«-Joy-»
Unlike and in contrast with the general feeling of my article from yesterday. And perhaps, also unlike and in contrast with the "fancy sensitivity" of most of the articles I usually write about these futuristic issues. Today I come here to redeem myself a bit from all that intuitive delicacy, exciting inclination, tangible apprehension, inkling perception, scintillating hunches, twisted wit and extravagant impressions.
Because today I'm going to change the hackneyed speech a little. Hey, but just a little. Only a little bit and nothing more, eh? Because as many of you may know, I am and I've always been an old lucid veteran and above all, a die hard defensive pessimist who has already seen too much in this life and under no circumstances would I try to stop making you think always in the worst and then leave you destitute, helpless, off guard and unprepared for the customary tricks of fate. Okay?
Alright! I guess we're on the same page now. ¿Correct? Ok, the thing is that a few hours ago I stumbled upon an awesome article that seemed to scream at me inviting me to share it with you here. I looked around here, there and everywhere and it seemed that it was indeed inviting me to share it wherever I wanted. And I of course, chose to share it with all of you, with all those who really deserve it. Like my good friend @valued-customer and to whom affectionately this post is especially dedicated.
And for this and from here on out. The first and only thing I am going to do is simply cut and paste here a series of well selected paragraphs from the original article with the intention of tempting and motivating you hard enough so that, as always, you «click» and you end up consuming from head to toe the complete article from the source from which it originated. Because the original article is quite long and very well written. Until the point I was almost tempted to publish it here in its entirety. But don't worry, just «click» where you need to «click» and I assure you that you will end up in love and full of joy like me. That the links and 'sources' for this article are right where they need to be. Alright, here we go then, Xtreme Adventurers!!
«-Hopes-»
Today we’re going to talk about someone especial. Her energy, which is a bit of a cop-out of a word, but we’ll come back to that. Joy. Why is it so devastatingly effective against that other guy? And why has it caught fire across America?
Joy is her proposition to Americans. And to understand why it matters so intensely we have to transcend American thinking for a moment, which tends to be focused on data, facts, figures, but not the soft stuff, the human stuff, emotions, moods, sentiments, “energy.”
So what’s so radical about “joy”? Everything, in fact!
Stressed, Depressed, and Distressed in America.
What strikes Americans after they’ve lived overseas for a while? Most will tell you that there’s something missing in America. Life can often feel joyless.
It’s not that Americans aren’t “happy,” and shortly we’re going to discuss the difference between happiness and joy. But it is that American life can be incredibly bleak, demoralizing, and scary. These days, “layoff influencers” have become a thing, and that’s pretty dystopian. Even if it’s good for people to share their trauma, the fact is that American life is deeply traumatic just as a condition of existing. From the school shootings to the medical debt to the lunch debt,
Joy is in short supply in America. It has been for quite some time now. America became what wounded nations tend to become—angry, embittered, fractious. We use the word “divided,” but the mood of society isn’t that, it’s something darker. That’s not an “opinion,” by the way, these, too, are facts, about a society’s sentiments. “Deaths of despair,” as the eminent economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton call them, swept the working class. Levels of stress soared off the charts, and became distress. Over half of young people say they feel overwhelmed and numb. Happiness, it often seems, is a luxury reserved only for the rich.
In that context, a joyless society, where happiness itself is kept artificially scarce, perhaps you can begin to see why her proposition of joy is so devastatingly powerful.
So now that I’ve given you some context, let’s really dig in, because this goes way, way deeper than you might yet imagine.
And well, the truth is that I would have loved to continue with this bricklayer's work and continue cutting and pasting walls of words here in this post on my blog. But I believe the idea of where this post is going has already been made pretty clear.
Now I only hope and aspire that I have presented you with a sufficiently attractive, enticing and voluptuous prelude as that you now start looking for where you need to «click» on this post and have a feast of joy & hopes like you have not enjoyed for a long time. I dearly believe you really deserve it. Actually, I believe everyone in the world really deserves it.
At least, all those who truly enjoy reading great content no matter where it comes from.