Joy!

"Joy to the world
All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me."

That earworm of the song, which was popularized in 1970 by the Three Dog Night, has been playing in my head since I sat quietly and asked for guidance on writing this blog post.  Hmmm!  What am I to say?  The song just keeps playing.

I wonder if it relates at all to an article that I read earlier this evening about the level of trust in the United States being at an all-time low.  A major survey, which has been repeated for 40 years, reported that just about a third of people in the country think that they can trust most people.  The article related the diminishing level of trust to less involvement in community organizations and activities, increased isolated television viewing, decline of traditional values, and the 24/7 news cycle.  Not much joy in any of that. 

The last couple of times I've played the Grocery Store Game (12/1/13) I've found that it is harder to connect than it used to be.  Our electronics have significantly changed our lives.  Until 3-4 years ago, I often had a conversation on the train with a random person.  While I have no way of actually knowing whether I can trust the person more after a conversation, somehow that familiarity makes me think I can trust that person. 

However, most days now most people are hunkered over their smartphones, iPads, or laptops with ear buds in place--safely "protected" from either visual or auditory contact.I literally cannot remember when I've said anything to anyone on the train other than, "Excuse me: this is my stop.)    Even walking down the street, people are looking at their devices and shutting out sound. Lest you think I am anti-technology, I fully confess that I have been guilty of the above activity. While our devices give us the illusion of being connected, they actually have the opposite effect. We have become a siloed world instead of a connected one, when connection is what it takes to build trust, and it certainly encourages joy.

As the song suggests, joy comes from connecting with people and nature around us.  For those who have taken the Grocery Store Game challenge, this is the important work we are taking on: bringing the intention of connection to our encounters, building trust and creating joy.  This is good work we are doing. Ah! Joy to the world!