#319 – What blocks you from permanent bottomless joy?

If I said to you, "you have the power to be happy," you might blink, raise your eyebrows, and respond "Er... Have you seen the news?"

Ok, true––the world doesn't seem the "happiest" place these days. But that doesn't mean that you need to give away your happiness.

See, your Ego wants you to compare your level of satisfaction with the world's.

If it considers you're better off than others, it feels safe.

Unless these "others" are innocent people who, the Ego decides, belong in the same category as you ("family members," "industry colleagues," "fellow citizens," "humanity" or "all beings.")

In that case, it'll send the Ghost of Misplaced Guilt to wag its finger and make you see the unfairness. It'll convince you that only three ways to feel are morally justifiable:

• Sad (for them)
• Angry (at the culprit of their disgrace)
• Guilty (if you nevertheless feel joy)

That's how I feel whenever I believe the Ego.

When the thought of my son dressed in orange, "wasting" his 20th year on this planet sitting in a windowless room with no power to choose anything about his days or nights comes to me.

When I remember that someone else has the power to change this situation but they choose not to.

When I nevertheless enjoy a yummy dish, an incensed dawn over the ocean, or an edge-of-the-chair episode of Severance.

But I'm at choice: I can follow the Ego's path. Or I can choose love.

Love my son, his jailers, the person who put him there. Love the police officers who conducted a questionable investigation, and the media, chasing yet another sensationalist story.

Love myself and my pain. Love my sadness, anger, and guilt.

Love my Ego and the Ghosts.

Because in love, I will find happiness.

What/whom will you love to unblock your happiness?

Love,

Carolina