Joy might seem an arbitrary thing in its coming and going. That joy is hard to figure out—both what it is and where it comes from—is no surprise, given the depths of the human heart. A question that often roils in my mind is whether I can simply choose to be joyful.
I think the answer is affirmative and worth a brief consideration, while setting aside the wonderful and essential aspects of joy as a gift and a fruit. Indeed, choosing joy is surely a necessary aspect of receiving it as a gift.
I come at this now from an elementary perspective: can I ‘choose joy’ when I am not ‘feeling’ joyful? One basic truth expounded by the wise can shed a very encouraging light and offer practical direction. Joy, says Thomas Aquinas, is when our will rests or delights in the presence of some good that we love. He gives this example: “A man rejoices when his friend is near.”
I rejoice when a person I love is present (or near!); what a wonderful example to which we all can relate! This joy usually includes in it a bodily feeling (how does one describe this warmth, as it were?). However, the joy is not primarily a feeling that just happens but something that I do voluntarily. Seeing this good, I rejoice in it.
When a beloved person walks toward us—especially if we have been separated—the ‘goodness’ here is so notable that our joy seems to just break out. We might even be ‘surprised by joy.’ It doesn’t call for much of a ‘choice’ to rejoice.
But then there are many other times when no ‘good that we love’ is jumping to our notice. If then the burdens and cares of life are making themselves felt, it can seem that joy is very far away. We might find ourselves wishing, for instance, that a person I love were walking toward me right now!
Here, I suggest, is where we have a choice—and this is, surely, no very rare occasion in life. We can choose to turn our mind’s eye toward some very great and beloved goods. And rejoice in them. And we can have real joy, even if a warm feeling doesn’t come along right away. Or even for quite a while.
On this score I think the simple image of the glass half full is strikingly appropriate. None of us ever has an empty glass; indeed, there are wonderful things in our glass. We need but recognize and focus on them. Still, the glass will always be empty of some things—some of which we dearly and reasonably want.
To focus our attention on the various goods we have (among other things, especially in the form of people in our life), and to have joy in them, in no way implies holding back from striving for more. Quite the contrary. To rejoice in the good we have is essential to striving for the good we seek. Gratitude and joy always go together. And Aquinas says that gratitude prepares the soul for receiving yet more good.
It sounds so simple. Simple does not mean easy. But in this case, ‘simple’ does mean completely doable. With the grace of God. It also means that this plan is stunningly beautiful and better than anything we could have imagined. To choose to rejoice, to have joy in the good we already have, as well as the good we are promised, is a project for every day.
To practice looking at our life in this way is not a sleight of hand, or a squinting to see only what we want to see. It is opening our eyes to what is really there. And behold, we might realize that a loved one who can seem far away, is much nearer than we realized. ~ ~ ~
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Here is a LECTURE Sofia gave on the topic of JOY:
Husband, father, and professor of Philosophy. LifeCraft springs from one conviction: there is an ancient wisdom about how to live the good life in our homes, with our families; and it is worth our time to hearken to it. Let’s rediscover it together. Learn more.
