Happiness or Joy?

[Parthian King]

I though this article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15143377/site/newsweek/) quite thought-provoking, though its ideas are not new to me.

Any thoughts about the difference between happiness and true joy, and in particular about the suffering of the godly?

[Miss Freckles]

my definition:

happiness = can be achieved by many things. different things make different people happy, and happiness is temporary

joy = doesn't always have to be obvious, is like a lifestyle, when you have something that you know makes you "happy", or better "content" for a long time (i as a christian tend to say that i have joy because jesus rules my life and that chocolate makes me happy)
i believe not everything can produce this "joy", for example alcohol makes addicts happy as long as they are drunk, but they are not content for a long time and it doesn't give them a deep joy.

[Gryphon]

Joy, just like the rest of the fruits of the spirit, are grown and learned over time. Happiness is something that comes and goes naturally.

[Neevil]

I'm reading a book that talks about this. It's very interesting. It said that about a century or so ago, the definition of "happiness" changed. From the time of Aristotle, through all the church fathers, reformers, and until a little after the time of people like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, there was one thought about what happiness is. Happiness, back then, was leading a virtuous life. To summerize something William Blackstone said, because the laws of justice are woven through each individual, we cannot obtain happiness without following it. But with in the last century, "happiness" has changed. Now it is defined as a pleasurable feeling. Feelings, of course, do not last. So people end up spending their lives chasing after a "pleasurable feeling." What does that lead to? Becoming an extremely selfish person, who only desires to make themselves pleasured. There are significant differences between traditional and modern happiness. Modern Happiness is a more intense feeling, while traditonal happiness has a more settled tone. Modern happiness, however, if a feeling, so it does not last. Traditonal happiness is enduring and stable. There are some more differences, too, but I don't feel like listing them all. You get the basic idea. It's a really cool book, and I'm really enjoying reading it. It's called "The Lost Virtue of Happiness: Discovering the Disciplines of the Good Life". It's really about spiritual disciplines, but the first two chapters talked about happiness.

After I wrote this I went back and actually read the article... and I basically just wrote the same thing it said, so this post is a little pointless...sorry :o

[Aravis Kenobi]

I can't read the article right now, but it'd be hard for me to choose which I would want more. Maybe joy.

[LifeMaiden]

To me, joy is different from happiness. There is almost something bittersweet about joy, because it is a fleeting moment in life...and you might want to revisit it over and over again. Surprised by Joy is one of my favorite CS Lewis non Narnia books, because in it, he describes moments in his life when he was overcome by this moment, joy.

I think of joy as the spike in a heartbeat on a cardiograph machine, but much farther apart from each other.

[Elf Of The Grey Havens]

To me, they're different. I think happiness is more like...contentment, whereas joy is like... a sudden strong feeling of well-being.

[onlymystory]

I always had two things that have summed up the meaning of joy to me. One is a quote by Saint Adela Rogers John. "Joy seems to me a step beyond happiness -- happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes, when you're lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love."
and the other a few song lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman.
"What kind of joy is this
That counts it a blessing to suffer
What kind of joy is this
That gives the prisoner his song
What kind of joy could stare death in the face
And see it as sweet victory
This is the joy of a soul that's forgiven and free"

[Narborg]

Intersting article. Yes, I agree. Today too many pepole want to be happy. But haapyness is not the same a joy.

[The First Joke]

i think they're kinda the same.