Rishave Verma
Life is too important to be taken seriously.
(Oscar Wilde)
The crowd was packed into the huge lecture hall, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the renowned guru. His saffron robed devotees and the secular onlookers maintained a sense of reverence and expectancy. Suddenly, the rear door of auditorium opened, and there appeared the dark-skinned sage with sparkling eyes and a long white beard. All rose, his disciples bowed flowers. The swami took his place , folded his legs, closed his eyes and meditated for a few minutes. Then he opened his eyes and began to speak the long awaited pearls of wisdom. “The microphone looks like a big cigar in my mouth” he uttered, and the audience broke into peals of laughter. Though, everyone was pretty surprised as they were expecting some serious words from swami as his discourse. And then he uttered again “The true sign of life and joy is laughter”.
Though most of us approach our life and our goals with a sense of sobriety, the more accurate path is play and celebration. If we cannot laugh about something, we are not healed with that experience. Psychologists note that one of the clearest symptoms of psychosis is absence of a sense of humor; when we lose our ability to laugh, we go a little crazy. Though, it is imperative to take our goals and preparations for it, seriously, but it is not necessary to convert that seriousness into a sense of gloom. Gloominess does not aggravate the efficiency of our preparations. On the contrary it stresses our mind. And as Chetan Bhagat says “Be Sincere, Not Serious”.
We should cultivate laughter as a way of life. To see humor in a situation, will increase our acceptability and our efficiency to deal with it. We need not behave like a baggage of stress and negativity. The surest signs of enlightenment are joy and laughter. Laugh often and deeply, it’s the best therapy.
Today’s Prayer:
“Help me remember my sense of humor in all situations.”
