Humor.

Man should not take life's unhappy incidents so seriously. It is better to laugh a little than to make a tragedy of every misfortune. (...). To have an optimistic disposition and try to smile is constructive and worthwhile; for whenever you express divine qualities, such as courage and joy, you are born again; your consciousness is being made new by the manifestation of your true soul nature. This is the spiritual rebirth that enables you to "see the kingdom of God." Paramahansa Yogananda, Man's Eternal Quest, P.210.

Religious life is sheer delight for at every moment the Lord is always praying practical jokes on His brides. Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, P.190.

One of the novices, Frater B., laughed and laughed more and more week after week until he finally laughed all day long and had to go home. I am told that once, before of the singing classes, he laughed so much he rolled on the floor. Life here is funnier than we think. Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, P.191.

(...) we all wait patiently for the Kingdom, "recognizing each other in longing and humility in the light of the divine humor." Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, P.341.

 

Rama said: "(...) You have shown me how many things are illusions. But in your way of looking at the world, is there anything that you believe is real?" Valmiki said: "Certainly, Rama. There are three things which are real: God, human folly, and laughter. Since the first two pass our comprehension, we must do what we can with the third! (...)" The Ramayana (as told by Aubrey Menem)(1954). NY: Charles Scribner's Sons. P.275-6.

Last updated: 2010/03/21

See the related subjects: Aliveness, Humanism, Joy, Life, Love, Simplicity, Saints.

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