Joy
What bring us joy? Is it when she says “yes”? Is it that initial glance at your first-born child? Is it when you land the job of your dreams? Is it that brand new car you’ve been saving for? Is it tickets to a Justin Bieber concert? Or maybe its something as simple as having a family that loves and cares for you.
Joy means different things to different people. Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. So its safe to say that joy is subjective because there’s an infinite amount of things than can bring pleasure depending on the person. For some people its materialistic things (ie houses, cars, clothes, etc). For others its simple things (family, friends, pets). For some its experiences (traveling, concerts, sporting events, etc) For others its accomplishments (diplomas, plaques, trophies, etc). And for some its all of the above.
For me joy encompasses many things. Most importantly family. Without family I am nothing. I wouldn’t even be here…literally. I believe many people take family for granted because they will always be here. I myself have made that mistake before. The truth of the matter is that I owe my life to my family; after all they gave me life.
Is it possible for one not to have joy because of the things they lack? For example, lets take myself. I have no wife and no kids. (Yes, I’m a smart man!) However when I do achieve those things, inevitably I will be joyous. But just because I don’t have them, doesn’t necessarily make me without joy. Along the same lines, can someone have too much joy? I know it sounds stupid, but really…what if. Lets look at someone like Barack or Oprah or Beyoncé. What more can they possibly have to give them joy? Go ahead…I’ll wait for an answer. Now I don’t know either of them personally so on the outside looking in, it looks pretty glamorous. However they are humans and just like we long for things, I’m sure they do as well.
Happiness is great but it’s not joy. Whereas happiness is a temporary emotion, joy is permanent and everlasting. But we have to be careful not to overlook what makes us happy, by always being on the pursuit to find joy. There are two things is this world that I fear; Dying before reaching my potential and never experiencing true joy. While one of them I have no control over. The other I will continue to be thankful for. Because after all, true joy comes from within.