Joy
Joy is the feeling of doing what is right and just; what you, yourself, feel is right for the moment. One improves slowly yet one is rewarded for each positive step.
Improvement is a process as well as a goal. When one refers to improving they are referring to a process i.e. the activity of improving themselves.
When one says that they wish to improve then they refer to the goal of improving. They can look back at their actions and say that they have improved. So, in this case, they have reached a goal.
Eventually, one begins to build good and strong habits that enhance their growth and improvement. They develop the process of improvement so it becomes second nature to their actions. What may seem a struggle at first, becomes an chance or opportunity to strengthen themselves. It becomes deeply satisfying. Knowing that you are going in the right direction and strengthening your habits gives one a sense of contentment and accomplishment.
Just as a runner becomes stronger and looks forward to their daily run, so too, the person improving their inner qualities and strength has a feeling of strength and contentment. We don't really speak of this in terms of Happines; rather, we use the terms such as satisfaction, deep satisfaction, or contentment; knowing that we are doing right and improving each day.
Going a step further, we see that the runner talks about a runner's high. This state is euphoric in nature and hard to define. It becomes a sensual lift in spirits and often feels like they are running on the clouds. Anyway, let us say that it is a feeling somewhat like joy, or a joyous state.
This best describes the joyous state of a person in the process of internal improvement. Ultimately, after forming and applying and mastering the good habits of improvement, one begins to feel the true sense of joy while improving themselves. This improvement is one that is in a positive direction guided by reason.
It, also, includes an intuitive sense of what is right, since they have strengthened their good habits i.e. it becomes second nature to them. It is in this state that we might say that Joy is ultimately felt.
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