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On the Screen: "Infectious" joy from two remarkable people who practiced
what they preached SPONSORS
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08 November 2022
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Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama in 'Mission: Joy". PICTURE: Tenzin Choejor.
voluntary contribution of $A10 a
If you want to watch something that is beautifully uplifting, which will make you smile from a deep place as well month or more to support our
as bring tears of joy to your eyes, then don’t go past the wonderful documentary, Mission: Joy - Finding work and we'll send you a free
Happiness in Troubled Times, an expose of the simply beautiful friendship between Desmond Tutu and the Dalai beanie! Click on this ad for
Lama.  details...

Produced in 2021, the lm is directed by the Academy Award-winning Louie Psihoyos, along with Peggy Callahan,
and is inspired by the New York Times bestseller, The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World.
MORE READING
When the lm rst describes these two
exemplary human beings as people who Films
"Both [the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu] express
couldn’t be more different, I disagreed. But their strong convictions about non-violence, but it
when their backgrounds were compared, is their convictions about the power of love and DVDs
compassion, and the joy that that produces, that
their differences were easy to see, and it
stands out in this documentary."
made their friendship all the more joyful to
ponder. As the makers of the documentary
say, “they are opposites in many ways, yet their friendship shows us that our shared humanity is bigger than our
differences”.

Though they have both experienced enormous suffering in their lives, their differences are most stark when
considering their backgrounds. The Dalai Lama grew up in a palace in riches, while Tutu grew up in a poor township
in apartheid South Africa. Despite this though, it is clear from the lm that it was their suffering that played a huge
part in shaping them into the spiritual giants they became.

The Dalai Lama has gone through - and still goes through - the humiliation of seeing his beloved homeland of Tibet
occupied by China and suffering horrendous human rights abuses. Tutu, of course, is known globally for his
courageous struggle against the inhumanity of apartheid in his beloved South Africa, and since then, his equally
courageous work of convincing his people of the need for forgiveness of the perpetrators of the atrocities against
black South Africans.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Both people express their strong convictions about non-violence, but it is their convictions about the power of love
and compassion, and the joy that that produces, that stands out in this documentary.

They both explain with strong conviction that to be fully human is to give to others. It is when we give to others, love
others, and express compassion to others, that we experience joy. As Tutu says, joy is the reward of seeking to give
joy to others. And these two have expressed their joy in spades.

The Dalai Lama makes the point himself that joy comes from inside. We are bombarded every day with the message
that happiness comes from money, a job, our next car, all the externals. But what the Tibetan leader makes clear is
that joy can be experienced despite our circumstances. 

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Ever wondered about where Sherlock Holmes

lived, who the real Dick Whittington was or

What makes this documentary so compelling is the incredibly infectious joy that these two remarkable people exude.
the amazing story behind the discovery...
They have spent their lives living out what they preach. They have done that in their speaking out against the
injustices in their homelands, but also in the joy they radiate despite the struggles they have been through. We're building a directory of organisations and

businesses - The Sight Directory

Seeing these two men - self-described as "mischievous brothers" - playfully tease and even tickle each other, just
makes it impossible for you to not smile and laugh while watching them. They bring more happiness into a world
that desperately needs it. And they show that it is absolutely free.

This documentary makes me want to surrender to joy, to commit my life to it. It reminds me that Jesus, not despite,
but because, He was the Man of Sorrows, also knew the deepest joy. As the makers of this documentary say, joy and
pain are inseparable. That’s why joy is an inside job. It is an attitude rather than just a feeling.

THE SIGHT

BOOKCLUB
For January,

2022, we're

Mission: Joy can be seen on the Wonder streaming platform. To join Wonder - and support Sight in doing so - reading

head here... Corrie ten

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The movie is accompanied by an excellent website which goes into detail about the science of joy, outlining studies book, The

that reveal that the latest neuroscience con rms what life experience and spiritual traditions have been telling us for Hiding

thousands of years: that joy is internal. Place,

recently re-
The website then allows you to become part of what is called the Big Joy Project in which you can learn how to
released in
experience joy in various simple steps each and every day. The four main steps it outlines are actions of kindness,
a 35th anniversary edition...
gratitude, reframing and connection.
To register your group (and receive our

discussion notes via email) and for more

details about how the club works, head here...

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As I watched this lm, the thought that occurred to me was, “Isn’t this what it is to be human, to be more Christlike?”.
I can imagine Jesus smiling at this lm, laughing and playfully joining in the teasing and tickling with these two
exemplary human beings.

As Tutu says in this wonderful documentary, you are a masterpiece in the making. It was this conviction, that we are
all, regardless of what we believe, made in the image of the Divine that was the source of his joy. The lives of these
two men reveal that we are made for joy, for kindness, for connection.

The lm is tinged with some sadness as the exchanges it features turned out to be the last between these two
beautiful people, Desmond Tutu passing away in December, 2021. Perhaps it is Tutu’s passing, and the memory of the
joyfulness he lived in spite of his great suffering, that makes this lm even more watchable. 

This is a lm that will have you smiling, laughing and possibly crying tears of uninhibited joy as you experience two
of the most beautiful human beings of recent times share what it is to be human.

Mission: Joy is gold. Make it your mission to watch it.

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