What is Joy? [Joy Meaning]

Joy Definition or Meaning: Not Literally

We all are in the pursuit of Joy, happiness, and peace in life. People are working for various reasons but their ultimate goal is to be Joy or be Happy. But the problem is we have considered and accepted that Joy is the goal. To get it, we are living miserably.

Every day we woke up and follow our routine. People go to their workplace and do their job. Most of the people, almost 99%, are not Joyful or happy about their work.

Anecdotal Real Story

One day I was talking with my friend about his job. He told me about his experience and what he learned in the office. I was stunned after listening to him. He told me that at the beginning of his job, he used to finish his work within 2 hours. So, other people asked him for help and he was happy to help.

His boss also used to give him more work than others simply because he used to finish the 8-hour work in 2 hours only.

After a month, he learned the technique used by every office personnel. The trick was how to complete 2 hours of work in 8 hours and how to roam around the office just to avoid the work.

My other friend shared the same incident but in a totally different office. It explained to me why people are average in their work; not joyful or happy, and spend many years in the same position.

People are not enjoying their work, they are not happy, therefore, there is no sign of joy in them.

It doesn’t depend on the office or the work you do. To be Joyful or Miserable is your own making. If you think in the future, time will change and you will be happy or joyful then the possibility is very low.

Rat Race or Cat Race: Be Joyful

In my childhood, when guests have to leave at that time I always think about their journey back home. Later on, with time I realized we are all on Journey.

Life in itself is a Journey. Somebody participates or not, it doesn’t matter, time is ticking and we all are moving forward.

In the pursuit to earn money and be Joyful, or Happy, we started running aimlessly like a Rat-Race. Rat-Race meaning literally is “a way of life in which people are caught up in a fiercely competitive struggle for wealth or power.”

Many people are ignorant about it and many people know, but don’t consider it a serious matter about which they should do something. Our concern is not with the race in which somebody participates.

Whether it is racing with a rat or cat. If you are in the race then you must run joyfully. If we have considered that this is how our lives going to be then it must be joyful.

Generally, people think that once they achieve something or earn some amount of money later in their life then they will be happy. This is an argument for living miserably.

What is Joy Meaning?

Literally, Joy Meaning is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. The feeling is always internal. It cannot be external as feelings and emotions rise inside us.

“It means Joy is not about what you do or what you do not do. But Joy is about how you are within yourself.”

Our emotions are driven by our senses most of the time. We are not in control of our senses or mind. If only our minds and emotion happened the way we wanted then we definitely want it to joyful.

We all are rational people, if we have to choose between Joy and Misery then we always go with ‘Joy’.

Since our mind, senses, and emotions are not in our control, therefore, Joyfulness happens to us accidentally. Joy is happening in a random reaction to the external world or situation.

External Situation Not in Control

We have to understand this point very clearly. We can manage our extern situations only to a certain extent. It doesn’t matter whether you are in the rat race or not, the external situation never going to happen 100% exactly as you want.

We can’t do much to change the external situation in the way we want. Life is a mystery, it can give us every kind of sadness as well as happiness.

So, if our inner situation, which we can control, depends on the compulsive reaction to the external situation then joy will always be going to be accidental.

In short, the outside situation is the accumulation of millions of different ingredients over which I have no control. But inside there is only one- myself.

If I have a choice to choose between Joy and misery, definitely I am going to choose Joy for me (like anybody else).

The only problem is our mind, our body, our energies, and our emotions are not happening the way we want. Everything is happening accidentally, in a compulsive reaction to the situations in which we exist.

End-Note

To be Joyful or Miserable is in our hands. We have to understand that outside situations are not going to be the way we want. This point is repeated again and again in this article.

The reason is simple, it is not people, who don’t know about it. But they are ignorant about it. Therefore, to make something clear and understandable, we have to repeat the same point again and again.

Once you understand this point then ‘Problems’ in life turn into just a ‘Situation‘. How to be Joyful or know our inner-self, meditation is the key. There are different kinds of Meditation techniques available.

Vipassana is one of them. Vipassana Meditation is said to be re-introduced by the Gautum Buddha. In the next article, we will explain the Vipassana Meditation.

Till then be sceptical and seek the answer to the questions that arise inside you. If you have anything to share, you can write to us in the comment box below. We will be happy to hear from you.

BE HAPPY!!!