Vitality of Laughter

 Laughter is a natural and universal phenomenon witnessed in every society through all times. In some cultures it comes easy and increasingly in some societies it has been greatly repressed particularly in public.

A society that cannot laugh is unnatural and one can judge how liberated a civilisation is, by how easily and openly the people laugh. 

Government officials, bosses of all kinds, rich and powerful people, priests and clergy, Masters and teachers, and in short, people who wield any position of authority, generally consider their presence in society as very important, even vital. With seemingly  heavy weight on their shoulders they generally find it difficult to smile, leave alone laugh.

The great philosopher Osho made a vital observation. When we laugh, our mind stops  analysing, thoughtless and free from anxiety, greed, regret, etc. This is exactly the same state we attain in meditation, to be free of the mind.

When we genuinely laugh, for those precious few moments  we get disconnected from our material, mental, and emotional worlds. abandoning by reflex our artificial selves and revert to our most natural childlike, innocent state of being.  The very same goal sought by all great masters.

It is at that moment we [encounter the sacred](https://www.guruwonder.in/post/happiness-is-our-encounter-with-the-sacred). 

We will laugh, and laugh frequently when we look at the absurdity of reality and of human existence and our ways. If we can only get over the ridiculous notion that laughter is a sign of the  socially, financially, politically, intellectually and religiously lowly, we could easily progress in nourishing and setting free our spirit.

I crack jokes all the time, and don't mind it when my family and friends point out my idiosyncrasies and strangeness, after all I am human and unique just like everyone else. Laughing at oneself is spiritually therapeutic, for it tends to demolish our arrogance and release us from our ego (ego being an artificial construct we use to identify and define ourselves). This is a precondition for spiritual liberation.

This is why every royal court had a jester, a person who reveals the heavy truth in a light manner to let the monarch and the court know that they are but mortal and thus keep the monarch and his subjects sane and balanced.

The possibility of laughter is universally available to everyone, and probably the easiest way to meditate. Laughing frequently will lightly and in small steps could lead us to spiritual liberation.

Have you laughed recently?

Smile

Most of my friends and all of my family believe me to be eccentric, like a billionaire just without the billions. Come to think of it, the world can be an amazing place if you are a bit eccentric.

The gift of life is so fascinating that it can be regarded as one giant laboratory. Everyday presents numerous opportunities to increase both my knowledge and appreciation of people.

I love life and all that it offers. Maybe that is why it is easy for me to smile and laugh. I often smile at strangers sitting in their cars and bikes stuck in traffic or at traffic signals. Here is what I discovered.

Most people and I connect for a few seconds and a smile grows on their faces, sometimes we exchange greetings, or even have a very brief conversation.

Probably being more relaxed, passengers tend to be more interactive than drivers.

Toddlers and young children are the most receptive and invariably smile back. They continue to gawk, smile and wave until I move out of sight.

Youngsters between 10 to 20 years of age are most reluctant to respond. They mostly look at me with the expression "I know people like you, who try to be friendly but are actually dangerous". This I attribute, to loss of innocence. They have begun to learn that the world is far from ideal and most adults cannot be trusted.

Young adults and middle aged people are too preoccupied chasing tasks and problems in their lives to acknowledge the existence of humanity and life. They are mostly dismissive, because if you are being nice to them, you probably want something therefore you can't be of any consequence.

The elderly are glad that their existence is acknowledged. Sometimes they get confused but most often they beam a smile, and are most chatty.

Officials of all kinds and people in expensive vehicles usually have a scowl on their face. They invariably have a frown and almost always give me that look that says, "What in hell, is the matter with you?" I can't get it.  had money and power why do they appear unhappy?

Here are some quotes on smile.

• A smile is a curve that straightens things out.
• A smile is the shortest distance between two hearts.
• It takes 6 muscles to smile and 120 muscles to frown.
• It is easy to conceal your grief but impossible to hide one's joy, a sign of a happy spirit.

The end of my experiments always leaves me with more questions than when I started. Maybe I am a lousy researcher, but who cares? I am celebrating life.

I realise that, I am not a human on a spiritual journey but a spirit on a human journey.

Keep Smiling