Joy ennobles.

The capacity for joy is one of our most ennobling features. Joy makes us rise above ourselves. And whatever the source of this joy, we all share the feeling.

This lesson was taught to me by Amélie Nothomb in whose novel Métaphysique des Tubes, an infant is made aware of the gloriousness of its existence by enjoying a piece of chocolate.

I get frustrated sometimes when people around me don’t seem to see how wonderful some of the art is that brings me to tears. When I see people visiting a cathedral through the lens of their video camera, when they flock around the famous sculpture while ignoring the better one, when they dismiss a majestic opera as squealing fat women, when they mock the elegance of a ballet performance or when they reject a novel because it’s deemed too difficult, too weird.

But when I see how deeply they can be moved by a blockbuster movie, how a television commercial can bring tears to their eyes, how a pop hit inspires them to write poetry, I understand that they too know what it means to be alive on this planet. And this brings immense peace to my heart.