No Joy in Mudville

There was a poem in my childhood which for some reason was frequently quoted. It was a Mighty Casey and he was at bat in baseball game. It is a story poem and Mighty Case strikes out at the end. "There is no joy in Mudville tonight for Mighty Case has struck out."

I guess I thought of that poem when the Campaign Director for the Elaine Marshall's campaign for Senate from North Carolina suggested that Elaine had a very good chance to beat the current Senator Richard Burr because there is a "very unhappy electorate out there." He said that people are just not happy with what is happening in Washington. Whether it be the "Tea Party people" or the Obama enthusiast, people do not like what is happening in Washington. "There is no joy in the country as politicians have struck out." They have not gone up there and worked to solve the problems. And people know we have some major problems that have to be addressed.

There is not much joy in the country at the moment. Joy has its roots in the fullness of a moment. Joy is that emotion that happens when we have more love, more acceptance, more kindness than we can handle. Joy is alive in those moments when we are feeling more than we can express. Joy is the overflowing emotion. Joy comes in being able to give more than is expected or receiving more than you hoped. But there is no joy in lots of places in our country now because most of our cups are on the low side. The poor and the middle class have seen their cups of dreams and hopes become more and more empty. There is no overflow in the poor and the middle class. And the rich have suddenly found that their unlimited overflow has begun to dry up. There is so little deep and abiding joy in our society because there is so few moments of feeling that overflow of "more than expected, more than deserved, more than one wanted, more than was possible."

Certainly there are personal joys. There are gifts given by loved ones that bring joy to the receiver. There are relationships which constantly give to both more than they deserve, but there is little joy in Mudville at large because nothing is overflowing and in fact what is in the cup is getting less and less.