Month of Joy: Patterns by Dave Robison

“What brings you joy?”

Such a simple question, right?

WRONG! You’ve fallen victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is ‘Never get involved in a land war in Asia,’ but only slightly less well known is this: ‘Never ask a wordy over-thinker a simple question when… well… ANYTHING is on the line.’

Definitions

So first… what IS Joy? The dictionary says it’s “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness,” so that narrows the field a bit. Ice cream, warm sheets on a cold night, sunsets, and the purring of a cat all evoke feelings of pleasure but I wouldn’t qualify them as a “great” pleasure.

So… what DOES constitute a great pleasure for me? Top three on my list are:

1. Brainstorming (anything, really… game concepts, story ideas, Kickstarter campaigns…)
2. The start of a new season of a favorite show or starting a new book by a favorite author
3. Really good food (the kind that renders you incapable of articulate speech and alters your neurochemistry for a bit)

…and that’s all well and good. You can infer a great deal about me from those three factoids… but this isn’t People magazine and you’re not here to learn my turn-ons and turn-offs. I mean, there’s only two* reasons to read something like this:

1. To discover if someone is like you (i.e. a member of your Tribe), or…
2. To expand (or reconnect with) your own roster of Great Pleasure-Inducing things.

*OR stalk them for material for an outrageously long and embarrassingly detailed introduction for a podcast. But that’s a bit “niche”, really.

But let’s ask the most important question: Why? It really is the only question worth asking. Why did you do that? Why do you like/dislike [xyz]? “Why” is the ultimate revelation, a deep dive into core content and primum mobile stuff.

WHY?

WHY do those things bring me great pleasure and happiness?

Because – like many of you – I am a Pattern Hunter and each of those delights, in their own way, celebrate the intricate patterns of life.

Pattern recognition is the primary function of our brains. Whether it’s language or the shape/sound of a predator or the face of your lover, our mind’s primary purpose is to isolate, codify, and process the patterns we’re bombarded with every moment of every day.

Furthermore, every delight you indulge in – from sex to philosophical debates to Fallout 76 – is a delight BECAUSE the patterns, rhythms, and structures encoded in those events uniquely affirm and enhance your own. So really, Pattern Hunters are pleasure seekers, constantly sifting through the detritus of discourse, diatribe, and didactics in search of new patterns to try on, savor, and take delight in.

Brainstorming is the equivalent of taking a pile of threads and weaving them into a tapestry. What was once random or disconnected is now structured and self-sustaining. It’s the ultimate creative experience, literally generating a new pattern amid the infinite diversity of existing patterns.

Favorite authors or TV shows represent the deepening and enriching of an existing pattern (the narrative of the show or the voice/aesthetic of the author) that ultimately strengthens it. The discovery of a new intimately-resonant pattern (remember watching your first episode of “Firefly” or your first Terry Pratchett novel?) is a huge revelation, and the opportunity to revisit that pattern – to strengthen and affirm it – is like getting two desserts.

And speaking of food, there can be no more visceral and intimate pattern recognition than taste. Music, paintings, whatever, they only impact one sense. But food is visual, tactile, olfactory, and gustatory… and each of those broad threads must not only tangle pleasingly within their own sphere, but also compliment and amplify the sensation matrix of the others! With so many variables, good food is a legitimate miracle and should always be received and celebrated with reverence and accolades.

To Conclude…

So… what brings me joy?

The opportunity to discover and experience new patterns or celebrate cherished ones, whether they be in the face of dear friend, the words of beloved storyteller, or the unique gastronomic alchemy of fire, water, and the bounty of the earth.

Why does that evoke such delight?

Because – selfish beast that I am – it affirms and enriches MY pattern, MY life. Knowing what brings you joy – and understanding WHY it brings you joy – pretty much means you will never lack for pleasurable pursuits. Or friends to share them with… for what is life if not a densely woven tapestry of experiential threads connecting each of us to the other, scintillating strands of experience creating an omni-dimensional webwork of shared understanding and appreciation.

Now THAT is great joy. 🙂