Why Let the World’s Ills Steal Our Joy?

[graphicnovelist (deleted)]

I’m not saying to ignore the fact that the state of our planet is in a pickle both environmentally & economically. The last five years I've been grieving friends and relatives, most have died at too early an age. Now that I’m middle aged, life has become even more precious than ever before and I find myself saying no to many invitations that involve activities that I don’t fancy much and instead exploring what I have a passionate calling for albeit it means many times pursuing this alone. I also lament daily about the dire state we humans are in economically and environmentally, so I’m all for being realistic and I’m not promoting Pollyanna behavior-burying our heads in the sand and pretending everything will just be rosy if we keep thinking positive thoughts. I try to keep the time I spend in my sorrow and rage about the state of our global situation to a daily minimum, not that I sit at home with a stop watch or anything. Psychology has also helped me put yet another perspective on everything. As the years have unfolded I have learned to have more joy which has been a result in part of letting myself cry and get angry over my tumultuous childhood as random situations have come up in my adult life that have triggered or reminded me of those very difficult times (I do have joyful childhood memories as well). I discovered that as an adult I was sometimes putting my happiness on hold because I kept waiting for everybody I thought was causing the world’s problems to wake up & get it. I know now we are not going to heal fast enough as a people to save our planet in time, so in a sense we’re never going to get it. Another realization added further clarity; I was putting my joy on hold until the world changed so I could be happy just like I used to wait for my parents and family to stop their neurotic behavior but that didn't happen. The best expression I’ve come across to sum it all up arrived via a friend of mine. He was in a tizzy because someone had insulted him without reason on a public bus; an elderly woman called out to him, “Cheer up boy, don’t let nobody mess with your joy!”