Joy Lessons

Joy has been on my heart lately. I've even had a dream about it. There are some questions about joy that I think are worth pursuing. I have the sense that there is something weighty and substantial about joy, despite the somewhat lightweight stereotype it has.

• What is joy?
• From where does it come?
• How is it created? Sustained?
• How is it different from happiness? Euphoria? Humor? Optimism?
• How can joy be subversive?
• Is joy inherently a spiritual thing?
• Who are some people who might serve as legitimate models of joy?
• What is the oppopsite of joy?
• Are there different kinds of joy? Different occasions for joy?
• Is joy a discipline, practice, orf result of effort?
• Can joy be taught? Learned? Increased? Decreased?
• Can joy be stolen? Released? Resisted? Imposed?
• What is the psychology of joy?
• Are the social systems of joy? That are more likely to produce joy? Withhold joy?
• Do males and females experience joy differently?
• Do people from different cultures, ethnicities, races, social classes, religions experience joy differently?

There must be more questions than these, but these are a good start. I would love to hear comments on these questions, additions to the questions, efforts to answer these questions. What do you know about joy?