30. Happy Or Joyful

Happiness and joy are not the same thing.

Happiness comes from satisfying my desires, from getting what I want, from living the life that I want. Happiness is rational and so it can be explained and justified. When I am happy, there is a reason I am happy. Happiness is a result — it is what I get when I am successful.

Joy comes when I am actively doing something and only while I remain active. It arises without reason or justification and stays regardless of circumstance, struggle, or pain. It is inexplicable and irrational. An action that provides no joy one day could bring joy the next. Joy can even arise from an action that also brings pain and unhappiness.

Joy seems to appear in the effort of making life better, both for myself and others. It frequently arises when I give something to meet a need and when I have gratitude for my ability to give it. In other words, joy arises most often when I act from compassion.

If I were always aware of what compassion required, then perhaps joy would stay with me always. Joy vanishes when I get caught up in my desires for good things, or in my worries about bad things, or in my beliefs about what the world ought to be. To live joyfully means to see clearly how these intentions can harm me and the people around me. It means seeing what compassion demands and acting on it, even when I know it will be a painful struggle.