Joy - Periclean Scholars & Fruits of the Spirit Series

The sixth post in the fruits of the spirit series is on joy. The joy that is listed as a fruit of the spirit is not the one that first comes to mind for most. It is the inward joy that for Christians comes with the knowledge and trust of God getting us through and being there for us all our lives and after life. For all, it means a reliance on the inner soul, the supernatural, as independent from outer circumstance. This is opposed to outward joy, or temporary happiness, such as when a person gets a raise or buys a boat. This kind of joy is material and fleeting, and not a direct result of character and virtue.

The challenge for me is to show how building houses with Habitat has enabled true joy to grow within me, and within my fellow global citizens. Wouldn’t the construction of houses be fostering outward joy?

In contrast to my normal stance on things, I am going to start out as a hard and fast realist. In order to obtain the fruit of inner joy, certain lower needs on the hierarchy need to be met. For those who are not familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, here is the diagram:

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

According to Maslow’s theory, we must attain our basic needs before we can graduate to pursue the other needs. In this case, a need such as housing, which falls under the second-lowest level of the pyramid, must be attained (to a level deemed satisfactory) before a human being can move on to self-actualization - which, in my opinion, includes all or most of the fruits of the spirit. Attaining these outward needs - not for the purpose of “joy”, so much as for survival - is the foundation that is necessary to allow us to turn inward toward spirituality, goodwill, and giving. I believe that giving is a sign of self-actualization, but if we are perennial recipients of aid, we are rarely in a position to give back fully. As global citizens in a position of relative power, the Pericleans help our fellow human beings to get in a position to give back. By doing so, we work to eliminate the pressing need for outward joy over inward joy. The distractions are gone, and we can put more faith and trust in what is true.

A caveat to my above statements: I am not saying that the lower needs are the same as the decadence associated with outward joy. They may be similar in purpose, but the intent is what matters. For instance, if you buy a multimillion dollar home, you are evoking your outward joy with perhaps no intention to focus on the inner joy. However, if you are not in shelter but buy your first home, you are meeting a basic need that will enable you to focus on the inner joy.

Now, I am going to take the opposite stance and pretend that Maslow’s hierarchy is completely untrue and biased because it only addresses Western culture and values. If this perspective is true, then all of Zambia has taught me that inner joy is independent of how much you have or what you have. Zambians are the happiest, friendliest, most joy-filled people ever - and their joy does not come from possessions. It comes from celebrating life and from trusting in God. Building houses in Kawama and interacting with Zambians helped to grow the fruit of joy within me by showing me where it truly comes from.

The faces of joy - which come from love, hope, and a strong community

Only an experience in a developing nation and community, such as the ones that the Periclean program supports, could have helped an American such as myself to see that a viewpoint contradictory to Maslow could be viable on this earth. Sure, there is deep poverty in pockets of the United States, but for an entire country to be full of joy and hope in spite of hardship is beyond anything I have ever seen. It is an inspiration and a challenge to me, to let my joy come from within and to not be dependent on outer circumstance.

Regardless of your conclusion and perspective on how to attain true joy, spending time in Zambia through the Periclean Scholars program has taught me the essence of joy, a fruit I hope to cultivate well inside of me for a lifetime.