Faced with the daunting realities of these times, we have undoubtedly experienced new challenges in our lives and in our practice. How are we responding? Where are we finding inspiration to renew and deepen our practice?
I’ve been struck by the perspectives of several elders from indigenous cultures. They see this time as a call to the inner life to cultivate the resilience and confidence to live with radical uncertainty. Furthermore, they hold the surprising perspective that joy is an act of resistance to the social upheaval, breakdown, and oppression sweeping the planet. They remind us that they’ve never stopped singing, dancing, celebrating, and living with joy.
What a radical message! Yet that’s their view: through joy one resists, one overcomes adversity. They remind us that when we cultivate a positive, upbeat—yes, even joyful—outlook on life, that positive energy is a gift to the common good, a gift to the universe, a gift to ourselves.
No, we don’t deny the pervasive pain and suffering of these cataclysmic times. Still, we bring awareness to our sinking moods and creeping despair, balancing those with equanimity, contentment, and quiet joy. This can become the vibrant edge of our practice.
What gladdens your heart, awakens quiet joy? For me, it’s often the small things—a friend’s smile, dramatic cloud formations, music, or the cardinal at the bird feeder. We all need to find moments of joy throughout the day, especially since many pre-pandemic sources of joy are no longer available.
Wendell Berry, poet, essayist, and environmental activist, said, “Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts.” Opening to joy in such difficult times may seem counter-intuitive and paradoxical, but it’s an invitation to live with more lightness of being.
That phrase brings to mind His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, beloved friends who have endured unimaginable suffering. Their lightness of being and joy in life is a gift to all who are touched by their presence, even remotely.