“What is true joy?” That’s the question I’ve been asking myself for the majority of my life. So far, what I know is that it doesn’t come from any person, place, or thing here on Earth. I say that because of all of what I’ve been able to experience up to this point.
I’ve had some pretty amazing partners and friends over the years who I’ve loved dearly. I’ve travelled to some of the most exotic places on Earth. I’ve had plenty of cool toys, gadgets, cars, homes, and the like. I’ve dined at some of the finest places around the planet. And I’ve seen some of the most beautiful and unique landmarks. But none of those things ever brought me true joy. Sure, there were many moments of happiness with each of them. Yet it was always fleeting and eventually I only found myself searching for some other person, place, or thing to replace the ones that were waning.
Joy is defined as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness and while many of those people, places, and things brought me this at times, it never lasted. Yet, a fragment of my memory still remains intact from a time in my life when I caught a mere glimpse of when I think I did experience true everlasting joy. It came after I had spent 10 days meditating in silence on a retreat, where I had put the rest of the world away and sat with myself. As then, when I emerged from that place of stillness, I discovered there was something different about me…something different within me.
I awoke each day after that retreat feeling an exuberance bubbling over from within me that no person, place, or thing was ever able to do. It was a feeling like everything was as it was meant to be. I felt so connected to life, to nature, to everyone around me and I was able to smile at even the slightest of things. Frankly, it was better than anything I had ever had in my entire life and it lasted for several months. Unfortunately, I fell back into the illusion shortly thereafter that people, places, and things were the source of that. And the longer I lived with that notion, the more I fell away from experiencing what I believe true joy really is.
The truth is, when one searches over and over and over again for joy outside of themselves, they may find it for a period of time, but it will dissipate at some point or another. That just seems to be the nature of life here on Earth. But thankfully, I’m finally beginning to accept the reality that it can only come from within. Getting there hasn’t been easy though. It’s meant having to part ways from all the illusions my mind told me over the years where it felt that true joy came from. I have watched so many of the people, places, and things I found any bit of joy in fall away over the last few years of my life. But I’m glad I’ve had to go through all this because with each that has fallen away, I continue to see more and more of the greater truth to where true joy comes from.
I honestly believe that God lives within each and every one of us. Call it the Holy Spirit, Energy, a Life Force, or whatever, I don’t think it matters. What does matter is removing all the things that are around it, that our egos have placed in front of it, thinking they were the source of true joy. Because they weren’t and never could be. That’s the illusion our minds allow ourselves to believe oh so often. But ultimately, below all those illusions is some sort of Light that has always been within us, that can never be depleted, and never taken away. And when IT is guiding our lives, I believe that’s when true joy is fully materialized.
And that’s the only joy I want.
So what is true joy then?
Go within, as only then do I think you’ll find the answer…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson