Human Joy

If you are reading this, you are likely trying to determine a few things. First, what is this and will it be worth my time? And second, can it really deliver on its title, Human Joy, for me?

Put simply, this is a new technology — a way of creating a body of knowledge and delivering it in an effective and efficient format that provides not just learning, but an experience that changes all those who participate on any level. Yes, this will not only deliver joy, but a lasting joy that will remain indefinitely. Before we get into an introduction to this technology and how this is created and recommended to be consumed, we must answer the simple question… why? Why do we want, desire or need this anyway? Why create it in this new format? Why is now the time, why we are the people, and why joy?

Human joy, a natural base state, almost seems impossible for so many to achieve in our time. As we explore this worthy subject, our first and primary hope is to inspire joy in anyone and everyone who chooses to engage. Whether you are an active participant and co-creator of this body of knowledge or an end user, the objective remains the same and is simple: more joy for humankind. Not just a momentary and passing feeling, or temporary emotional state, but a permanent and lasting joy or even bliss, perhaps rendering all of those willing to indulge with less suffering and more lasting joy in their lives.

When we say joy, we want to make a distinction between happiness and genuine joy. In today’s day and age it seems we are quite driven by a never-ending seeking of happiness from outside of us. We almost are programmed from the get-go to study and learn, to work and build, to find a career and to be productive, so that we can achieve certain objectives and have certain things in the external world. These things like having money, a home of our own, a car, a vacation, even nice clothes, we believe will give us the opportunity to be happy, to feel safe and secure, and ultimately to feel valued.

The problem is that none of these things — nothing, in fact, in the outside world — can ever do that. There are certainly countless examples of very wealthy people without any happiness in their lives, and happy people who have almost nothing. So we are not striving for the momentary and fleeting, temporary and conditional “happiness.” Here we are striving for a joyful life, for more joy in every moment, for an ever-increasing bliss, no matter what we are doing or what we have externally.

Many of you at this point are already thinking this is an imaginary or fictitious scenario we are painting. Perhaps for some, even the concept of this brings suffering, a sort of “wouldn’t that be nice” attitude. If you engage and continue this process you might not only find that others before you have found their joy, but you might just find out how easy it really can be to have it. In fact, you likely have already had that at some point in your life.

Think back to a much younger age, perhaps when you were a child and life was a big mystery. A time when we hadn’t yet learned that we needed all these material things, and were excited by the littlest of experiences, thankful to be alive. Think back to a time in your life when life was wide open and full of possibilities, and every day was a new adventure — when you didn’t even want to go to sleep so as not to miss anything. Do you remember having fun just playing with friends or family? Simple things brought hours of pleasure, even struggling to learn a new skill, failing and then succeeding. Enjoying the different life experiences purely… that is what we mean when we say joy is the base state.

As humans we are born in a joyful state. It is later that our perspectives shift. We fill our heads today with worry and sufferings, with negative emotions like fear, anger and anxiety. This is why we think more human joy is worthy. Joy is the base human state that each of us has within, and if unleashed, joy will change everything — for you, for all of humanity. Love is the outward expression of joy in humanity… so onward we quest for more joy, more love.

Before we go any further, this is where we must open the question for more exploration and defer further development on this subject until after our interactive broadcasts and experiences. In the meantime, here is a question we hope you will consider deeply, walk around with, think about, pick up and put down…

Because this is the first ever V-Book™, here is a brief introduction and explanation, as well as how this is actually being created. The concept and term V-Book™ was conceived and created by Sean Claesgens. The V-Book™ is the next evolution in human communication, in accumulation, creation and development of knowledge, writing, and human exploration. It is a hybrid communication tool which combines the best elements of a written book, a video, a collaborative project, interactive open forum meetings, and the systemic emergent property of the multiple perspectives of many people exploring and developing a specific topic or subject.

The parties of this creation we envision as follows: the Author (in this case Sean Claesgens), the Collaborative Participants (in this case two levels — the VIPs and the general public), the Consumer or End Users (those who consume the product), and the Benefactors (in this case humanity).

