Thursday, December 29, 2011

Humor enriches the interior spiritual life

I told somebody I was a Unitarian once, they said "hey, isn't that that thing in the science museum with the stars in the ceiling and-" "No that's a planetarium."

- Leanna Balloffet

I am reading James Martin's book, "Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter are at the Heart of a Spiritual Life" and it has given me time and encouragement to consider the topic as it applies to our Unitarian Universalist faith.

It seems that humor is an important part of a vibrant, joyful spirituality. Jesus was funny as is Mulla Nasrrudin in the Sufi tradition and one of my favorite icons is the laughing Buddha.

You either laugh or cry, right?

UUs are especially good at laughing at themselves. Self denigrating humor that is appreciative of human foibles and not hurtful is one of the protective factors of resiliency in a rich spiritual interior life.

How does a sense of humor help you get through life? How does it enrich your spiritual life? Life is better appreciated if one sees the absurdities and incongruities and laughs.

Tell us a joke that enriches your interior spiritual life, please. Leave it in the comments or send it to me at davidgmarkham@gmail.com.

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