International Day of Joy was defined in 2010 by Alfonso Becerra, to celebrate life. Lately I have been watching videos of the Dalai Lama speaking, something I didn't have time for in my previous busy schedule. I find him profound, insightful, inspiring, and above all hilarious. I wanted to share some of his words, as I am on a path to finding more joy in my daily life.
Finding joy is an ongoing process, with long-lasting joy being the goal. The Dalai Lama talks often about the difference between long term benefits vs short term benefits. I am drawn to this way of problem solving, reasoning decisions based on the long term benefit is a small step to make towards finding more joy.
Another topic that has inspired me is the idea that Patience is the opposite of Anger. Such a simple thought and deeply profound. A tool to find clarity when presented with an angry mind; Patience.
Finally I have been inspired by his thoughts about the current state of affairs in the world today. He believes we find ourselves in turmoil because of the lack of attention paid to curating our inner world. All of our education is surrounding the outer world, we are not taught how to navigate our inner thoughts and emotions. On a worldwide level this has become devastating to our society. He says, "in the western world there is only the blessing from God, but no training of the mind". His recommendation to moving towards a more peaceful world is Education. Teaching the hygiene of emotions. Imagine if emotional well-being was taught in K-6 grade worldwide. Would it make a difference?
