“Profound joy has more seriousness than gaiety about it; extreme and full contentment, more soberness than sprightliness.” Then perhaps we are entering an age of profound joy, at least for those who are aware of it and who have empathy for the suffering. We had our opportunity to turn back and see this all as a mild fever we overcame. We embraced the fever and let it grow.
The most challenging part of these times will be watching evil thrive. The worst among us will be the most richly rewarded, as if being rewarded purely with money wasn’t enough. Given this, it seems perverse to cling to the pleasures of old, ones that celebrated a culture that made them possible.
The pleasures now rest in those profound joys, ones that seem more serious than in the past. The sweet will be in shorter supply than the bitter for a time. Perhaps for the rest of our lives.