Perceptions of Joy
“Negative experiences can lead to joy and
understanding. Life is untidy. When we reject this
messiness–and in so doing reject life–we risk
perceiving the world through the lens of our economics
or our sciences.
But if we celebrate life with all its contradictions,
embrace it, experience it, and ultimately live with it,
there is a chance for a spiritual life filled not only
with pain and untidiness, but also with joy, community,
and creativity.”
– Derrick Jensen
From “A Language Older Than Words”
“Giving is the highest expression of potency. In the
very act of giving, I experience my strength, my
wealth, my power.
This experience of heightened vitality and potency
fills me with joy. I experience myself as overflowing,
spending, alive, hence as joyous. Giving is more joyous
than receiving, not because it is a deprivation, but
because in the act of giving lies the expression of my
aliveness.”
– Erich Fromm (1900-1980)
From “The Art of Loving”
“Within your beings, always simply remember, if you
follow no other truth, follow the truth that within
your being is called joy. If you follow that, you’re
always going to be right where you need to be, and you
will always have life within your being…When you are
faced with something that gives you fear, realize that
fear is of man’s mind, not God’s mind.”
– Sheradon Bryce
From “Joy Riding the Universe Volume 1”
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