Joy is Underrated or Incorrectly Rated

Just as you need food for your body, you need joy for your mind and heart.

Joy is often underrated, incorrectly rated, or misjudged in many aspects of our lives. Many fail to grasp the profound impact joy can have on our well-being and on our lives. It's a powerful force that can lift our spirits, nurture positive relationships, promote world peace, remove barriers and borders, and foster a healthier, more fulfilling co-existence. Yet, despite its importance, joy is frequently eclipsed by the relentless chase for success, material wealth, negativity, and hating others. It's crucial that we recognize and cherish the role of joy in our daily lives, for it brings a sense of contentment and inner peace that no other emotion can match.

Joy is more than just having fun or experiencing fleeting moments of pleasure. It's a deep sense of well-being and tranquility that emerges when you feel content with your life and circumstances. It's not about crafting a flawless world devoid of challenges—such a world doesn't exist. Instead, joy is about finding and nurturing your own happiness amid life's imperfections, embracing the highs and lows, and discovering meaning and satisfaction in the midst of life's inevitable struggles and uncertainties.

I'm not suggesting you should completely forgo occasional luxuries or entertainment. At the same time, what about discovering inner joy that leads to a more sustainable form of happiness? A joy that can endure, or even last forever? This kind of inner joy often springs from meaningful activities and a sense of purpose in life. It's about cultivating a deeper contentment that isn't reliant on external circumstances.

This type of joy isn't just about self-care, though self-care is important. It also promotes care and compassion for others. It teaches you how to maintain your joy without letting your caring heart take it away, while still valuing compassion and care for others. This kind of joy encourages you to share and accept coexistence with others.

Several years ago, I decided to change my life completely. I decided to leave my comfort and made a choice to leave city life behind and move to a cabin in the forest. Before this cabin, I lived in an even smaller one. I've embraced this lifestyle for several years now. Why did I make this change? I yearned to be close to nature, to the environment. When you're close to nature, it offers sustainable hope, joy, and boundless positivity.

Every single day, every moment, nature revealed something new. From 6:10 am to 6:20 am, the landscape would transform its colours. Observing nature up close was a revelation. We often overlook many things in life because we follow a systemized lifestyle focused on education, career, building a home, etc. Living in the cabin helped me break that pattern and see life from a new perspective.

I witnessed the power and magic of nature as it changed minute by minute. I made numerous videos, each capturing different hues, sunlight, and the essence of nature. Living this lifestyle, I was just a step away from the natural world, and it brought me immense joy. Yes, it can be lonely at times, but loneliness is part of our human experience. Embracing loneliness allows us to think differently and creatively.

When we keep our minds occupied with entertainment or social media, or stay addicted to a constantly connected digital lifestyle, we don't give ourselves the space to think productively. In solitude, our minds create their own joy, which resides deep within our hearts. You don't need to go anywhere to find it; it's within you. When you connect with nature, your inner energy, and experience solitude, you learn to generate your own hope and joy. This joy is sustainable because it relies on your own energy, enabling you to create it anytime, anywhere.

Living in nature provided me with these eye-opening insights. Before that, I followed the lifestyle promoted by society and education. But I broke free from that pattern and discovered true joy in nature. Throughout the pandemic, I made videos of myself dancing in the wilderness, on frozen lakes, mountain tops, and more, often alone with just a tripod. That's how I found my joy, hope, and positivity.

Here is a joyful video I made with my friend and highland dancer Alison Keery from Haida Gwaii, BC, two years ago. I believe this will make you feel joyful:

I don't claim to be a perpetually happy person. Like everyone else, I face setbacks and downtimes. However, when they occur, I know how to recover quickly. I learned this from nature.

Never underestimate the power of joy. Just as you need food for your body, you need joy for your mind and heart.

(If you can, write your thoughts in the comments below)