Joy

ALANDA GREENE celebrates the lives of those among us who have had the resilience to discover joy in times of suffering and uncertainty, and gives us a hint of how we can do the same.

A few months into the pandemic, I read an online editorial responding to requests to write about the problems facing our world. There ply: “Our focus is not on the world that is ending, but the world that is struggling to be born” went on to suggest how each of us could be a solid presence in these times of instability and fear. “Replenish joy and gratitude in the life you have now.”

Something rang true. Cultivating joy and gratitude is a contribution. Not denial of a serious situation, or refusal to recognize the tragedies and crises of our world, or dismissal of the prevalent pain, fear, and anxiety; rather, the potential for positive influence.

Yet, in these times of despair for the afflictions be falling the Earth, the suffering for loss of habitat and lives, uncertainty for the future, and a sense of helplessness in the face of such suffering, how do we find joy? Is it even a suitable response?

I remembered how people such as the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and others less well-known faced horrendous suffering and hardship, yet they achieved joy and offered encouragement to find it. The pain and suffering are not irrelevant. They need to be addressed and acknowledged.

Words from those who have faced such challenges and found they could also experience joy can give us hope:

Thupten Jinpak knew sorrow and hardship as a refugee child and discovered, “Humans cannot avoid physical and social suffering and pain. … The key to joy is to get in touch with your own natural compassion and live by that.”

Desmond Tutu observed, “As we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters.”

The Dalai Lama emphatically stated, “Joy is in fact our birthright.”

In the midst of sorrow and pain, how do we find joy? Yoga teaches that the path to joy is within and accessible. Swami Radha taught how in conscious relaxation we can go to the fountain of joy; it is ours for the asking. The well-spring of joy within can fortify our determination to meet the difficulties facing our world.

Choosing to be replenished with joy,
we can indeed be a solid presence in these troubled times,
sharing a contagion of joy that awakens our stamina
and strength to meet the challenge.

Choosing to be replenished with joy, we can indeed be a solid presence in these troubled times, sharing a contagion of joy that awakens our stamina and strength to meet the challenge.

As Teilhard de Chardin said, “Joy is the most infallible proof of the presence of God.”