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What would you give . . . what would you forsake to be happy? Many ancient Greek philosophers thought that this pursuit was the motivating factor in life.
I’ve heard Christians differentiate the terms happiness and joy. To split definitional hairs, it seems that happiness is determined or affected by circumstances or happenstance. The root hap means chance or fortune. In contrast, it’s been suggested, joy is an internal quality that is unencumbered and unimpeded by the situations in which we find ourselves.
I think there may be some truth to that. Still, possessing this joy and experiencing it consistently seems challenging. I know there is a place in Christ from which this joy flows; I’ve experienced it at various times in my life. It would appear, then, that joy should be the preferred pursuit over happiness. But is joy something that you pursue, or is it something that is simply received and experienced by resting in Christ?
Maybe I’m waxing philosophical because I so often feel so little joy these days? If joy is not pursuable, then I guess my quest is for happiness – at least until joy manifests itself. Am I compromising and settling by taking this tack? I don’t know. Probably.
What is disconcerting is that, if my sense of contentment (yet another semantic conundrum?) is merely a condition of my circumstances or environment, I risk a lot of angst and sadness. Is something so transient worth the risk? How much should I invest in such a fugacious state of being?
I suppose the ancient Greeks had inextricably linked fate with happiness so that, despite the deterministic fatalism, there was a sense of comfort in the notion that happiness was not really so haphazard. This seems contradictory to me, but it does give the illusion of comfort – unless, of course, you were fated to tragedy.
I feel like I am willing to give a lot for happiness, although I’m not sure how much I have to give. I am also willing to forsake a lot of things for this experience, but I wonder how much this will be appreciated.
The absence of joy and happiness provides quite an impetus to pursue something other than your current condition. I am not sure that this is the motivating factor in life, but it is certainly a motivating element. But is this propellant destined for disaster and multiplied despair?
I’ve heard Christians differentiate the terms happiness and joy. To split definitional hairs, it seems that happiness is determined or affected by circumstances or happenstance. The root hap means chance or fortune. In contrast, it’s been suggested, joy is an internal quality that is unencumbered and unimpeded by the situations in which we find ourselves.
I think there may be some truth to that. Still, possessing this joy and experiencing it consistently seems challenging. I know there is a place in Christ from which this joy flows; I’ve experienced it at various times in my life. It would appear, then, that joy should be the preferred pursuit over happiness. But is joy something that you pursue, or is it something that is simply received and experienced by resting in Christ?
Maybe I’m waxing philosophical because I so often feel so little joy these days? If joy is not pursuable, then I guess my quest is for happiness – at least until joy manifests itself. Am I compromising and settling by taking this tack? I don’t know. Probably.
What is disconcerting is that, if my sense of contentment (yet another semantic conundrum?) is merely a condition of my circumstances or environment, I risk a lot of angst and sadness. Is something so transient worth the risk? How much should I invest in such a fugacious state of being?
I suppose the ancient Greeks had inextricably linked fate with happiness so that, despite the deterministic fatalism, there was a sense of comfort in the notion that happiness was not really so haphazard. This seems contradictory to me, but it does give the illusion of comfort – unless, of course, you were fated to tragedy.
I feel like I am willing to give a lot for happiness, although I’m not sure how much I have to give. I am also willing to forsake a lot of things for this experience, but I wonder how much this will be appreciated.
The absence of joy and happiness provides quite an impetus to pursue something other than your current condition. I am not sure that this is the motivating factor in life, but it is certainly a motivating element. But is this propellant destined for disaster and multiplied despair?
7 comments:
This blog is really intense. Of course most things that you write have heavy concentrations of philosophical thought. I like that bout cha.
I like the blog face lift.
I feel what you are saying here Nathan and maybe some of what you did not say. Life is just damn hard. End of story. I don't know any rosey way of disguising it.
You are dealing with some really tough issues and making some hard decisions. All i can say is i will suffer with you til the end.
Love ya
Thanks Tammy . . . love you back.
living in the tension between sweet sorrow and the joy set before us... i don't know much that can be said that you don't already know except maybe how good it is to hear from you and now i will just let your words settle in for futher thought. love you!
I read your comment on Kirsten's blog. "so many thing I'd love to confess. But I'm afraid that my confession would only put my chances of getting any lasting help in peril. So let me be a coward for the time being."
Nathan you are one of the bravest people i know. You may not be able to pour out things right now, and that is okay. But when it comes to matters of the heart, loving someone, you have a bravery that i can't ever dream of having. I wish i had that kind of courage.
You know my track record, the moment someone hurts me (intensely), i flip em' off and run like hell.
It is a weird thing, i can let someone i don't "NEED" walk all over the top of me and it's okay, i don't hold them accountable. It is like they couldn't touch me. It scares the hell right out of me to need someone, that gives them way too much power. You say "love is a risk"......and to that i usually say, "i hate myself for giving a human being parts of me so they could possibly trample it." Hard to teach an old dog new tricks............
Well that blog comment took on an "it's all about me thing."
Sorry? I know you love me even when i am selfish that way. You are one person that i know won't play dice with my emotions.........even when i am wrong.
nathan, it is so good to hear your voice here again (speaking of which, it's been too long since i've heard your actual voice, but i know we both have had so much in our immediate worlds to contend with).
your posts always make me furrow my brow and concentrate and need to look up words in the dictionary. fugacious?? oh yeah, i totally use that in everyday speech!! :o)
sometimes i wonder about the whole happiness/joy thing. i wonder if it's at all like the knowledge/wisdom thing. i wonder if joy is something acquired over time, something learned, something that will take up residence in ourselves over time & living & experience if we let it; i wonder if it is something that persists in spite of our circumstances because it is something timeless & true & wholly outside of circumstance. i think it's differen than just plain ol' happiness, but not wholly separate either.
i dunno. just thinking.
really, it's so good to see you in this space again. i miss your thoughts, your questions, & the vocabularly lessons inherent in every post you write. :o)
love you,
k
Kirsten,
My latent lexicography has given way to esoteric egotism, huh? Are you giving me a backhanded compliment? :)
Seriously, though, what you said about joy being a developmental process really spoke to me. Its acquisition through perseverance and trials seems to hit the nail right on the head.
Your understanding of joy makes the whole concept much more robust. It's both received by being in Christ and acquired and developed through perseverance.
This is what I love about you: I can always learn from your unique perspective. You make my wheels turn!
Nathan, there's so much good stuff here. It sounds like you're walking through a lot right now and I love the fact that, even in the middle of life's stuff, you're engaging with these things. You seem to have thought of all I could think to add, but I'll let these things sink and and see if there's more then. Take care of yourself.
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