According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary joy is defined as “A feeling of happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well being” or “a source happiness” (“Joy”). As wonderful as this definition sounds, I believe it not to be true. Joy is more than material possession or feeling good, and a great deal more than happiness. Anne Lindbergh once said, “For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair” (Khurana). Joy is a feeling by itself, and does not need happiness in order to be felt. Joy is a separate feeling from happiness, and can stand on its own. I strongly believe joy is something that is learned and not given. As a child I knew happiness well. Happiness was summer …show more content…
The feeling that one gets after a busy week, or day, yet everything has happened on schedule, has seemed to work out the way it should. The feeling going to bed at night knowing that I am loved by others, and knowing that tomorrow is a new day, and another chance to fix the mistakes of yesterday, is joy. I also find joy when I bring joy to others. I am joyful knowing that others are joyful, because I know that there is good in the world and the sting of life can be taken away. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “There is no beautifier of complexion or form, or behavior, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us…” (Khurana). I agree with Mr. Emerson, I would much rather see others pain free, than in pain. I would much rather see others blissful than upset. It is in spreading joy that true joy is really discovered. The feeling of joy soars far above that of happiness. To experience happiness is good, but joy is even better. Joy is what allows hope during times of trial, and washes away the doubt that life would ever get to be too much. Joy is what brings people together, and keeps them coming back. Joy allows one to understand part of a place in life where hurt is not found, and nothing can be wrong. Joy almost leads to a utopia. Joy is keeps life moving, and picks life after a fall. Joy standing on its own independently provides more than happiness ever could, and ever will. As we grow the meaning of joy grows with us. It is the beginning and end of life. To the world joy is a fake happiness. Those who know and understanding the true meaning of joy, and do not listen to the world, will find much more than happiness in life, but live life to the full,
As Smith explains, I find joy to be some kind of unhappiness and grief, a distinguishable feeling of bittersweet nostalgia and longing that she deems as a dangerous and slippery slope once someone allows himself/herself to delve deeply into it. As insane as joy seems, I find myself wanting it, since most of my life experiences to this moment seem more like pleasure than joy. Perhaps because the ultimate disposability and evanescence of pleasure seems rather representative of my generation’s increasing awareness of the general fleetingness of things, and their skepticism of all the tropes (a house, a family, a career, the suburban life…) previously associated (mostly via Hollywood and other mass media) with a “joyous” life. My generation is one that has grown up seeing about half of all marriages end in divorce. We’ve seen the real estate market and the stock market collapse a few times, and have been brought up in a world where natural disasters, terrorism and apocalyptic doom are not feared as much as expected. Because we have grown up in the age of market instability, escalating debt and climate change, we are much more desirous of short-term satisfaction and contentment. We’d rather travel, eat amazing food, see movies, have adventures, and live via moment-by-moment tweets and Insta-documents, quickly forgotten; we’d rather live in the
Thomas Szasz states in his writing, “happiness is an imaginary condition, formerly often attributed to the living to the dead, now attributed by adults to children and children to adults.” I do not agree that happiness is an imaginary state of mind. Happiness is scientifically proven to in fact be a real and natural feeling produced by the body, but it is up to your brain to make you feel it. When you are in a pleasing situation, your brain responds to the pleasing stimuli and releases endorphins that spread through your body, making you feel good. We just call this feeling happiness.
This is seemingly the case in the time period prior to the collapse of society. For example, when a character named “[Jeevan] reached Allan Gardens Park… he found himself blindsided by an unexpected joy. Arthur died… there’s nothing to be happy about. But there was… now he was certain, absolutely certain that he wanted to be a paramedic” (11). When Jeevan finally realized what he wanted to be, his true calling, he was overwhelmed with joy. Even though somebody had just died, all he could feel was happiness because he found something within himself. When Arthur was beginning to reflect upon his life, “He stared at his crown and ran through a secret list of everything that was good… Dancing with Clark when he was eighteen… Tanya sipping wine, her smile… Riding in his father’s snowplow when he was nine, the time [he] told a joke and his father and his little brother couldn’t stop laughing, the sheer joy he’d felt at that moment” (327). All of these different things brought Arthur happiness and eventually sadness at some point in his life, showing that nothing can keep you happy forever. The meaning of happiness is ever-changing. Since happiness was based off of how much you had, people had the ability to manipulate it by obtaining more
Many live attempting to decipher the riddle of life. What is life? What is the purpose? What makes? Even though we only seek happiness why can’t we ever seem to achieve it? When we do reach happiness why can’t we seem to grasp it and hold it for more than the few short hours that pass like seconds? The question we must answer first is “What makes happiness, true?”
