Kate Bowler on finding joy amid a stage 4 cancer diagnosis
Kate Bowler, a Duke Divinity School professor and stage 4 colon cancer survivor, discusses her new book "Joyful, Anyway." After years critiquing the American cult of positivity and writing about mortality and grief, Bowler explores how she found unexpected joy even in the midst of devastating pain and a terminal diagnosis. The article covers her shift from focusing on suffering to also embracing moments of joy, and how her faith and academic background inform this perspective.
Key quotes
I think we have this idea that joy is for people who have their lives together, and I think it's actually for people who don't.
The thing about joy is that it's not the opposite of pain. It's something that can exist alongside it.
I spent so long trying to be positive that I forgot that joy was something different entirely.
From the article
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