Joie de Vivre: Reclaiming a Positive Vision in Troubled Times
Joie De Vivire, 1946 by Pablo Picasso
Not recognizing the magic of the present moment may just be a crime against our humanity.
In my recent article, From Personal Development to Human Development, I explored the imbalance between our inner growth and society’s relentless focus on external activity. One of the greatest obstacles to genuine human development today is the sheer level of negativity we encounter daily.
As an editor, I regularly receive submissions from Western contributors. Many center on themes like political corruption—even among progressive leaders—technological control, cognitive warfare, genocide, alarming climate forecasts (“only three years left to avoid the worst”), and Europe’s persistent, deadly hypocrisy. The list continues, each entry more urgent than the last.
Collectively, these submissions seem to be constructing a culture of counter-revolution—one defined more by resistance than by creation. But if our goal is true change, we must cultivate a positive vision of the future. We need to recognize the progress that has been made and redirect what has gone astray. When people protest today, do they still believe a new world is possible—or are they simply expressing despair over the current one?
Negativity breeds negativity. Nihilistic thinking attracts negative actions, which provoke negative reactions, and ultimately empower harmful leaders. At its core, our crisis is in our heads: it’s about how we perceive the world, and how we respond to adversity.
Paradoxically, we are living in one of the most extraordinary periods in human history—yet many of us are depressed and paralyzed.
In contrast, I also receive submissions from Asia with headlines like Mobile, UPI, and AI Drive India’s Digital Travel Evolution,Roshan Shrestha: The Voice from the Hills Changing Nepali Digital Journalism, and Bangladesh’s “Mango Diplomacy” to Sweeten Relations with India. These aren’t naive success stories. They are narratives of effort, of transformation, of possibility.
Corruption of the mind is among the most violent assaults on human dignity. Today, there’s a deep disconnect between our thoughts and our lived experience. Many of us receive more than we need—yet still feel as though we have nothing. If we can’t manage our thoughts, our focus, our attention—and our blind spots—then no policy or medical breakthrough can save us.
Where is our reverence for human experience? Did we build thousands of years of civilization just to surrender now to despair? What are our cultures, languages, and songs for, if not to nourish us? Or have they been drowned in the noise of our “successful” lives?
Is joy really so hard to access? Has happiness become a strange, distant memory? When was the last time you were truly happy?
Changing the course of one’s life may begin with something as simple as changing what we choose to pay attention to.
