At the start of this year, I said that one of my biggest goals was to relearn how to enjoy the process and to make working on my goals feel more like play.
Of course, at the time I was thinking of things like editing videos, writing scripts, and producing a podcast. Now I realize the “work” I have cut out for me also includes things like keeping my family safe and healthy during a pandemic, inciting people towards a more inclusive notion of sustainability, or confronting racist ideas in any place where I have some influence.
It’s serious stuff. And yet, the value of enjoying the process and making the pursuit feel like play is still relevant.
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Deep down, I’m a pretty lighthearted person. Sometimes that feels at odds with the seriousness of the stuff that surrounds me. And I wonder what my role is, as somebody who wishes cartoon physics were real and eats more Pop Tarts than anyone my age should.
Then I hear old interviews with Desmond Tutu, and how he couldn’t seem to get through many with his signature chuckle. Giggle, more accurately. I see the clips of John Lewis busting a move on the floor of Congress, or the crowd swaying in the movie theatre during the credits of Black Panther. Progress can feel like a party.
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On a recent episode of Truths Table podcast- I remember a key point being that a function of oppression is that it limits and suppresses our imagination. Deray Mckesson says that imagination allows us to navigate between faith and hope to make things better. Imagination takes play.
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Joy and Justice are more closely related than people usually realize. And I believe the authentic pursuit of one leads you towards the pursuit of the other.
How do you integrate Joy and Justice? It takes a while to learn, but you do yourself a big favor when you surround yourself with people who seem to live at their crossroads. Take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. Stay curious. Relearn how to play.
Joy-Filled Justice
