Initial thoughts

Ode to Joy
http://www.minnesotaorchestra.org/audio/BEETHOVEN%20Symphony%20No%209%20Ode%20to%20Joy.mp3
http://www.wwnorton.com/classical/covers/46533.htm
Jesu Joy of Man's Desire
http://music.barnesandnoble.com/search/mediaplayer.asp?ean=724356701427&disc=1&track=2http://www.harphawaii.com/audio/Pumehana%20Davis%20-%20Jesu%20Joy%20of%20Mans%20Desire.mp3
http://www.harphawaii.com/audio/Pumehana%20Davis%20-%20Jesu%20Joy%20of%20Mans%20Desire.mp3

A Google Image search for Joy resulted in 916,000 images.

The Wikipedia definition: an emotion of great happiness. Can also be a proper name for people, places, literature, and music.

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines joy as 1 a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : DELIGHT b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion : GAIETY
2 : a state of happiness or felicity : BLISS
3 : a source or cause of delight

and gives it's Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French joie, from Latin gaudia, plural of gaudium, from gaudEre to rejoice; probably akin to Greek gEthein to rejoice

Questions to reflect on:

• How do people display and/or communication joy?



• Can other living beings display or communicate joy? If so, how?



• If joy can be a "source or cause of delight", what forms can those sources take?



• Is joy in the eye (ear?) of the beholder (experiencer?)



• Can joy be shared? How?



• Does joy (or the source of joy) have to be tangible? If not are there reflections of it or other symbols to represent it? Are they shared or individual?