How does it work? With this particular product we are actually developing it as we go, so at this point we hypothesize it will work this way: we will start each chapter or topic with written word (such as this you are reading) with some surface introduction to that topic, and some questions opened. Then we will conduct a series of live interactive broadcasts. Some of these broadcasts will be open to the public and some of these will be open to a select group (in this case the FloScope VIPs). Then further development of the topic will be written and perhaps more interactive and live broadcasts, then a final summary written and the chapter or topic will come to a conclusion.

A natural flow or evolution of these topics (sort of like chapters in a traditional book) will ensue until the end, when the V-Book™ will come to a conclusion too. What will remain when it is complete is a journey and experience combining many different perspectives, exploring a topic and taking the reader/consumer down the desired path from beginning to end. If effective, those who engage and participate with it will have an experiential knowledge and growth achieving the desired results. The combination of written word, video and live interactive broadcasts will bring the end user to a desired place… in this case more joy in their life and in humanity.

If this is your first experience of a V-Book™ and it is already complete, then we hope you will enjoy the end product. If it is still in production and you would like to participate, we encourage you to jump in and express your perspective and experience. If this project is successful (which we expect it will be), we plan to produce many, so it isn’t too late to find out what we are currently producing and participate. We expect that the experience of the participants and ultimately collaborative creators will be quite rich, in fact.

With that being said, it is time to move this project to the next step. We will open this subject and topic to our interactive broadcast phase, so participate if it isn’t already done, or watch this next segment and then return here once you have viewed this interactive broadcast video when done… and continue reading…

Well, what do you think? You have just experienced the first interactive broadcast. Whether live as a participant or on replay, you have just experienced one of the keys to the V-Book™ technology. If you are reading this after watching the replay, you are encouraged to experience a live broadcast as soon as practicable. For those of you who were engaged and interactive on this groundbreaking broadcast, congratulations and thank you. Together we are underway creating something magnificent indeed.

It would seem that we have answered a couple of questions… first, a book on Human Joy is certainly needed in today’s day and age, and for many reasons. It depends upon perspective, but it boils down to having lost Joy in our experience of human life, and our world is suffering as a result. We have a great many different experiences on the individual level, but really today, and from many perspectives all around the globe, joy is eluding us at almost every turn. It seems that fear, anger and suffering have taken over.

Our current patterns, habits, and systems have focused on the effects and not the cause. We are focused outside of ourselves and on temporary satiation or happiness caused by a certain set of circumstances, which is, of course, outside of our control. The majority of us in humanity today are not owning the actual responsibility for ourselves and how we feel (oh yeah, this just got real very quickly). The joy we are looking for is actually within us, and it is up to each of us on the individual level to bring it to our lives each day. With that being said, it is certainly easier said than done… otherwise the world would already be filled with more joy. So as we have said, it is our objective to inspire, teach and assist people to more joy and love.

Before we move on to the logical next question of how, let’s take a moment to reflect where each of us is at this moment. On the next open and interactive forum we will discuss that very subject, so for those of you planning to participate, we ask that you walk around with that question for a bit. If you are experiencing this after the fact, take a pause right here and consider these questions for yourself.

Because joy is more than just a temporary and fleeting moment of happiness, there are actually physical expressions and effects of having more (or less) of it. So we encourage you to really consider it, and to keep track. Yes, an actual physical log or journal. You should start with some photos of your face and your body, as it is now. You don’t have to share these with anyone of course, but it will be important to have several data points outside of yourself to help to put perspective to this journey — some external measurements which can offer a perspective over time.

Take some photographs of yourself, walk around with these questions in mind and measure your joy, then record your answers someplace you can refer back to time and again, and update as this progresses. In case you are wondering why you would do that, we will address that next, but the most important thing to consider is whether you really want to have more joy in your life. Would you like a life with more and more joy, in and around you? A life that was loving and joyful no matter what is happening? To inspire others to more joy and be able to love and connect?

If you are ready (and many who read this will be) then start with a thorough evaluation of where you are now, including pictures and notes. One of the questions to really consider (and that we will discuss in the next interactive broadcast) is really why it is important to you to have more joy in your life. This journey that we are embarking on starts with this simple step. An evaluation of where we are, with honesty; a recording of information with integrity so that we can measure the progress and report back to ourselves; and finally a strong enough reason for us to push through the challenges, boundaries and plateaus we are sure to encounter.

