Is it OK to be happy when the world’s on fire?
Put another way: is your being miserable helping anyone?
In a time of climate change, war, and a seeming slide into autocracy, you might feel guilty for being happy. In fact, you might feel (consciously or subconsciously) that the only correct response to the parade of horribles on your newsfeed is to be miserable.
But who is your misery helping?
It’s silly (understandable—but silly) to either feel guilty about being happy or, worse, to perform moroseness in these chaotic times.
As the philosopher André Gide put it, “Joy is a moral obligation.”
Or, to quote the legendary meditation teacher Jack Kornfield, you need to have an “IV drip of joy” in order to effectively respond to the sorrows of the world. Joy isn’t escapism, he argues, it’s maintenance—providing the necessary resilience to keep showing up for the causes you care about without burning out. In that sense, figuring out how to fill your IV drip of joy has geopolitical ramifications.
So what does it for you? (Some of the things Jack does to get continual hits of joy include: jogging, spending time in nature, and reading.)
I recently sat down with Jack for a masterclass in handling these tumultuous times. Aside from making sure we get enough joy, here are three more of his recommendations:
Practice thanking your anxiety. When you feel anxious thoughts spinning, Jack suggests saying to your anxiety: “Thank you for trying to protect me. I’m okay right now.” Follow up with: “What’s one small constructive step I can take right now?”
Take action while letting go of the outcome. Jack quotes the monk Thomas Merton, who said: “Do not depend on the hope of results.” In other words: take the sane, compassionate action that’s in front of you—vote, help someone, set a boundary, show up—but understand that outcomes are outside your jurisdiction.
Remember, you’re “only human.” The next time you fuck up—or notice some shitty impulse flash across your mind—don’t pile on with self-laceration. Jack recommends dropping in the phrase “only human” as a way of short-circuiting the shame spiral. Once you stop the internal blame game, it’s much easier to course correct.
Great stuff. And that’s just a taste. Check out the full episode for an avalanche of practical wisdom from Jack. The episode also comes with a custom guided meditation called “How to Stay Clear” from Teacher of the Month Jeff Warren.
Also out today: my episode with Dr. Riley Kirk about the science of cannabis use. There’s a guided meditation for this episode, too, called “Not Your Grandma’s Body Scan.”
Tomorrow, Jeff Warren and I are going live for a guided meditation and Q&A sesh for paid subscribers. Zoom link beneath the paywall below. Drop your questions in the chat.
The following Tuesday’s (December 16) weekly meditation and Q&A session for paid subs will be a little different. I’ll be joined by our CEO Toni Magyar for a guided meditation followed by a big announcement.
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