Joy evolved for the express purpose of helping to steer us toward conditions that would encourage us to flourish. It is our inner guide to the things that animate, stimulate, and sustain us. Put more simply, joy is what makes life worth living. And yet for some reason, we have decided that it is superfluous—the icing on the cake, rather than an integral part of the cake itself. We sort our lives neatly into buckets of needs and wants, and even though joy’s origins lie in highlighting what is essential for our survival, it has come to signify the ultimate luxury, an extra we allow ourselves
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