Seeking Joy

  This morning I couldn't help but ponder the way in which we live our lives. I was picking over old memories to understand where a big change had happened in my life. This was the change from a joy-seeking mindset to a pain-avoidance way of living. I think this happened when I was around 7 years old.
    It seems to stand to reason that we should want to live in a way that maximizes our joy, but how many of us do that?
   A few days ago I became involved in a topic of conversation regarding the cell structure of the human body and how each individual cell appears to have a basic form of consciousness. If a cell in our body encounters a foreign or possibly harmful cell then it alerts the rest of the organism to its presence thereby causing white blood cells to be released to combat the invader. The crux of the conversation revolved around how the cell "knew" what a foreign body was given the size and scope of the entire body organism and  what it needed to do in that situation. It stands to reason that the cell has a rudimentary form of consciousness, at least the ability to be able to perceive what is beneficial and what is harmful.
   Thinking back to how we are as children, we are preset to be in this joy seeking mode. Every sensation is a wonderful experience. We taste, we touch, we smell and interact with every object our budding senses can manage. Looking on a newborn or young baby we can see how joyful they are to be experiencing the world this way.
   Occasionally as the child begins to grow they start to encounter situations that are unpleasant or harmful. This creates a shying away in the organism of the body as it seeks to avoid destruction or damage.So it appears there are two drives at work. That of seeking pleasurable sensation and that of avoiding harm.
   I recall when I first encountered homework as a child. For me it was a pleasurable sensation, I got to learn and in exchange I met with praise and encouragement. What more could one want? I used to ask for extra homework and enjoyed completing tasks and being rewarded.
   It was not long before I encountered the pain of not being able to complete it on time and the punishment that came along with this outcome. At this point I feel we are at a crossroads. If our environment allows the rewarding scenario more then the punishment outcome then we are likely to stay within a pleasure seeking and fulfilling mindset. We can be "good" students through either path. Either through the avoidance of punishment or the seeking of encouragement.
   Taking the school analogy further, once this mindset has been established then most of our teachers simply discover which motivational method works best for us and employ it. Half the class is propelled into learning for the joy of learning and the enjoyment of the encouragement they are given and the other half are motivated by the desire to avoid the punishments when they don't meet the standards.
   Given the continuing likelihoods of meeting more ways of suffering harm as adults we tend to all end up at least in some areas of our life seeking the ways to minimise pain. This results in us trying to be as successful as possible within this mindset, the pinnacle of which is the complete avoidance of pain within ones life. We can be 100% successful and this doesn't result in any joy, but simply the avoidance of any negative encounters or harmful situations.
     Going back to the cell, it is possible for the cell to function effectively whichever perspective it may have. If the cell has a joyful perspective it finds pleasure in discovering a foreign body and the resulting completion of a task. The pain avoiding cell tries to minimise the greater pain in the organism and also completes the task.
    When the joyful cell completes its task it is suffused with pleasurable sensations. The pleasurable cell can be 100% successful AND this outcome leads to a joy filled life.
     It stands to reason then that having a joyful mindset is a far more efficient and enjoyable way of living. But how do we get back to this primal joy seeking perspective?
    The answer is to change the way we look at the the world and surrounding environment. Stop considering the ways in which we will suffer or be punished if we fail and start thinking of the joy of succeeding. A 5% success in finding joy is far greater than a 5% avoidance of pain.
   For me, I remember back to that time in my life when I actively sought out ways to maximise my enjoyment and feel that way again. Look at the positive outcome and shoot for that!