack of joy. A different perspective and behavior is going to be required. The only way for the different perspective and behavior to be identified is to learn the nature of joy and how it best comes about. The investigation continues and a worthy investigation it is.

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