Re: Joy, laughter, & inspiration?

I applaud you for avoiding the damaging effects of television. As for finding joy, I find that it's important to learn which activities and which people in your life give you energy rather than take it away. If the people you spend time with make you feel great when you part, then those are the people to make time for. If you have a creative hobby that you gravitate toward without being asked, like playing an instrument or drawing, then take the time to dive deeply into it.

It's important to realize that joy is not happiness. Joy is a steady, inner contentment that wells up from a deep feeling of peace and well-being, despite circumstance. Happiness is fleeting and relies on external circumstance to induce it. Personally, I feel strongly that true joy starts with being at peace with God, then from finding purpose for your life, and finally from finding simple contentment by observing and dwelling on good and right things. Despite how the world is transitioning, there is still much goodness and rightness to be found.