How to Live with Joy in a World Filled with Sorrow and Suffering
The world is in such disturbance — covid-19 pandemic, global economic crisis, wars and terrorism, starvation, global warming. Our hearts hurt for those issues. How do we find joy in the midst of such significant world problems?
As it was discussed among the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug, Dalai Lama, and the Nobel Peace Prize (1984) winner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, in “The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World”:
You are the elder, you show your humanity by how you see yourself not as apart from others, but from your connection to others.
Yes, we do have setbacks, but you must keep everything in perspective. Hans Rosling’s central argument in his book “Factfulness” is that the world is not perfect, but it is much better than we think and step-by-step, year-by-year, the world is improving.
Therefore, the question here is, what can you do to change that condition? How can you get rid of the pain or misery and start living in pleasure, joy, and happiness?
Start Meditation
Over the next few days, try to visualize some of your problems, their causes, and how someone could overcome them. Try to take on the negative feelings — fear, anger, suspicion — and replace them with love and forgiveness.
Of course, this will not have any physical effect on the ground and is not going to change the circumstances. But psychologically, it is beneficial to keep a calm mind and an excellent opportunity to practice forgiveness and compassion.
Recognize People’s Generosity
Human beings are good, and that is where we have to start. Everything else is an aberration. You have to recognize that despite the differences, the fundamental thing about humanity, about humankind, about people, is that they are good, they were made good, and they really want to be good.
Yes, numerous things can discourage us. But there are also several things that make our world a wonderful place to live. Unfortunately, the media do not report on these because they are not seen as news.
Practice Critical Thinking
We are naturally drawn to extreme examples, and they are easy to recall. However, you should be curious about what is possible. Ιn many cases, what you see in the news every day, is different from reality and your viewpoint. Much of what “everybody knows” and that we read in the news every day is wrong because hardly anyone bothers to do reality-checking.
As a generation, we must learn how to consume the news more factfully, spot the drama without becoming stressed or hopeless, and realize that the news is not very helpful for understanding the world.
Be Hopeful
Hope is not the same as optimism. Optimism is something that depends on feelings more than the actual reality. We feel optimistic, or we feel pessimistic.
Hope is something much more profound; it is the antidote to despair. It demands faith to find the means to face your problems and overcome the obstacles. However, there can never be a completely hopeless situation. Hope is something deeper and unshakable that drives your desire to move on. It’s not in your head. It’s in the pit of your tummy.
Final Notes
You might not be able to do plenty of things, but you should immediately start where you are and do what you can where you are. And yes, be amazed.
