Word of the day: Mudita

[mdlbear]

From the answer to a query by meglimir, mudita is "a Buddhist (Pali and Sanskrit) word meaning rejoicing in others' good fortune. Mudita is sometimes considered to be the opposite of schadenfreude."

It would be the Buddhists who coined it, but I think it's something that any parent would feel for their children. Most people feel it for their friends, as well. You want your friends to be happy.

With someone you love, there may be a mixture of jealousy, especially if that happiness comes at the expense of their time and attention for you. I'm a loner, though. It's natural for me to feel happy when my lover is off somewhere having fun, by herself or with somebody else.