Joy on Demand: The Art of Discovering the Happiness Within

by Chade-Meng Tan

always be prepared for opportunity in case it arises.

The revered German-born Buddhist scholar-monk Nyanaponika Thera said, for example, that “it is relatively easier for man to feel compassion or [loving-kindness] in situations which demand them, than to cherish a spontaneous feeling of shared joy, outside a narrow circle of one’s family and friends.”2 Why is that so? I’m not sure why, but even among toddlers, compassion seems easier than altruistic joy. For example, when one toddler is crying, another will give her a hug to try to make her feel better. In contrast, when one toddler is given candy, another toddler doesn’t go like, “Yay! You have candy, I’m so happy!” The candy-less toddler is likely to cry out of envy or jealousy.