Joy and Freedom: a Way of Being
Intellectually, we all know that joy is an important factor for quality of life, but it is quite another thing to live it.
Have you ever spent a day really following joy? What I mean by that is consciously engaging only in activities that bring you joy.
The more we focus on activities of joy, the more we can sustain fresh energy and vitality for daily life.
Activity is a word that is often overlooked. Let us take another look at it. Activity is most often associated with a series of actions that are physical. Nevertheless, the word activity has other manifestations.
One of these other manifestations is called emotional activity. When we are upset, sad, or afraid, a type of energy activity is taking place. This type of energy activity is quite different from the emotional activity that brings joy, happiness, or peace. You may notice that you will feel quite tired after an outburst of emotional activity such as anxiety or anger. On the other hand, you may notice that you will feel energized and pumped after a pop concert or sports match, especially when the team you are rooting for has won!
Another manifestation of activity is thought. Although we take it forgranted because we do this all the time, it takes energy, effort and focus to produce thought. If that is what it takes, then it stands to reason that we should try to produce thoughts that benefit oneself, rather than thoughts that accelerate the aging process.
We could say that thought activity, emotional activity and physical activity differ in levels of density, with physical activity being the most apparently dense.
The physical activities that bring a person joy are unique to him/her. For some, the physical act of calling up a trusted friend on the phone is enough to generate an energy boost. For others, engaging in a fast-paced game of ice hockey is what brings them joy. Even something as precise as counting coins can be a joyful activity for those who like numbers.
With physical activities traditionally considered less enjoyable, such as throwing out the garbage or cleaning the washroom, one can still change the way of carrying them out. Taking singing for instance, this is definitely one way of changing the colour of an activity, regardless of whether or not it is in tune or out-of-tune!
Joyous activities result naturally in:
a) gratitude
b) generosity
When we feel gratitude and generosity towards those around us, we experience wonder and expansion of being: this is the beginning of freedom.
So why not spend a day following joy?
You may be surprised by what happens.