This will take some real effort. Building yourself will be uncomfortable at times, and your ability to stick it out will determine how effective your results — our results — will be. We must have sufficient reasons that will outweigh our excuses, and we must be able to measure and see our results over time. For example, if we are going to travel to New York (say because of some important reason) we must first figure out where we are now, and then we can map our way to that destination. If we have sufficient reason for getting to New York, then we will overcome the obstacles that are sure to arise, and express the effort it takes to get us there. If it is a long enough journey we are sure to encounter a wrong turn, a roadblock, an accident or something which will require us to orient ourselves and plan and remap.

So recording the date, and your current state, and tracking your progress as you move forward is in fact what will make it possible for us to see our results. Finally on this thought: this is a journey of ever-increasing joy for a lifetime, and because this increasing joy is much more likely to be similar to a rising tide than a tidal wave, it will be important to have measurements to refer back to over time. In my experience, as I have more joy in my life, from time to time there is a significant shift and for a while it is noticeable, but for the most part it is more like growing physically. Although each day you are growing, it is a gradual process that is subtle and barely noticeable from the perspective of the growing person. So in preparation for the live interactive broadcast or prior to viewing it, do some reflection, some measurement and recording.

Now for the how we will do this. Of course we have some ideas and thoughts, and ultimately we believe that this experience of this V-Book™ Human Joy will take you on a journey. This will be our second point of discussion. How do you think we can bring this about? What type of things will we need to do and what type of subjects will we need to explore? What will we need to teach? What would inspire you to more joy? These will be the thrust of our next interactive broadcast and discussion, so please come ready to participate, or with your thoughts formulated before you watch the replay. Come prepared with your findings, your self-exploration and evaluation, your thoughts on what we must develop here and how we will create more joy for you, each of us, and for all…

Pure expression, authentic self, presence, ethics, mindfulness, inner honesty, integrity, self control… some of the very things which lead to joy. As we embark on this magical journey together, not to a place or a destination but to a way of being, a way of life, we must each look inside and determine for ourselves two important things:

That brings us almost full circle. We have begun this new way of being already and now it is just a matter of time. In fact, often times just focusing on a subject like this can have an effect, and if you are engaged on any level (taken your photos, keeping a joy journal, or being more aware of your emotional states) more than likely you have already experienced some level of increase. Let’s be very clear, however: this journey has just begun, and we believe that through effort, awareness, mindfulness and focus we will be building more joy and the habit of it, but also the habit of continuing for a lifetime of ever-increasing joy. That leads us to one more discussion and live interactive broadcast before we fully immerse ourselves in the content of it all.

Because awareness and acceptance must come before healing, change and growth, we must examine why we have chosen something different from our natural base state of joy and bliss. We must consider a few serious questions. Right here we must pause for a second and point out that this is a personal experience, that each of us has personal responsibility. Be honest with yourself in answering these questions — it will only help along the way.

After three interactive broadcasts it should be obvious that this new V-Book™ Human Joy is going to be amazing. Not only is it already beginning to create its namesake Human Joy, but the actual technology of the V-Book™ is groundbreaking. To recap, consider this… as we create this technology, people’s lives are actually changing. More joy in you, more joy in humanity is already beginning. Certainly we have a lot of ground to cover, and many topics and chapters will ensue, but it is obvious that this will be magnificent.

While it isn’t meant to be a magic bullet and will not change you… you will change you… if that is what you desire. As we move forward working in collaboration with many from around the world, we hope you will benefit. It will take participation on your part, it will take effort and focus and the intention, but if you participate it will deliver. So get prepared, and fasten your seat belt. Ever-increasing joy is headed your way.

One of the most intriguing and mysterious aspects of human life is emotionality. If you stop and think about it even just for a minute, the fact that we emote at all (constantly, actually) is really incredible. The reality is that each of our moments, all of our experiences, and our perception even, are colored with emotion. When we stop and consider the sheer magnificence of what it means to be a human being… it can be staggering.