According to Dictionary.com, happiness is contentment, joy, good fortune, and the state of being happy.
We must try to contribute joy to the world,”(Jones 34). Life is what we make it, and it is crucial that we do the best we can to make as joyful and filled with happiness as we can for both our sake and the sake of others. Without pure happiness, life is worth
Others will only provide a prompt to the way one feels, but joy should only be found by that one person. One’s life is only worth living when that person examines himself to find his purpose in life. In other words, there is no good life nor is there any life that is separate from the examined
A state of being? No, it isn’t. Happiness, is more of an atmosphere, rather than a feeling. In that case, what does one feel in an atmosphere of happiness? Warmth, comfort, and well being, and in return these positive vibes contribute to keeping the atmosphere alive.
“I define Joy as a sustained sense of well-being and internal peace – a connection to what matters” (Oprah Winfrey). REFERENCES Fry, Elizabeth. A. “A Childhood Biography of Oprah Winfrey.” About.com, a part of The New York Times Company, 2010. Web.
Joy [noun]: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. Some may say joy can be found in the craziest of places, but whats widely known is that joy is found in everything we do. For me, joy can be found in the little things; the things that get overlooked, and the things that most people don't find to be enjoyable at all. Joy is something we as human beings use to cope with hard times, mistakes, and even sadness. Although joy can be found in different ways, everybody’s way to find it is unique.
One element that brings me joy is my family. I enjoy creating memories with my family. Since most of my family works all of the time, it is always nice to spend time with each other. Another element that brings me joy is my friends. My friends bring out the best in me and allow me a better person. My friends know what makes me happy. I enjoy the adventures that I do with them. The last element that brings me joy is helping others. I mostly enjoy helping children. I work in a daycare and I love seeing the kids and seeing how excited they are to see me. Seeing the kids grow socially and intelligently brings me joy since I had an impact on their growth. Seeing the kids every week brings me so much joy. These are a few elements that bring me joy. The different gifts and talents play a part in my
...e way. Apart from success, good health and longevity are associated with happiness. The lightheartedness that accompanies happiness has been said to lower the chance of strokes and heart attacks. Laughter releases tension and add to persons overall sense of well-being. Happiness is not death, or sorrow. It is not gloom, depression or heavy-heartedness. Happiness does not lament nor does it worry. It is neither moody nor pensive, neither wanton nor pessimistic. Happiness does not mourn for what was it instead rejoices in what will be. Happiness comes through good fortune and through loving and being loved. Eating a good meal, being in good health and enjoying the comforts of life can also achieve it. The simple pleasures of life bring happiness, whether it be enjoying a favorite dessert, smelling a rose or running in the rain.
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...
Happiness is a state of mind. The dictionary definition is "feelings of joy and pleasure mingled together”. A feeling of happiness is more than just an experience of joy or pleasure. It is a state of mind where the individual feels that “life is good”. As Aristotle says, “happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” I believe that everyone wants to be happy in life. One is abnormal if he prefers to be sad and alone.
Happiness is a feeling that cannot be broken if strong enough, no matter how much sadness or hate is around you. Happiness can come from the smallest thing, for instance, music makes me happy and can easily change my mood, or when I am doing something I love my mood is easily changed. For others it could be whenever you do something well, or right and get recognition for it. It is the easiest feeling to be spread and given out but often neglected and forgotten about which is something we should all be more aware