Is It bad to Look For Joy Within Tragedy?

Lincoln said; People are as happy as they make up their minds to be. Some are happy just to be alive, others can only be happy gaining riches, others to dominate. others to experience danger. Finding joy and happiness are two different things

Nothing wrong in finding joy in tragedy. I'm a prime example of that with what I've gone through recently. Despite my tragedy, it's made me a more positive person and has given much more joy than I had before this happened. Sometimes, a tragedy turns out to be a blessing in disguise. It all depends on how the person the tragedy occurred to handles the situation.

I guess I am the type of person that always trys to find the happiness, joy, and often humor in the sadness. It makes things much easier. I don't think there is anything wrong with the way that one copes as long as it is a healthy coping method. I would say that joy and happiness are healthy coping methods.

"Out of the ruins", whether material, or in life, we still must go on. Choosing to find solace in a bad situation is a skill I feel, that we must have. If we give in to prolonged sorrow, whether our own, or those close to us, or others, we could start our emotional triggers on a downward spiral, and some cannot come back from that.

I agree with Rob. I recently was cleared of a threat of lung cancer, (left lung) but a new PET SCAN has shown another spot on my lung. I may have to endure another biopsy. The doctors thought that I may have had a serious infection, (mold) and it just went away. Now there are other spots. So I wait. Am I happy? No. But if I am to fight a negative result, I must get ready. Of course all the usual questions came up. What about my children?, etc. But we are naturally geared to go on if we let ourselves. Just as God continues life thru the miracle of birth. So I think we should look for the positive, and hard as it may be, let it be the winner inside of ourselves. Ellen B

Joy in tragedy!!! in my own tragedy may be. But in others' tragedy, so bad I think.

If tragedy is an unwanted event with emotional complexity, especially emotional pain then perhaps the event is a potential learning experience.

I will give one example. A soldier was injured and had a large scar on his face. At first he was distraught over his disfigurement. When he returned home his friends constantly asked him to tell his war stories, talk about his bravery, and even asked him to give talks to students about the joy of defending his country. He became a hero and was soon proud of his scar and considered it a medal of honor.

I would expect the tragedy surrounding the death of a family member would depend on the family's faith. Some would have joy in the thought the person was in heaven, others would say perhaps the person's pain had ended, or even someone's death would bring other's to live life more fully. It all depends on one's point of view.

Exactly yes. That's a new angle you've brought here. Joy and the reason of its existence differentiates depending on the beliefs of the person who's grieving ir searching for joy within grief.
Though, I think that even if that family would be happy that their son went to heaven, there would be a part of grief still. For grief in tragedies is very normal as a human emotion. It's nearly impossible to get rid of an emotion born with each and everyone of us. If whoever succeeded in wiping away grief, he'd be simply abnormal.

Searching for joy resulted from grief in the first place. And so, grief might be impossible to vanish entirely.