Joy

Part 1: Joy and Despair

Personal reflection

Joy is not easy to define - it has something to with happiness, satisfaction, contentment, a sense of wellbeing, combined with awe and wonder.

There have been a few truly joyful moments in my life. Here’s three examples. When I was a teenager, I was in a local Anglican church youth group that was more or less overtaken by a cult-like organisation that colonised four or five churches across Sydney and I was one of those swept away by it. One of the features of this experience was the music, and the joy that singing together engendered.

Luna Park, Sydney

Here’s another example. When I was in my twenties, I was an ardent fisherman. Every weekend I would clamber over rocky headlands in the pre-dawn dark. The goal was to have my bait in the water by sunrise. Watching the sun come up with the sound of crashing waves beneath me anticipating the day’s catch – through this I experienced joy.

Last example: when I read, I read philosophy. I don’t tend to read books intended for th…