Tapsearch Com EditorAnticipation of Joy and Grief (LINK)
July 7th 2008 18:10
By Ray Tapajna from notes and outlines by Father McQuade SJ, JCU
We continue to explore the study of personality and character related to self improvement with the goal of providing a voice to the unnetted in the global economic arena of our times.
Does the old saying - put on a happy face -work? Does wearing a smile change how you feel about things? Did you ever practiced laughing while alone to change your mood? Why do we put a happy face sticker on things?
Yes, many of these practices do work. However, there is a deeper process to control our nervousness and sadness. The working word is - anticipation - or - expectation. If our anticipation is not balanced, we face a tougher road in our journey on earth.
I once told a priest friend that when I enjoy a delightful consolation in prayer or meditation, I calm the sensation down because I know it will not last and the dark night of the soul is always there to steal the delight away at any time. My priest friend said that he "milks" any delightful consolation as long as he can and worries about the other side when it comes and not before . Should we reside as long as possible in delightful consolation without moderating it with thoughts of it passing too?
Cheerfulness is a chief personality trait that controls joy and grief. It is a trait that comes from enjoying life with a proper anticipation or expectation of all the possibilities there are in life. We all know that this world being what it is , does not allow unterrupted joy, for everyone eventually faces a lost. We cannot insure perpetual joy or guarantee the absense of grief in this life, but we can foster always greater joy by a proper anticipation moderated by the agony of grief.
The key to controlling joy and grief is in our attitude of expectation towards life - then follows the experience of life. Our reactions depend on our harmony with the what we can expect in life.
Applying this to our control of joy and grief, we find that the reaction of pleasure in getting what we want and the reaction of grief in being deprived of what we want. depends upon our attitude we take toward life and a balanced traits of expectations. If the balance is in place, the pleasant things in life will be joyfully experienced. However, if we expect the happiness in this life to be perfect and perpetual in a state of undisturbed tranquility of bliss, we will head into an inordinary plunge of grief when reality catches up with us.
Many of good will, will tell you that when we are on the crest of joy, we should not be unmindful of how it will be when we are in the midst of grief - and when we are in the midst of grief, we should not forget how it will be when we are on the crest of joy.
In the life ideal, we pursue, the attractive personality that is one in the middle fo the two extremes: the exaltation of joy and the depths of grief. We need to base our foundation of joy on things that do not change. If we find the joy or our lives depending upon the way we look, vigorous health, financial success and things like that, we have founded our joy on shifting sands. If, however, we base our joy on the posession of things that no one can take away from us, things like intellectual interests, matters of achievement, a deep consciouness of human dignity , the a substantial amount of joy will always be there in our lives. And for those who pray will find another power besides themselves to rely upon. In this the gifts of wisdom and counsel will provide us a constant flow of true emotional balance. We can choose an advocacy accordingly to change things not only in our own lives but in the world around us. If nothing else we should dwell on what the common good is or should be in this life.
Explore philosophy and religion in the global economic arena at The Rationale
We continue to explore the study of personality and character related to self improvement with the goal of providing a voice to the unnetted in the global economic arena of our times.
Does the old saying - put on a happy face -work? Does wearing a smile change how you feel about things? Did you ever practiced laughing while alone to change your mood? Why do we put a happy face sticker on things?
Yes, many of these practices do work. However, there is a deeper process to control our nervousness and sadness. The working word is - anticipation - or - expectation. If our anticipation is not balanced, we face a tougher road in our journey on earth.
I once told a priest friend that when I enjoy a delightful consolation in prayer or meditation, I calm the sensation down because I know it will not last and the dark night of the soul is always there to steal the delight away at any time. My priest friend said that he "milks" any delightful consolation as long as he can and worries about the other side when it comes and not before . Should we reside as long as possible in delightful consolation without moderating it with thoughts of it passing too?
Cheerfulness is a chief personality trait that controls joy and grief. It is a trait that comes from enjoying life with a proper anticipation or expectation of all the possibilities there are in life. We all know that this world being what it is , does not allow unterrupted joy, for everyone eventually faces a lost. We cannot insure perpetual joy or guarantee the absense of grief in this life, but we can foster always greater joy by a proper anticipation moderated by the agony of grief.
The key to controlling joy and grief is in our attitude of expectation towards life - then follows the experience of life. Our reactions depend on our harmony with the what we can expect in life.
Applying this to our control of joy and grief, we find that the reaction of pleasure in getting what we want and the reaction of grief in being deprived of what we want. depends upon our attitude we take toward life and a balanced traits of expectations. If the balance is in place, the pleasant things in life will be joyfully experienced. However, if we expect the happiness in this life to be perfect and perpetual in a state of undisturbed tranquility of bliss, we will head into an inordinary plunge of grief when reality catches up with us.
Many of good will, will tell you that when we are on the crest of joy, we should not be unmindful of how it will be when we are in the midst of grief - and when we are in the midst of grief, we should not forget how it will be when we are on the crest of joy.
In the life ideal, we pursue, the attractive personality that is one in the middle fo the two extremes: the exaltation of joy and the depths of grief. We need to base our foundation of joy on things that do not change. If we find the joy or our lives depending upon the way we look, vigorous health, financial success and things like that, we have founded our joy on shifting sands. If, however, we base our joy on the posession of things that no one can take away from us, things like intellectual interests, matters of achievement, a deep consciouness of human dignity , the a substantial amount of joy will always be there in our lives. And for those who pray will find another power besides themselves to rely upon. In this the gifts of wisdom and counsel will provide us a constant flow of true emotional balance. We can choose an advocacy accordingly to change things not only in our own lives but in the world around us. If nothing else we should dwell on what the common good is or should be in this life.
Explore philosophy and religion in the global economic arena at The Rationale
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