Joy

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I browsed in vain three philosophical  internet encyclopedias (The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Historisches Wörterbuch der Philosophie and L'Encyclopédie philosophique) to find an entry on joy (Freude, joie). Joy is apparently not a major philosophical concern, but something subordinate to bigger questions.  There seems to be two philosophical approaches to joy. In the first one, it is associated with general discussion on emotions. In the western tradition, emotions stand for an inchoate or lower form of understanding, or even something opposite to the reason. On the other side, joy is connected to pleasure. Pleasure for its part stands for something sensuous, which again introduces the question whether gratification of senses is tantamount to happiness - and whether happiness is the ultimate goal of human existence.

Religion in general and Christianity in particular provides a deeper understanding of joy. The Christian gospel, euangelion, is "the good news" or "message of joy". "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" (Phil. 4:4) There is no doubt that Christianity proclaims joy. However, Christian theologians are cautious about what is the proper joy. There are inappropriate, carnal, and even devilish joys. The distinction between "real" and "unreal" or "deep" and "shallow" joys belongs to the basics of spirituality. Yet one might ask are there really pointless joys (provided that they are not bad). For the sake of Christ, our suffering is not pointless. How could our joy be that?

Are the "good tidings of  great joy" that the angels proclaimed at Christmas night something altogether other than the human, earthly joys? The question is important, since the lack of joy among Christians may be one of the main reasons why people turn away from Christianity. Religious people seem to be hostile towards the joys of life. There should be no necessary conflict between the joy of God and joy of life. Rejoicing in the Lord may be deeper than ordinary joy, but it is hardly tenable to say that it is of another origin. Such a statement would ultimately jeopardize the belief of God the Creator. 

There is a difference between joy and pleasure. Giving birth serves as a case in point. Birth of a child may be one of the happiest moments in the mother's life, but certainly not the most entertaining. The Christian joy is not opposed to the ordinary joys like encounter with friends, enjoying food and drink, appreciating art and music. Still, it is true that it is something more than that. The peculiarity of the Christian joy is that it does not quit with the absence of these objects of joy. The Biblical word for this kind of joy is blessedness. When Jesus calls the poor, those who mourn, those who hunger and thirst, those who are persecuted, "blessed", he does not mean that they are having fun. But they have a joy that embraces adversities.

"This joy which has in itself the depth of blessedness is asked for and promised in the Bible. It preserves in itself its opposite, sorrow. It provides the foundation for happiness and pleasure. It is present in all levels of man's striving for fulfillment. It consecrates and directs them. It does not diminish or weaken them. It does not take away the risks and dangers of the joy of life. it makes the joy of life possible, in pleasure and pain, in happiness and unhappiness, in ecstasy and sorrow. Where there is joy, there is fulfillment. And where there is fulfillment, there is joy. In fulfillment and joy the inner aim of life, the meaning of creation, and the end of salvation, are attained." (Paul Tillich)



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