To build upon my last post about charitable acts I thought it necessary to further discuss joy which I suggested is a direct result of kind and charitable acts. I don’t want to get hung up on definitions but I find it helpful to ensure that the correct idea is being understood. Joy is a word that denotes happiness, peace, love, humanity, bliss, and gladness. All of these words are to some degree linked to each other and to charity or the act of being charitable.
Why do I say that joy is a direct consequence of charitable acts? Because it is the word I feel best describes the emotion or feeling when one shares something of great value with another who receives it. Joy is communal; it is something experienced when shared with another. As the song reads, “Joy to the world the Lord has come let earth receive her King.” A charitable act was made and was received and the consequence was joy. Again it is not the word that is the focus but the idea that more than one participated in the event thus making it larger than one’s self. Joy is centered on others not itself.
I do not disagree that people can be very happy singularly and as individuals. My assumption is that there is a degree of happiness which can only be experienced when it involves more than one and that this happiness, which I call joy, is greater than the singular happiness experienced only by one individual. In construction one 2x4 is strong but when you combine it with another the strength more than doubles. A fire scattered and separated into individual burning logs will burn but not as bright or as long as when they are together. This is joy, a group or community effort.
Please watch the following video. This video I do support and hope you will as well.
http://serve.gov/
2 hours ago
4 comments:
really liked this post. :)
i'm interested to know how you are supporting. planning or picking a project?
I've been thinking a lot about joy recently. Specifically what we've been promised will bring us true joy. I actually enjoy that you go to some effort to define the word--even if it's not something you always like to do. It helps me think about the word and contemplate its exact denotation. So, I like what you've found. Thanks for sharing.
Buddhist believe that the more you lose your self (or, say, your selfishness) the BIGGER you become, not smaller. To lose oneself in acts for others is to, in a sense, become one with all the people you affect. So the smaller you make yourself, the bigger you become. In this respect, I would have to agree with you that charitable acts produce the direct result of joy. (PS: slightly tangential, but if you can ever participate in an animal adoption, you should. It's one of the most worth-while things a person can do. It also helps you realize how much emotions an animal can invest into another species and vice versa.)
Anyway, great post.
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