How a Somber Childhood Can Hinder Adulthood Joy

An insightful video essay by The School of Life explains how a somber childhood without much joy can hinder a person’s expression of happiness as they grow into adulthood

Many of us did not grow up in an atmosphere where  joy was rewarded or deemed possible for long. …we attached ourselves to a philosophy of sadness. We learnt to expect little. …But what if there were, in our adulthood, at  this stage in our lives, no ongoing reasons to keep holding onto sadness? …What if we could dare to become fundamentally different, more open to joy and able to bear hope?

The narrator also offers constructive suggestions for finding and keeping that joy in the simplest of places.

What if we noticed the trees and the interesting faces of strangers? What if we allowed ourselves to connect more deeply with the people we meet? What if we let go of our normal reserve and suspicion and fear? What if we surrendered to loving and to being l