#329: A Delightful Word

I love that Steve sheds a light on the word 'freudenfreude'. It reminds me of the Buddhist term "mudita," meaning sympathetic or vicarious joy for another's good fortune. What a wonderful concept and practice to partake in, and a great way to strengthen both personal and professional relationships. Thank you for sharing this, Steve, and for openly expressing gratitude for a former educator that left an impact on you and inspired you to write and reflect all these years later. I always find it interesting to hear about the little things the human brain holds onto even after many years have elapsed. 

- Amanda

A Delightful Word

Mr Gross was my high school German teacher.   He was big on learning language through song and would regularly point out a German word or phrase that might be more appropriate than American English. I wasn't a good student of the language, but he made an impact on me.  I still remember and use some of his offerings.  Today I saw one of my favorites used in the New York Times - the first time I've seen it used in America.  

freudenfreude

Mr Gross described it as the opposite of schadenfreude. It's the joy and delight we feel when someone else finds success - even when, particularly when,  their success doesn't involve us.  He used to describe the joy he felt when a blind student from our school won a state piano competition.   It's an important social glue - a gift to be aware of and take delight in.  Mr Gross has been gone for a long time, but thinking about this word turned out to be one of the best things I learned in high school