New Year Joy

At the dawn of the New Year, many of us think about Resolutions: the determination to do or achieve something new that will make our lives better, or to refrain from doing some activity that has led to making our lives worse in the past. At least some of us actually write these resolutions down, as motivation to follow through. I am guessing that a smaller percentage of us actually follow through with these goals.

Well, one of my goals for the New Year is to re-discover the innate joy that I believe is present in the nature of our minds. One of the ways I intend to do that is to engage with the formal (and informal) practice of Empathetic Joy: Feeling the joy that arises in ourselves when we see other people happy and joyful. This resonance with another’s joy is only possible if we already have the experience of joy within. When two tuning forks are placed next to each other, and one is struck, the other will start to vibrate as well, but, only if it is tuned to the same frequency (or a harmonic of the base frequency, for the detail oriented).

We are all already ‘tuned’ to the experience of joy as part of our true nature. We just need to be open to experiencing the joy of another, without greed or jealousy, and the resonance begins without effort.

For example, see if you have experienced the joy of others in any of these situations:

– A friend telling you of some good news they have received (a new job, a new pet, etc.), where you sense their joy and excitement.
– You are at an event where someone is happy to receive an honor or award, and you see them beaming.
– Walking in nature with someone you love where they are smiling at realizing the beauty of the natural world.
– You meet a friend who just had their first child and are still glowing with the joy of that unique experience.
– Sensing the joy of accomplishment when a child shows you something they have newly learned or achieved.
– Feeling the happiness and joy of a new bride and groom at their wedding and the friends and family sharing that joy
– Seeing someone interact with a dear one, one of their children, or grandchildren, sensing the happiness and joy of that connection.

Can you feel any joy growing within as you recall moments like this?

This is the natural expression of our innate joy.

You can add to this list from your own experience, and I would like to know if you have additions that might resonate with others in the group. We will use moments of joyful connection like this to begin our practice of Empathetic Joy.