"I passed!"
Haru rushed to Simon, clutching the test results.
"Congratulations." Simon smiled. "But why did you tell me first?"
Haru stopped. "Huh... well..."
"You wanted to share your joy?"
"Yeah." Haru nodded. "But why?"
Simon pondered. "That's an interesting question. Why do we want to share joy?"
"We could be happy alone."
"Yes. It could be self-contained. But people seek to share."
Haru sat down. "Why?"
"There are several explanations." Simon opened his notebook. "First, instinct as social animals."
"Instinct?"
"Humans survived in groups. Sharing joy strengthens bonds. Promotes cooperation."
Haru thought. "But I feel like that's not all."
"Sharp. Instinct alone can't explain it." Simon continued. "There's also the desire for recognition."
"Recognition?"
"Wanting others to acknowledge your value. Hegel's 'dialectic of recognition.'"
Haru tilted her head. "But passing is a fact. It doesn't change whether someone recognizes it or not."
"Facts and meaning are different." Simon pointed out. "Facts are objective. But meaning emerges within relationships."
"Relationships?"
"You passed. That's a fact. But the emotion 'this makes me happy' is strengthened by sharing it with someone."
Haru pondered. "Sharing increases joy?"
"It's amplified. Because the other person's joy is added to your own."
"The other person's joy?"
Simon explained. "You shared your success. I felt joy. Seeing my joy, you feel joy again."
"It's circular."
"Yes. A feedback loop of joy."
Haru laughed. "So the more you share, the greater the joy?"
"Theoretically. But there are limits."
"Limits?"
"Who you share with matters. The deeper the relationship, the higher the amplification rate."
Haru understood. "That's why we want to tell close people first."
"Yes. If you tell a stranger and get a weak reaction, the joy isn't amplified."
"Cruel but true."
Simon looked out the window. "But there's another reason."
"What?"
"Confirmation of existence."
Haru was surprised. "Confirmation of existence?"
"By sharing joy, you confirm that your experience is real. Resistance against solipsism."
"Solipsism?"
"The idea that only you exist in the world. A classic philosophical problem."
Haru was confused. "But I really exist."
"Can you prove it?" Simon asked. "Perhaps everything is your dream."
"...That's scary."
"That's why people share. Others' reactions guarantee the reality of the world."
Haru took a deep breath. "Sharing is resistance against loneliness?"
"Against loneliness and uncertainty." Simon nodded. "Sharing joy is declaring 'I am here.'"
"Declaration..."
"And confirmation that 'you are here too.'"
Haru said quietly. "Joy is a means to confirm relationships."
"You could say that. But that's not all."
"What else?"
"The joy of pure giving." Simon smiled. "The act of giving joy is itself joy."
Haru's eyes lit up. "I understand that."
"Marcel Mauss's 'The Gift.' Giving doesn't expect return. But giving itself has value."
"Giving joy."
"Yes. By sharing your success, you gave me joy."
Haru felt embarrassed. "That's too much."
"It's not." Simon looked serious. "Sharing joy is an act that enriches the world."
Haru smiled. "Thank you, Simon."
"Same to you. I'm happy to share your joy."
The two laughed together. Joy circulated, amplified, and made the world a little brighter.