Joy Gives Us Wings

What is it about this elusive condition we call joy? It’s something we love to feel, something that many of us raised in a Christian tradition sing to celebrate the birth of Christ in the song ‘Joy to the World, the Lord is come…”, and something which most religious traditions have much to say about.

We can experience happiness from time to time, but it is sometimes little more than transitory pleasure or momentary cheerfulness. But joy ¬ ̶ that sustained, uplifting feeling from within is often harder to achieve and certainly for me, more difficult to maintain. I often experience joy while doing service for others and with others, but easily lose it when I get caught up in the happenings of the world around us.

In their book, “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World,” His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams, (Penquin Random House, 2016), list eight pillars of joy as perspective, humility, humor, acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion and generosity. For me, these are wonderful virtues that one could spend their lifetime practicing and which I had not previously linked to the state of joy. In a talk given in Paris 110 years ago, Abdu’l-Baha, eldest son of Baha’u’llah the Prophet founder of the Baha’i Faith, and his father’s designated interpreter, said: Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. Abdu’l-Baha, from a talk given in Paris in 1911.

With these positive outcomes associated with joy, is it any wonder that we yearn for it? If joy can help us to hold a positive outlook on life, even in times of turmoil and crisis, wouldn’t everyone want it? I have sometimes wondered how I can create this state of joy for myself… what is it that brings it on and how I can make it last?

From a letter written on behalf of the democratically elected leadership body of the Baha’i Faith, the Universal House of Justice, I gained some insight: The inner joy that every individual seeks, unlike a passing emotion, is not contingent on outside influences; it is a condition, born of certitude and conscious knowledge, fostered by a pure heart, which is able to distinguish between that which has permanence and that which is superficial. Letter written on behalf of The Universal House of Justice, 2013.

As we move into this holiday season, which I am hoping will be filled with joy, I will be focusing on practicing the virtues from The Book of Joy, knowing that it is up to me to create this condition in myself. Also, with what I have learned about joy and its bounty, I truly wish you joy this holiday season and throughout the year ahead.

Submitted by Tim Mock

Spiritual Upliftment

and Conversation

Join us in off ering prayers for the healing and uplift ment of the world, and conversati on on topics that support the establishment of unity and peace. We are three local Baha’i friends who meet on Zoom from 7:30 to 8:30 on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month.