When we start a new virtue, it's always thrilling and daunting at the same time. We wonder, "what will there be to say?" Isn't patience just a matter of being able to wait, compassion just a matter of being able to care, joy just a matter of generating positive feeling?
We picnicked in a local park, spring rolls and pineapple and carrot salad, a Metropolitan Opera recital within hearing distance. The air was finally starting to cool after a very hot day. As usual, we didn't so much define joy as talk about when we have felt it and when we haven't, what conditions seem to foster it and what seem to hinder it. This is what we call the ground of joy. I talked about kayaking and Jenny talked about leading a parade. We talked about times with our family and times with our friends.
Our investigation has already begun to surprise us. We find that for us joy is not incompatible with sorrow; in fact, they can be good friends. Joy seems to be most hindered not by sadness, but by disconnection and alienation. Joy for us involves a sense of freedom, of flow, of connection, and perhaps the feeling that no matter what happens on the surface, deep down there is something basically right with the world.
We look forward to continuing to till the ground of joy.
No comments:
Post a Comment