If we were to combine all of the greatest technologies that we have developed in our entire history on this planet into one adaptive and creative entity, it wouldn’t even be close to that which we call the Human. If you consider the enormous volume of cells in our body, working together in such harmony, seemingly as one, it should evoke a sense of awe. When you think of the adaptability, the survivability, the mere fact that we exist, we must recognize the magnificence.

Pausing to contemplate a seemingly simple task like sourcing, preparing, eating and digesting a common meal — something we do almost automatically — it can be enlightening. The complex systems that we have developed, our incredible technology, and immense infrastructure which we have created, all amount to less than the simple and common processes of daily life as a human. From resting and sleeping, to eating and drinking, to breathing, walking, and talking, these processes which many of us take most of them for granted have yet to be rivaled with any and all of our technological innovations.

That is not to say that our technology is lacking or that it isn’t incredible in and of itself, because it truly is mind-blowing at times. When you think of our most advanced and complex robotics as example — not even close to the living, breathing human body. When you look at even the fact that we have, from the materials around us, present in our world, created such amazing things, is magnificent and a testament to the magnitude of the human being.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of humanity is our ability to think, and feel, our emotion, however. What in all of our amazing science can even compare? Continuing… our ability to perceive, relate to and with, to create in thought and actualize into reality, the presence of our ideology — these are truly miraculous things, our understanding of which is extremely limited. Which brings us back to emotion… before we go on here, we must consider some questions, then collaborate with each other… so consider these ponderings:

What a magical and great live interactive broadcast. As we explore certain characteristics of what it is to be human, nothing more than this live interactive could compare in creating such synergies. It is inspiring to watch the communications, the interrelations… every individual’s participation. As we encounter one another, exchange and communicate, a magnificent thing happens… an emergent property, almost a separate entity, begins to develop. You can easily see the emotionality that has expressed itself in each of us who is participating.

Not only do we each have our own thoughts on the subject of emotions and what they all mean, but as we interrelate and explore the subject, we cannot help but to express them. The amazing thing is that as far as science can tell, we are all really very similar indeed. Our greatest science today shows that the genetic codes, the actual building blocks of a human existence in the physical realm, are extremely close, although still so unique (other than perhaps for identical twins).

Even though we are similarly designed, our perspectives can be very different. I am not a twin, but I would imagine that from the earliest minute of life for twins and then each moment forward, their entire existence can never be the same even though the genetic code is identical. The unique perspective, the unique experience, each and every individual’s thought is unique and in the moment. I would submit that emotion plays a huge role in this. Since each individual experiences a unique and specific set of emotions, the perception, the understanding, the actual reality from that perspective is colored by that emotion.

Ultimately we are in control of those emotions… we are the author of that when it comes right down to it. In today’s world it seems as if many are trying to go about living without really feeling, or ignoring those feelings. So if in fact we are living, feeling beings and we are choosing and creating how we feel in any given moment of time, what are you choosing? Doesn’t the actual reality and stimulus data outside of us really take on a different look depending upon how you feel about it?

The collective humanity is an emotional existence not only individually but as a group indeed. This is why I believe that sometimes it seems that one person may have such impact on the emotion of another. The well-worn pathways and habits of emotion are certainly interesting to say the least. From my perspective, emotions of joy, awe, magnificence are really at the core and base state of humanity — but why does our world seem to be filled with such emotional negativity? Before we go all the way there, let’s ask a few questions for each of us to consider and move forward with during the next live interactive broadcast so that we can exchange on these ideas.

So… what another amazing interactive exploration. One thing is certain: human life involves emotion. We have seen that emotion is unique to the individual, and each of us feel it, deal with it, express it and create it differently. To be human, to be alive, means an experience of a range of emotions, and emotions certainly do color everything. Why do you choose your predominant emotional states? How did you form the emotional patterns that you have become accustomed to, used to, comfortable with?

Although at times it certainly seems we are just innocent bystanders to our emotional lives, and that if we could just control the outside world we would certainly be happier — what if the experience of being human is emotional, and it is ok that that is the case? It certainly seems that the emotions of humanity tend to be suppressed a bit, and controlled. Not controlled really, but hidden… stuffed down and muted, which may not be conducive for humanity. We are not machines, nor are we static beings. Our very existence is dynamic and part of a multitude of systems.

