Blah blah blah, life blah blah, compassion blah grow… blah blah blah.
How freeing it is to poke fun at my search for meaning! How light it feels to laugh at oneself, at life, and at all the petty seriousness. There is a magic to humor that transforms everything – that liberates the mind and bonds us to one another. Struggle becomes lightness and obstacles melt away. What we think is insurmountable becomes but a little hill to climb; what we feel is so important becomes nothing at all.
Humor is the grand equalizer. It has the power to dissolve fear and judgment and to break down barriers. It creates a universal experience that reminds us that we are all in this same boat.
Humor can unite us in the most positive ways. It takes the seriousness and criticism out of relationships. We can be struggling endlessly, and suddenly overcome our frustration in a single moment through laughter. To me, this laughter says, “Isn’t this funny – this thing that we call life?” Laughter is a breakthrough, a release, and a gift from God.
Humor is so often born out of tragedy, allowing us to cope and to mend. It holds tremendous power to heal. Laughter can literally cure our bodies and is instantly restorative. We are then reminded to enjoy life and to live our moments more fully.
Humor celebrates the spontaneity of presence and is always here for us to enjoy. When the day bogs us down, or when we find ourselves stuck with a problem, we can try to see the humor and notice how the situation becomes lightened. We see how to not take our worries so seriously, but to laugh at them instead. Humor helps us to handle our endless mistakes and our humanity. When we make ourselves open to its possibility and its perspective, everything becomes elevated.
Of course, with this gift comes responsibility, and it goes without saying that humor isn’t meant to exclude or make fun at another’s expense. It is obvious when this happens – when things just don’t sit well or feel right, and another person or group is made separate. We know in our hearts that we must strive to use humor with reverence, and to be compassionate to others, even when we disagree with them.
I think of the Dalai Lama smiling, and I see his beautiful use of humor to communicate peace, compassion, and love. I see how children are the greatest messengers of laughter of all. When I hear my little boys laugh with all of their beings, it brings a kind of therapy to the whole house that is uplifting and contagious. I think about how children arrive here so recently from God’s presence, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find that humor abounds in heaven.
It seems to me that laughter aligns us with the divine. I think it is a gateway to love – that transcendent fabric of the universe. And I believe it can deliver us to a higher, more golden existence.
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