Theos-Talk Archives (May 2002 Message tt00198)

Chuck:

> I would contend that given the state of the world, it is probably
> far healthier to be as disconnected from it as possible.
The problem with the world is that people are too disconnected.
They don't care. They don't appreciate others. There is general
alienation. The world is seen as an awful place that they want to
retreat from, so they turn off their tv's and run for the hills.

With selfishness, greed, and other destructive trends in society,
we want to stay uncorrupted. But in doing so, we don't tune out
others and refuse to connect with them.

> We must attach too much importance to things or events but
> realize that in the great scheme of things they are all pretty
> absurd. After all, what do we but play out our little dramas,
> pretending that books that no one reads any more actually somehow
> matter and imagine that we are the holders of some peculiar
> wisdom that has no real impact on the world any more?
It's possible to become cynical, but I'd say that there is value to
anything that we do. It may only last a moment, like bringing a
smile to someone's face, or it could last centuries, like writing
an epic novel. The quantity of people affected nor the duration in
time is not a measure of the quality of an experience.

What you say relates to our not feeling too attached to things,
not taking them in an overly-serious manner. But the little events
of life can still be precious, saturated in meaning, and highly
significant.

> Solemnity? How can one feel solemn looking up at the stars? Joy,
> that is the feeling that comes from viewing the starry vault
> above. From looking at the news? Sadness if one worries a lot,
> laughter if one realizes that nothing that appears on that screen
> is going matter in a hundred years.
You're picking one feeling, laughter, and putting all value in it.
But I'd say that the entire spectrum of emotion is an important
part of our human experience of life. Joy doesn't just come from
humor. There can be a solemn joy in looking at the stars that is
light, not heavy, and with an element of quiet and stillness.
There may be as much value in sitting in zazen as in roaring in
laughter to a funny movie.

Laughter is only one of many valid reactions to life, and can
range from cruel mockery and irreverent flippancy to good humor
and hearty brotherliness. It's like all the other feelings, which
have both high and low sides. A bitter joke can come out of
excessive pride just as readily as name calling.

> Laughter, not nemesis, is the cure for hubris.
Humor is your approach to lightening life's burden. But it's not
the only way, and can be as readily abused as any other approach.
I'd suggest that your favorite emotion is not the only key to joy
in life.

-- Eldon