enjoyment

I've been considering joy. For some reason in my categorical mind, the idea of sorting joy came to the surface. So, obsessively, I've been thinking about what sorts of joy one could experience. Of course, new thoughts have emerged in this process. This is what I came up with:

1. Indulgence. Starting with the obvious. A person can certainly indulge in something that brings pleasure, enjoyment; or someone can indulge us. Enjoy chocolate. Enjoy a movie. Enjoy a tickle. Enjoy a rest.

Indulgence is often associated with evil, sin, or even hedonism, but it is certainly a part of the standard human experience. Avoiding indulgence would be difficult, if at all possible, and thus, I must conclude that it is appropriate, in moderation. Excess indulgence is either addiction or gluttony, both of which are chief among the list of things that can destroy a person. But mutual indulgence can also bring connection, and indulgence can be earned.

2. Pride. This is the most complicated category. First, let's address the fundamental: is it fair to include this under 'enjoyment?' We've often heard the phrase "pride and joy," but are the two interchangeable? I say yes, based on how I conceive of enjoyment. When we experience pride, we can certainly sit back in our chairs and "feel good," right? Connect to indulgence this way: we 'deserve' a break after completing a hard job. We tell ourselves that we deserve to indulge in a break, at which point we lean back, survey our accomplishment, take pride in our work, and indulge in some 'non-productive' time.

We can have pride in our selves; which is to say: our identity includes traits that we expect others to admire. It might be equivalent to say that we can admire our egos, using social norms to justify this (typically). This extends to all sorts of things - pride in our abilities (whatever the sort), pride in our perseverance, pride in our generosity (even).

We can also have pride in our associations. That is, we can be proud of things outside of us that we have incorporated into ourselves. I might be proud of the Seahawks, though in part I'm proud of myself for sticking with the seahawks all of these years only to see them through the tough times to their eventual victory (as if). But even a fair weather fan is proud of them (let's switch to the Giants to make this more believable) as they represent me. I, in this case, am also my 'town' or my 'region' or whatever. Pride is essentially like collecting trinkets; we place various attributes and people and nations (things) in a mental display case, and polish it from time to time, showing it off to ourselves.

I might be proud of America, as I consider my self (my ego) to be a member of a nation worthy of merit. Or, conversely, I might be proud of myself for denying America, for embodying something higher than the flawed nation I inhabit. In which case, I'd be applying a value system that represents a certain demographic, with which I would like to associate myself.

The only thing separating pride from embarrassment is a reference frame.

I think it's fair to place pride and joy under an umbrella together. Often in my own past, apropos of nothing, I've suddenly been hit with a wave of joy accompanying some thought of some associations or identifications (connections to friends, jobs completed, hardships endured, etc.).

Pride is the joy most often connected with conflict. Pride in victory, or pride in associations leads to divisions between individuals or groups of individuals.

3. Transcendence. Ok, this is a particular label I've put on something, but what I was thinking was what it feels like to appreciate a work of art (a song, a painting, etc.) or a connection to nature. This also applies to a spiritual experience. We transcend our selves (our egos) through a connection to something greater, a vision of what lies beyond the self.

For me, this is most easily attained in nature, though nearly as often I feel it with loved ones. Real, powerful connections with the natural world, between people, or with art (which reminds us of our common humanity - another form of connection to others) hint at the greater that lies beyond our individual selves.

Transcendence is the joy of peace; the basis for all legitimate religions.

Am I missing anything?

21st Century Revolution

The recent events in the middle east, as I see them, signify the power of grass-roots organization over top-down oppression. In the information age, we, the people, have unprecedented access to one another, and to each other's ideas. This is terrible news to those who control access to information for personal (or at least selective) gain.

Cultural evolution is based on ideas and information - where the social consciousness changes over time: accruing new, beneficial notions and beliefs, while shrugging off tired, crippling misconceptions and antiquities. Of course, this process is sloppy, and there are many errors committed by the social "mind." But in the end, we always find our way.

These days, we have the wonderful advantage (over times past) of this new access to one another's social innovations. And this is not the first time we've seen such a dramatic shift. Each major leap in communication has ushered in a rapid proliferation of cultural ideas (relative to the preceding age), and ultimately advanced those groups of people who embraced the wisdom and judgment of their collective consciousness.

But those groups, gaining in power and organization, eventually advance slivers of the population into leadership/organizational roles. And as we know all too well: power currupts. So, those at the top, in a strangely self-destructive act of selfishness, begin to oppress ideas in fear of being removed from power by the up-and-coming. And eventually, in nearly every case, they end up knocking the knees off of the giant (of which they are the head), and the once-great topples.

And here we are. The great America, tiring and swaying from the underhanded blows delivered from on high, but still seething with resilience, optimism, and a brilliant amalgam of cultures and ideas from within. It is time to restore power to that which creates power - the people, the body of the beast. And we can take it!

We have been trained to "buy in" to a system. Our mythologies all point toward compliance and security. But all of the great things that we've created have immerged from the nooks and crannies of our population. All the noteworthy events involved personal risk in service of passion - not undaunted composure in the face of a scripted personal drama. We are not so small as to require anyone to show us the path. Innovation is in our blood, and the pioneering spirit that gave birth to America (and continues to feed it) can once again drive us forward into a new era.

But more than that, even, we are lovers of the group - our adventures are by caravan more than outlaw wandering. More than ever, we have the capacity to organize.

I encourage everyone (especially young people, with your energy) to shrug off the shackles of dogmatic repetition, embrace passion (whether it's your ideas or those of others), and start DOING. Let's proliferate our myriad unique contributions, feed one another's social mind, and move America, and the world, into a new kind of genuine freedom.