The Guilt of Feeling Joy

Being in a complete state of sadness for perpetuity because there is unhappiness in the world or because you are supposed to be grieving makes for a hopeless existence. And hopeless is not a state that helps you build anything. The act of resistance, true resistance comes from joy. Joy is necessary to keep movements going, the celebration of even the smallest of victories – you cannot build anything from apathy. Joy, compassion, kindness, love and hope all live in the same bright blue sky that is needed after and before storms. During the brutal, painful Partition of India, my grandfather held onto a book he loved and turned to it for fortitude. My grandmother dreamt of the roses she would grow one day. Joy is an act of revolution, it is what keeps us going in times of deep pain.

Still churning my way through a deep Instapaper backlog and came across this article that was posted shortly after the last presidential election. It feels prescient considering what's going down in my home state right now.

I find a lot of inspiration in the Mr. Rogers’ “look for the helpers” quote. I would add that it’s equally essential to look for the joy.