Luke 2.8-10News of great joy.
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy...
As a psychologist I think a lot about human neuroses. We are all so, so neurotic. Anxious. Stressed. Worried. Obsessive. Addicted. Perfectionistic. Sad. Angry. Depressed. Frustrated. Irritable. Petty. Jealous. Mean. Competitive. Domineering. Spiteful. Impulsive. Compulsive. Negativistic. Cynical. Hateful. Judgmental. Dependent. Co-dependent. Narcissistic. Vain. Self-critical. Shamed. Guilty. Self-loathing. Misanthropic. Fearful. Smug. Snobbish. Insecure.
Neurotic.
I've thought a lot about what makes us so neurotic and what might be done about it. What's the cure?
In writing The Slavery of Death I came upon what I think is the best answer to that question.
What is the cure of neurosis?
Joy.
As I ponder the list above I have a hard time seeing a joyful person wrapped up in any of that stuff. Joy, it seems to me, is the antidote to neurosis.
It's hard to be joyful and neurotic at the same time.
And so here, at the start of the Advent season, I'm struck by the message of the angels.
"I bring you good news of great joy."
Christianity is a religion that was founded upon joy. And over the course of 2,000 years I think we've often forgotten that.
May we, this Advent season, remember and reclaim the joy.
You listed "petty" twice. ;-)
Got it!
No! You should've left it to troll petty perfectionists such as me!
Do you know of Jim Wilder's work? Haven't looked at it much yet, but he makes the claim that joy is THE transformational element in our life. http://www.joystartshere.com/
Neurotic: "When every disruption and set back is a potential land mine". Still, when I reach the clearing on the other side, the joy of being safe is there. I do think that there is much truth in the idea that we inherit much of our neurosis, worry, etc., etc. After all, I did come from a family in which worry was an art form. And I say that with deep love. The patriarch, my grandfather, a minister, was a worrier's worrier. Yet, if he noticed one of his children or grandchildren worried over something, he would set them down at the kitchen table and preach to them the best sermon one could ever hope to hear about the sin of worry. However, if you didn't worry what he worried about, then you didn't care enough. But, we knew this was him, and part of him is in his offspring.
So, I am convinced we get much of it honestly, and conjuring up joy on the spot may be too much to expect for many of us. However, if it is something we know will be there when "this too" passes, then that may be as real and as good as it can get. I hope I didn't come across fatalistic. I have reached my sixty forth year a grateful man. But, to be honest, sometimes it comes out, "I sure will be glad when I'm thankful again".
I haven't, thanks so much.
What is the cure of neurosis?
Joy.
As I ponder the list above I have a hard time seeing a joyful person wrapped up in any of that stuff. Joy, it seems to me, is the antidote to neurosis.
It's hard to be joyful and neurotic at the same time.
I'm wondering if you're equating correlation with causation when you oughtn't. Is it also possible that some degree of loss of neurosis is a necessary precondition to joy, rather than the other way around?
Are you saying it's possible for us to not be neurotic? I guess I'd think someone who's joyful is less neurotic, but not necessarily free from neurosis. Wouldn't Freud disagree that we could rid our self of neurosis? (I'm not entirely sure if he would. I have a kind of elementary understanding of him.)
Couldn't the strive for joy be neurotic in itself?
Just some thoughts. Good post though. I'm working on being more joyful. This is a great reminder.