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Delight and Joy Are Survival Mechanisms and Acts of Resistance | Ross Gay

Sep 18, 2023

Ross Gay, acclaimed poet and essayist known for his bestselling work "The Book of Delights," dives into the transformative power of delight and joy as acts of resistance. He shares insights on how recognizing delight can counteract negativity bias and the ethical implications of joy. Through personal anecdotes, he discusses the connection between grief and joy, emphasizing that these emotions can be survival mechanisms. With a focus on meaningful human connections, Gay advocates for cultivating moments of joy in everyday life.

54:56

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Ross Gay

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Quick takeaways

Delight and joy can serve as survival mechanisms and acts of resistance against negativity bias and can have an ethical component.

Noting and sharing what delights us can combat loneliness and cultivate connections, showcasing how joy can emerge from sorrow.

Deep dives

Delight and joy portrayed as concrete and essential for survival

In this podcast episode, the guest discusses how delight and joy are often considered cliched or meaningless, but he presents them in a new light as concrete, necessary for survival, and acts of resistance. He shares his experience writing books like 'The Book of Delight' and 'The Book of More Delights' and emphasizes the importance of practicing and attending to what we love. He explores the connection between delight and joy and highlights the ethical component of delight. The episode also touches on the benefits of writing by hand, the potential blockers of delight, such as smartphones, and the difference between delight and joy. The guest suggests that noting and sharing what delights us can be an antidote to loneliness and showcases how joy can emerge from sorrow. He ultimately encourages curiosity, wonder, and appreciation for our connections to others.

American Buddhist nun discusses the national tenderness after 9-11

01:34

The Joy of Not Knowing and Aesthetic Experiences

02:18

The significance of connection and its refutation to the illusion of alienation

01:23

Intro

4min

Exploring the Essence of Delight and Its Impact

2min

Celebrating Delight: A Poet's Journey

14min

Finding Beauty in the Everyday

6min

Exploring Delight and Joy as Resistance and Survival Mechanisms

4min

Curating Connections: The Power of Joy and Delight

10min

The Resilience of Joy: Connections Through Refusal

4min

Embracing Connection in Modern Society

15min

Wrapping Up with Gratitude

5min

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How rethinking these often twee concepts can change your life and maybe the world.

Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. In addition to his poetry, Ross has released three collections of essays—The Book of Delights was released in 2019 and was a New York Times bestseller; Inciting Joy was released in 2022, and his newest collection, The Book of (More) Delights was released in September of 2023.

In this episode we talk about:

What got Ross interested in the subject of delight
How noting delight can be a tool for counter programming against our negativity bias
Why Ross argues that there is an ethical component to delight
The benefits of writing by hand
How both using a smartphone and rushing can be delight blockers
The difference between delight and joy
What he means when he refers to the “offenses of joy”
And the connection between grief and joy

Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/ross-gay

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