• About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our Leadership
    • ADF: A Druid Fellowship
    • Photos
  • Services
  • Calendar
  • Resources & Social Justice
  • Membership
  • Blogs
    • Prairie Tidings (Church Blog)
    • Rev. Badger's 2019 Stoic Blog
    • The Practical Bard (Rev. Missy's Blog)
    • Little Druid on the Prairie (Rev. Lauren's Blog)
  • Policies
  • Contact Us
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Our Leadership
    • ADF: A Druid Fellowship
    • Photos
  • Services
  • Calendar
  • Resources & Social Justice
  • Membership
  • Blogs
    • Prairie Tidings (Church Blog)
    • Rev. Badger's 2019 Stoic Blog
    • The Practical Bard (Rev. Missy's Blog)
    • Little Druid on the Prairie (Rev. Lauren's Blog)
  • Policies
  • Contact Us
Mountain Ancestors Grove, ADF

A Year of Contemplation

Laugh, or Cry? (Day 239)

8/27/2019

 
Picture
Image Credit: IMGBIN

Heraclitus would shed tears whenever he went out in public - Democritus laughed. One saw the whole as a parade of miseries, the other of follies. And so, we should take a lighter view of things and bear them with an easy spirit, for it is more human to laugh at life than to lament it.” 
Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind, 15.2

This is one of my favorite lessons on the pragmatic life, as it highlights, for me, the Ziglarian adage: Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. (Ziglar, See You at the Top, p. 204)

When we get angry or sad, it’s often due to circumstances or factors beyond our control. If we can manage, we take a breath, return to the present moment, gain pragmatic perspective… and choose to laugh about it. 

Why? 

Because if we were watching a sitcom, we’d be laughing our asses off at some dumbass character getting comically frustrated over something they had ZERO control over. Think I’m wrong? Find someone who knows the 1970’s sitcom All in the Family… they’ll tell you all about Archie Bunker, a “kind-hearted” racist and bigot who’d spend 30 minutes every week getting the nation to laugh at our own stupidity and ignorance for getting worked up over things beyond our control through his antics and abusive dialogue. 

I mean, shit… who wouldn’t laugh at that? (#Sarchasm #RacismIsNeverFunny)

But what about now? Now, in a world where the US is now synonymous with ignorance, bigotry, and racism (as if it wasn't before)? Do we curl up into a ball and cry? Do we go to the nearest streetcorner and loudly complain about the state of things? Do we use our social media like that streetcorner? Do we choose to be like Heraclitus? 

If we relate to the problems, and the -isms in such a way where we’re always lamenting about them, we can never hold in our hearts the joy of something better, something different. 

A light spirit rises above, is able to laugh, AND steps forward to change the world. 

Laughter lightens, and attitudes alter. 

(See y’all tomorrow) 

Comments are closed.

    About the Blog

    Awakening the desire to explore Stoicism, and how it relates to his existing beliefs, Rev. William committed to working through the text, The Daily Stoic, a year-long journey to awaken the Stoic mind. 
    How things are structured can be found in the first post. 

    About the Author

    Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Rev. William attended Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado where in 2007 he graduated with a degree in Religious Studies, minoring in Psychology. Currently residing in Longmont, CO, he is one of the Priests and founder of Mountain Ancestors Grove.  He spends his time playing mandolin (and some guitar), writing, engaging in LGBTQIA+ advocacy and education, community service, and sharing a larger vision of how a polytheist perspective can lead to greater human understanding, acceptance, and gods be good, peace. 

    Archives

    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.