If You Find Joy In Death and Suffering, You're Doing It Wrong
Or Even Happiness, For That Matter
Last month, I was invited to a Catholic radio station where I used to work and still love/financially support to discuss the differences between joy and happiness.
What are the differences? Aren't the concepts of happiness and joy the same/interchangeable? Not so much.
Happiness is an emotion that is often associated with fulfilling immediate desires, enjoying comforts, or achieving goals. God likes it when we are happy. Happiness is good.
Joy, on the other hand, is not dependent on external circumstances. It is rooted in the assurance of God's love and grace and the hope of eternal life.
In his Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), Pope Francis emphasizes joy as a hallmark of the Christian life by urging Catholics to find joy in spreading the Gospel and serving others.
As a Cradle Catholic, you can safely assume where my beliefs lie. However, if you are reading this and do not share the same beliefs as I do, I would still suggest there is a difference between joy and happiness: Joy is something that can somehow endure and persist even in trials, whereas happiness is only temporary and dependent on circumstances.
At the same time that I was being interviewed on Catholic radio, the news sweeping the U.S. was the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and the manhunt for his killer. (Since then, we have learned the killer's identity, as he is now some sort of weird folk hero due to his looks and actions.)
The reactions from the public were mixed: Some praised the execution of the husband, father, and CEO, while others condoned the actions of the lone gunman.
The reaction that most caught my attention, however, was that of technology reporter and Extremely Online author Taylor Lorenz, who joined a panel on Piers Morgan Uncensored to share her take on the news.
"I felt, along with so many other Americans, joy, unfortunately.” Lorenz, seemingly giddy, shared with the panel.
“Joy? Serious?" shot back Morgan. "Joy at a man’s execution?”
Lorenz went on to double-down on her take, citing the "tens of thousands of Americans, innocent Americans, who died because greedy health insurance executives like this one push a policy of denying care to the most vulnerable people."
I agree with Taylor: We should grieve these preventable deaths.
However, should we ever feel joy over someone's murder, whether it's a CEO, an abortionist, or a politician (a la the attempted murders of President Trump or U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, the executions of the Kennedy brothers, etc.)?
Should we even feel happiness (or, as Taylor put it, a lack of empathy) over a violent death?
As of this publication, the Piers Morgan interview and Taylor Lorenz's take are all old news, so why do I bring it up over a month later?
Aside from the fact that it's been in the back of my mind, another recent event has brought out the same lack of empathy as Taylor Lorenz: The California wildfires.
As a current events junkie, I am constantly consuming the news, whether it's on TV, via a podcast, or online. With the wildfires in full effect, my thoughts are constantly consumed by the utter destruction and devastation. I continuously refresh news sites and social media for the latest information.
With news sites and social media comes commentary, most of which is overwhelmingly supportive of those who have lost their homes or - even worse - a loved one. Nonetheless, hiding within those thoughts, prayers, and kind sentiments, I have also found some very vile sentiments about the destruction.
#eattherich
Why should I care that rich people lost their homes?
That's what they get for living in California.
Lol.
Whether it's the right-leaning Fox News or the left-leaning Huffington Post, you will find one-off comments like these on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
While I have yet to see anyone use "joy" to describe their feelings about these devastating wildfires, the blatant lack of empathy in some of these comments is alarming.
Would these keyboard warriors say this to one of the California wildfire victims' faces? I doubt it.
That's not my point.
If you feel indifferent when you read that Paris Hilton (or another celebrity you may not care for) lost her home, you may need to do some soul-searching.
When you learn that someone whose politics you may disagree with is suffering and your first thought is, "Serves you right," you should look in the mirror and—as cliche as it may sound—try to imagine yourself in that person's shoes.
(This street runs both ways, folks - I don't care which side of the aisle you're on. We, as Americans, have seemed to have lost our humanity over the last several years.)
If you find joy, happiness, or, at the very least, indifference over the death and suffering of others, you're doing it wrong.