The last of Pete Buttigeig’s Rules of the Road is Joy. At first, that might seem an odd choice after qualities like respect, truth, and discipline. Those are habits that we develop to make us more efficient and trusted. And joy is often dismissed as just a feeling, an emotion that is a luxury, not an essential.
But in our busy lives, we need some levity, some release of tension. Joy gives us that. As we heard growing up “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Whether we are young or older we all need breaks. Kids need recess and fun; grownups need humor, laughter, and joy.
So what is joy? And how is it different from happiness? Happiness comes from things that happen to us, things that give us a sense of pleasure. It tends to be short-lived, getting waylaid by the next bad happening.
Joy is a choice. We choose how we look at life, how we view the events that happen to us. It is controlling how we approach all those things we cannot control.
An optimist will see the proverbial glass as half full, while the pessimist will see the same glass as half empty. But there is a third view—to see that there is a glass to drink and that we can refill it. Joy is like that. It gives us another perspective through which to view life.
Joy is a choice. We choose how we look at life, how we view the events that happen to us. It is controlling how we approach all those things we cannot control.
An optimist will see the proverbial glass half full, while the pessimist will see the same glass as half empty. But there is a third view—to see that there is a glass to drink and that we can refill it. Joy is like that. It gives us another perspective through which to view life.
Joy may seem inconsequential compared to the other rules of the road, but in the daily grind, joy is like the leaven in baking that causes the loaves to rise. Joy and passion for life keep us young, and young at heart.
Photo by Dmitry Lobanov
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