Suffering is Not Enough

The necessity of experiencing joy

author’s photo, cranberry orange cake and tea

Times are tough. The news is full of stories of injustice, violence, greed, and corruption. Ignoring it won’t make it go away. But, incessantly dwelling on our problems leads to illness and dis-ease.

Is it okay to experience pure joy when we are surrounded by suffering? To sit and have a good laugh with friends, even though the headlines scream of the horrors happening all around us?

Thich Nhat Hahn taught us that joy is necessary in order to have the right frame of mind for dealing with suffering.

“If we cannot enjoy the moment, if we cannot be happy now, when? To be in touch with the wonderful things in the world — to be able to smile, to be able to enjoy the blue sky, the sunshine, the presence of each other, I think that is the first thing we have to practice.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

This is not to say that we need to somehow try to balance our suffering and our joy, but in Thay’s* words: “The reason is that we should be able to smile at our own suffering, that we should not drown in our own suffering.”

Drowning in suffering doesn’t transform suffering. Transformation comes through compassion and understanding of suffering.