In "Surprised By Joy," C.S. Lewis tells of a mistake that he had observed regarding joy or what he calls "thrills." Lewis realized that what he had first thought to be joy, was actually not joy at all because it began to fade away. He had assumed that he was seeking after the "thrill" itself. He says, "And there lies the deadly error. Only when your whole attention and desire are fixed on something else ... does the 'thrill' arise. It is a by-product. Its very existence presupposes that you desire not it but something other and outer." He realized that when he focused his attention on obtaining the "thrill" of joy, that he was actually focused on himself. True joy is not experienced when one desires joy itself, but when one has his eyes on something else. As believers, the "other and outer" that we have the opportunity to look to is God! God draws us to Himself, our soul responds to Him and in return, He fills our soul with joy. That is portrayed in the words of the Psalmist who says in Psalm 43:3-4, "O send our Your light and Your truth, Let them lead me; Let them bring me t...
Joy was not something to be desired or contemplated it was the desire itself that vanished upon contemplation and introspection. Joy was not an object but a pointer - one that pointed to something greater, outside of humanity. For the purpose of teaching Lewis changed from the "absolute" to God (still having nothing to do with popular religion), which at the time he called "Spirit". Reading The Everlasting Man put Christianity, and God in a way, in an acceptable light. And finally spending more and more time in the presence of the "Spirit" it could not be helped that Lewis finally realized that "The God whom I had at last acknowledged was one, and was righteous"
...eality was about the horrors and trepidations that have consumed a once healthy society, but he never noticed that there is a different side to reality. It is about friendship, free will, and compassion. The true meaning of joyfulness is to experience new things like going into the wild, but to experience them with another human being. This is the most fulfilling aspect of life because a person is impacting not only his/her life, but also the life of another. When a person joins the amorous aspects of reality, and then mixes it into commencing and enveloping the freedom that nature has to offer, only then will he/she truly have a life of pleasure and contentment.
“Joy always, Joy everywhere, Let Joy Kill you.” is a quote from Carl Sandburg’s poem “Joy”. His straightforward writing shows the simplicity of everyday life. Joy can be found anywhere and can make the actions and choices in life more meaningful. This theme of everyday life makes Carl Sandburg one of the most influential American poets of all time.
...rance of success in the wicked, though it quickly proves that temporary pleasure will never compare to the eternal happiness only God can provide. The loss of his position and fame has left Boethius depressed, but the Lady reminds him of his successes and his ultimate reward.
Wow! 12 years of hard work, 12 years of perseverance, 12 years of dedication! A great king once said, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel." We each have mentors in our life who give us this counsel. What we choose to do with it determines if we are considered foolish or wise. Naturally, we tend to think we are always right, and even on the occasions when we are right, there is always something to learn from a second opinion.
Most people think that the highest end is a life of pleasure. Hedonists have defined happiness as " an equivalent to the totality of pleasurable or agreeable feeling.';(Fox, 3) Some pleasures are good and contribute to happiness. Not all ends are ultimate ends but the highest end would have to be something ultimate; the only conceivable ultimate end is happiness.
Thirteen years of schooling - can you believe it? And we, County High Class of 2012, have made it! We're graduating! There may have been times when it was tiresome, frustrating, stressful, demanding, even physically, mentally and emotionally draining! Through the years I have felt all of these emotions and more, but one thing that has really kept me on the top has been my ability to smile. I have found that smiling, even when it seems too hard, helps to solve all kinds of problems. Not only does it improve your own attitude, but one smile affects an incredible amount of people. Think about it - if I were to smile at just three people in a day, each of them will probably smile at three people in the least, then those people will pass the smile on, and so on. It's like a contagious epidemic. That's what so intriguing about it!
T.S. Eliot once wrote, "What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." Every landmark in our lives will end but there is always a beginning to an end. As each new path ends a new one begins. Graduation marks the end of a path but as it ends a new path begins.
As I was pondering what to speak about tonight, I started thinking about what has been the main influence in my school experience. I realized that what has shaped me most has been my teachers. What is a teacher? After 13 years of school, believe me, I have an extremely good idea of what a teacher is. Two teachers began to teach me, my father and my mother. The poet Ann Taylor wrote, "Who taught my infant lips to pray, And love God’s holy book and day, And walk in wisdom’s pleasant way? My Mother."
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Sitting in the backseat of the car, I used to bombard my family with these questions. On our summer road trips I was so anxious for the destination that I failed to appreciate the journey. However, as time passed and I grew older, I realized that it was the journey that was important and not the destination.
I want to say CONGRATULATIONS to the class of 2012. I greatly appreciate sharing my journey with you. I believe the greater the difficulty, the greater the glory and the glory is what we celebrate tonight.
man and people of superior refinement say that it is happiness… but with regard to
To illustrate, in the movie Finding Forrester, William spoke to Jamal of the feeling of total satisfaction he received when he finished a piece of his writing, before he sent it off to an editor. To Forrester, knowing that he alone accomplished writing it gave him a sense of proudness and happiness, which to him was perfection. Instead of dwelling on what he did have and what he did not have, Forrester let minute instances like this impact him on a bigger level than the sadness and hurt in his life. He cherished these instances of happiness and by recalling the experience of it, was able to obtain the feeling and remember it to let it bring him joy in his day to day
To begin something new, you must sacrifice something old. To enter the real world, you must graduate your childhood.
The first component essential to living an abundant life is the ability to feel joy. Joy is an experience of wellbeing in a person’s life. Joy is in some cases something that a person has no control of feeling, but in many cases it is an experience that reinforces positive behavior. Therefore by experiencing joy, a person is more likely to do positive things for themselves and for others. Joy is the basis of many of the positive aspects of life as Abraham Hicks states, "If you woul...