If you can’t feel sadness, it can become harder to feel real joy.
Not because sadness is the goal.
And not because sadness creates awe.
Sadness can be part of intimacy.
What Is Awe, and Why Does It Come First?
Awe comes first.
Awe is feeling that the Creator is here, that reality is bigger than you, and that your choices and your life truly matter.
It humbles you. It makes life feel meaningful.It opens the relationship.
How Do Trust and Love Deepen the Relationship?
As you understand more of the Creator’s goodness, trust can grow.
As awe and trust deepen into love, you can become more open to intimacy with Him.
And intimacy means being able to feel what is really there and having conversations with Him.
What Feelings Can Intimacy Make Room For?
Sometimes that is joy: noticing that life is a gift.
Sometimes that is sadness: noticing how much more goodness, closeness, and connection could still be revealed.
So sadness is not what gives you awe.
Sadness is one of the feelings that deeper intimacy can make room for.
What Happens When You Shut Down Sadness?
When your nervous system has to shut down sadness, it can also shut down some of your ability to deeply feel joy, love, and closeness.
Real joy does not mean pretending everything is good.
It means being able to feel that life is meaningful and a gift, while also being able to feel sadness about what is still missing.
Awe, Trust, Love, Intimacy: What Is the Order?
Awe begins the relationship.
Trust allows more openness.
Love deepens the relationship.
Intimacy can hold both joy and sadness.
Questions people ask
Why can’t I feel joy when I can’t feel sadness?
The article says that when your nervous system has to shut down sadness, it can also shut down some of your ability to deeply feel joy, love, and closeness. Feeling sadness safely is an emotional skill, and the same openness that lets sadness in is what lets real joy in.
Does sadness create awe?
No. The article is clear that sadness is not what gives you awe. Awe comes first: it is feeling that the Creator is here, that reality is bigger than you, and that your life truly matters. Sadness is one of the feelings that deeper intimacy can later make room for.
What is real joy?
Real joy does not mean pretending everything is good. The article describes it as being able to feel that life is meaningful and a gift, while also being able to feel sadness about what is still missing. Holding both at once is an emotional skill, not a mood.
How do awe, trust, love, and intimacy build on each other?
The article gives a simple order. Awe begins the relationship, trust allows more openness, love deepens it, and intimacy can hold both joy and sadness. Each step is an emotional skill you can practice: noticing that life is bigger than you, letting trust grow, and staying honest about what you feel.
Explore the NextSelf Blog. Start with this post explaining the world of souls. And my Youtube. Content is published to this facebook first and a few days later, to the blog.
The blog lists all the difference patterns to study, understanding patterns is how one can develop 'Daas' [felt knowing].
Update: As awe, trust, and love deepen, they can allow greater openness and intimacy with the Creator. That intimacy can include sadness when you notice how much more of His goodness can be revealed.