Our unique feelings, thoughts and physicality are what ultimately creates our individual realities. Not that there may or may not be a reality outside of us, but that is a conversation for another section. So, if each of us essentially lives in our own universe (which we create), and at the same time we are living in the same world with everyone else, why do we choose such negative emotional states? Why don’t we fill our lives with a constant and ever-increasing state of joy and bliss?

This leads us to another amazing and awesome private live interactive broadcast. These private live interactive broadcasts are for subscribers only and are a true experience. The first ever V-Book live private interactive broadcast was conducted on January 26th, 2017, and the replay is and will remain available for a limited time to the limited group of the actual V-Book VIP subscribers.

There were a number of really great points to come out of it, which we will explore here a bit. The first was a lengthy discussion after @Tigerbutterfly (Karen Costley) posed the question, “Why do you think that joy is the base state of humanity?” That question prompted an amazing discussion. Before we go there, consider that question… why would joy be the base state for humanity?

At the end of the discussion it seemed that there were two main points. First, that at a young age, we all seem to be filled with a certain joy… a certain explorative, excited, positive emotional state that bubbles up from within and is filled with the thirst for life and for exploration. Second, when we remove the judgements, disintegrated, inconsistent beliefs and prejudices, joy and bliss tend to be the human state. As example, no one ever heard of a yogi or master who has reached a high state of enlightenment describe their emotional state as anything other than joyful, blissful… elated.

So if we come into this world with a certain wholeness, completeness and joy, and if we work hard enough to remove our disbelief, disintegrated thoughts, and sufferings… then we find joy and our bliss returns. We can then conclude that joy is in fact the base emotional state for humankind. A whole and complete human is joyful, blissful and elated, while a fractured and disintegrated thought system tends to lead to sufferings and negative emotions.

So, what if joy is the base human state and each and every one of us has the capacity to live in joy always, to experience bliss, magnificence and awe in all moments? What would it be like for you, if you knew that was true? What if only you are responsible for that choice and have and always will completely control that? We will consider these questions in our third and final public live interactive broadcast.

Before we move forward with the live interactive, and on a slightly different subject, we have already stated that humankind has created amazing technology. In fact, life for humans it seems has never been easier. Of course I am talking about the survivability factors. We have a world full of clean air to breathe, we have ample supply of clean water to drink (and/or technology that has made filtering water quite easy), we have a very sophisticated and advanced level of knowledge about how our world works, we have incredible infrastructure, and we have advanced technology which makes things like commerce, communications, etc. easier than ever before.

With all of this incredible stuff that we have created, and so much going for us in this world, why aren’t we consistently filled with joy? The complexity of human beings, humankind and human society is enormous, and in my opinion we have yet to even really comprehend ourselves. With that being said, life has never seemed to be more stacked in our favor. We will consider these things as well and then we will return here for the conclusion of this section we call Humanity. As always, we achieve the best results if we do a bit of contemplation, consideration and exploration prior to and leading up to the live interactive. So walk around and consider these questions…

So with that, and in conclusion, it certainly seems that we all can agree on a few simple points. First, humanity is certainly mysterious, incredibly magnificent and completely complex. Second, humanity is irrevocably intertwined with emotionality, and the emotional life. Lastly we, the individual, choose our emotional state, and consequently shape our perception and our own reality or perspective on it.

So that being the case, no matter where you are from, no matter who you are, and no matter when you are reading and experiencing this… joy and ever-increasing amounts of joy in your life are entirely possible. In fact, not only is it possible, but actually if that is your goal, then it is likely. Because each and every one of the unique souls on this planet are an interconnected part of the collective humankind, every single one of us that takes this journey and creates a new and brighter reality for ourselves at the same time brightens life for everyone.

As we continue to explore what it is to be human, how we can transform our emotional life, and thereby the world that we live in, it is important that we recognize how very important this particular venture really is, individually and universally. Then go about the pursuit of true human joy — from internally to globally.