Muditā and the Olympic Games

Muditā: Vicarious Joy

The joy you feel when you see others win. The celebration in your bones as you witness those around you fill their cup of success. Authentic Joy. Sympathetic Joy. The opposite of envy and zero sum mentality.

Muditā is a Buddhist concept that relates to the joy one feels for another person’s accomplishments, luck, and talents.

With today being the final day of the Olympics, we reflect on how our nation came together over the past two weeks to display a surge of pride toward our Team USA athletes. The aspect I felt most connected to was the sportsmanship each athlete showed toward their fellow teammates when their teammates won their well-deserved spots on the Olympic podium. “Olympian” rang throughout the arena. It was awe-inspiring to see the camera capture the indescribable glee each athlete exhibited through their expressions as they held onto their coveted medals.

However, Muditā was revealed when the camera would pan to a fellow teammate of the recently-medaled athlete, and sympathetic joy would sparkle through each ounce of their being.

I believe this clip of Stephen Nedoroscik’s teammates jumping for joy as Stephen brought home the Bronze medal for his pommel horse routine perfectly captured the essence of Muditā. The undeniable “if you win, we all win” mentality. Collective happiness in its rawest sense.

How will I carry Muditā with me in my everyday life? The reminder that it can be painful to watch others succeed in areas where you have worked hard to succeed is always a helpful step in shifting your mindset and embracing your messy “human-ness.” Being human means there will be moments of jealousy; however, reframing jealousy as “How can I look up to this person?” or “What strengths of this person do I admire?” can be helpful as you shift towards a Muditā perspective.

Surround yourself with memories of when people around you were genuinely happy to see you win. Was it at graduation? When you wrote an article for the school newspaper? When your classmates watched you score a goal at your school’s soccer match? Your best friend watching you marry the love of your life? Reflect on those moments and savor the feelings you experienced to remind yourself, “I am joyful in celebrating the joy of others because I am also worthy of my joy being celebrated.” Most importantly, practicing self-compassion while embracing the Muditā perspective can help invite vicarious joy for others. Day by day, moment by moment, we can all practice relishing in each other’s wins.

Isn’t that what this is all about? When you win, I win. When you are being the best you can be, I, too, am attempting to be the best I can be.