Everyday Canvas

Muditā: The Delight Found in Others' Happiness

Prompt: Sanskrit word Muditā means the pleasure that comes from finding delight in other people's well-being. In what ways, do you think, muditā could help a person’s enjoyment of life?

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We can either tear down another person’s success or be inspired by their example. So, why not take the higher road?

Our joy in another person’s well-being makes for a positive relationship and turns us into better and nicer people. When we find delight in other people’s well-being and successes, we also find some confidence inside us that things are peaceful, positive, and to our advantage; plus, the people we rejoice with realize that we are not competing with them or are envious of them.

Celebrating another’s successes promotes better understanding, validation, and caring for them. In addition, how we celebrate each other shows the strength of our relationships. These celebrations, however, should not be confined only to empty words and polite smiles, but they should express active and true enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, in most relationships, romantic or otherwise, positivity for the successes of the other is usually overlooked or even minimized if not slapped with a derogatory response. This is really a shame because most relationships can break up for this lack of appreciation.

When our celebration of the well-being of others is applied to everyone we come in contact with rather than the selective few, we sow the seeds of worldwide peace abundant in intimacy, trust, appreciation and commitment. In short, when we celebrate each other’s successes we, too, prosper because of the bonds we create with other human beings.