Reminder:
If you get exhausted and burn out and give up, you lose. If you stay in, you win. Just by existing, you win!
So taking little breaks for joy is fine! Good actually!
Helping other people find joy, gives you joy too! Joy is not conserved! The laws of thermodynamics have nothing to say about joy!
@mekkaokereke English pulled in "schadenfreude" as soon as that option was on the table, but left "mudita"? - literally "vicarious happiness", taking happiness from the happiness of others - just sitting there barely used? Come on, anglos, there's a word for this! You can use it, that's allowed!
@mhoye @mekkaokereke Oh, I had never heard that word! It's beautiful!
@mhoye @mekkaokereke that's a nice one! A similar emotion that I'd learned about, especially as it relates to joy in parents from their children's success or happiness, is "naches":
https://www.learnreligions.com/the-yiddish-word-dictionary-2076346
I have to admit that it doesn’t have the same sonorous appeal.
It is a term, however, that is sorely needed
Mudita: Muditā is a dharmic concept of joy, particularly an especially sympathetic or vicarious joy—the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people's well-being.
I most definitely plan to use this new-to-me term.
Furthering the OPs point: the enemies of mudita and joy are jealousy, envy, and greed - the core values of exploitative capitalism. Joy, especially mudita, is a radical and counter-cultural practice.
@DavidM_yeg @mhoye @mekkaokereke great! A word for the opposite of Schadenfreude: Mudita. Taking pleasure in someone else's pleasure!
Thanks!!
@DavidM_yeg @mhoye @mekkaokereke @EvelineSulman
To tag on, compersion is a related concept, but with a narrower meaning:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/compersion
[Edit/add:] As they often say, "it's complicated."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evpSy4YTp4c
Rachel Lark needs to go viral.
@KrajciTom @DavidM_yeg @mhoye @mekkaokereke @EvelineSulman As person from the old school polyamory scene, I'm also in favor of expanding the meaning of compersion. It's easy enough to figure out based on context and I think it would serve all good purposes to do so. More words are better than one!
I used compersion about my feelings towards my cat the other day, when she seemed particularly happy.
@DavidM_yeg @mhoye @mekkaokereke so many youtube reaction videos are popular just because of this
@DavidM_yeg @mhoye @mekkaokereke
Mudita. It's a good word.
@mhoye oh these Canadians and their overly sunny ways ...
@scruss Sorry.
@mhoye
As a (probably) cis man, this is me when I see people posting about the joy of being trans
it's just this beautifully simple "other people being simply happy makes me happy"
@mekkaokereke
@mhoye @mekkaokereke Have you met any English people? Why on Earth would we want a word for that? :-)
We are happy sometimes but we don't want to make any fuss, so we do our very best to hide it.
@mhoye @mekkaokereke I like this. Thanks for bringing it too us.
@mhoye @mekkaokereke
There is already an English word for that - "confelicity"
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/confelicity
: I'm sorry, the English Loanword Adoption Committee has rejected your suggestion. Reason: too much melanin in the people who use that word.
@dave @mekkaokereke Fair's fair, give all your music back.