Spread the Joy

"Pity was meant to be a spur that drives joy to help misery." (p.131)

The first time I read this sentence, I was confused and couldn't figure how pity could be used to bring joy. Joy is the last thing I would think could result from pity. After reading it over and over again, I'm still uncertain, but feel that I have a better grasp on the idea behind this statement.

When someone pities someone else, they are feeling sorry for them. In a way, they are unconsciously elevating themselves above that other person. After seeing someone who has it worse off, you feel more optimistic about whatever it was that you were going through.

I am reading this statement as the "pity-er" bringing joy to the subject of their pity. Pity is the cause whose effect is a desire to bring that person out of their misery. Which makes sense. But how often does someone actually go through the work of helping the one they pity? And maybe that is what Lewis is getting at when he writes that "pity was MEANT to be . . . ." Pity in its original state was meant to make you want to help that other person. But it has become twisted and has now evolved into something completely different.

It's like when you complain to your friend about all the things you have to do and how the professors are out to get you and nothing is going right and . . . the list goes on. This kind of dialogue is meant to make the other person say something like "Oh, I'm so sorry. That's rough." and then continue with more consoling words to make us feel better. This makes them think of all the things THEY have going on, and we return the favor of consoling them. Then we sit in mutual solemness and ponder the chaos that is our lives. Our need for someone to "make things better" has in turn brought them down.

"Pity was meant to be a spur that drives joy to help misery." Every day, pity is being twisted into a tool used to bring joy, however momentarily, to oneself. What if, the next time we felt pity, we were to use that to make good? Can you imagine what the world would be like if we were to act on our feelings and bring joy to others in order to end their misery, rather than bring joy to ourselves?