Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Comedy and Well-Being



Comedy is intimately connected with the state of well-being. Feeling delighted teaches us that the essence of being is exactly that - well-being. In this respect, delight is a consciousness of well-being.

The evolution of thought is a continuous refinement of emotions, humor being one of them. After time, deep, intense, and sometimes overwhelming emotions progress toward refinement, culminating in a distinctively good-humored phase.

While critics differ as to what constitutes good humor, the subsequent improvement in behavior indicates, for example, that hedonistic merry making of the mind is quite healthy. In other words, the reactions people have to comedy elevate the state of it.



Non-humorous thinking goes from thought to thought. It twists and turns and at times, goes in circles. However, humorous thinking seems to flow right through the ordinary murkiness. Instead of the blind ordinary movements of the phenomenal world, comedy offers a state of perpetual flux. This is an improvement in movement. 



One characteristic of humorous thinking noteworthy of reflection is the "new" patterns of thought that arise from this state. Thoughts that summon the sun, moon, and stars to walk into a bar with a priest, a rabbi, and some guys from a Christian Rock Band. The fact that any mind - under the influence of humor - can conceive of a punchline for such a set-up is a clear indication that comedy and well-being share the same values, namely creative enterprise. 


Comedy and good humor are natural habitats for human beings. In this state of transfixed delight, we attain our well-being, lightheartedly dwelling in a world of expanding image where we are able to diffuse through humor the more serious, important thoughts on life, the universe, and everything. 















No comments: