What If Someone Else's Joy Could Actually Increase Your Own?
When you hear that someone has won the lottery, what's your first reaction? Excitement for them? A twinge of envy? Or maybe that complex mix of emotions that leaves you wondering what kind of person you really are?
The German word Schadenfreude, describes that uncomfortable pleasure we sometimes feel at another's misfortune. But what if I told you there's an opposite word, one that could transform how you experience life and relationships?
This Sunday, I want to introduce you to compersion, a feeling of genuine delight in another person's joy and success. It's a word that emerged in the 1990s because English didn't have a term for this profound human capacity. And once you understand it, everything changes.
Beyond Envy: A Different Way of Being
We live in a culture that trains us to compare, to measure our worth against others. Social media amplifies this, showing us everyone else's highlight reels while we're living our behind-the-scenes struggles. It's no wonder envy creeps in so quietly.
But what if there was another way? What if someone else's happiness wasn't a reminder of what you lack, but an invitation to recognize the abundance that surrounds us all?
I'll share the story of Clara Brown, born into slavery in 1800, who lost everything that mattered: her husband, her children, her freedom. Yet when she gained her freedom at 56 and headed west during the Colorado Gold Rush, she made a choice. Instead of letting bitterness consume her, she decided to make the whole community her family. She used her earnings to help others, celebrated their weddings as if they were her own children's, and became known as the "Angel of the Rockies."
Clara proved something profound: when we rejoice in another's joy, we don't diminish our own. We multiply it.
The Spiritual Practice That Changes Everything
In our Science of Mind tradition, we have a principle: "See the good and praise it." But compersion takes this even deeper. Rather than simply acknowledging good, it invites us to let someone else's joy awaken the same pleasure within us.
Compersion honors difficult feelings while opening us to a deeper awareness: the happiness you see around you isn't separate from you. It's part of the same Life that moves through us all.
When we celebrate each other's good, we step more fully into our own.
This Sunday, I'll share six practical steps for cultivating spiritual compersion in your daily life. You'll discover how to:
- Transform envy into inspiration
- Create a "mental equivalent" for the joy you want to experience
- Practice the art of making beautiful music with what remains
- Connect with your deepest spiritual identity beyond what you have or lack
Whether you're struggling with comparison, dealing with feelings of inadequacy, or want to live with more joy and freedom, this message offers a pathway to your joy.
The happiness you see in others isn't a threat. It's an invitation. Their success doesn't diminish your possibilities. It expands them.
Come discover the power of compersion, and learn how someone else's joy can become a doorway to your own.
Join us this Sunday at the Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa
In person or online via our YouTube channel
Services at 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM
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