Levity and Gravity
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Levity and Gravity
This week, I am returning to one of my favorite topics. Humor!
In the midst of all the challenges around us, it feels like laughter reconnects me to myself and my own sense of humanity. I love laughing. I don’t do it enough. But fortunately, I am surrounded by friends and family that are fast in finding the lighter side of just about anything.
There is a Swedish saying that “a good laugh extends life” (ett gott skratt förlänger livet). I believe in that wholeheartedly. Without going into the science (and there is plenty of it), there is strong evidence that this is actually very true.
But do we need science and data?
The answer is no. We just need to register the emotion. How do you feel when you are laughing? If it makes you feel good, laugh more. Is it any more complicated than that?
When someone makes you laugh, they pull you closer to you. Laughter is part of our human language of connection. The most effective leaders, speakers, and communicators use humor in powerful ways. Even spiritual leaders, when asked very challenging questions, often start their answer with a big smile and very often laughter. This is a way to use levity as an entry point to the gravity of the situation we face.
Laughter can also contextualize a lot of things. Self-deprecating humor is often funny. When we allow others to laugh at us and thereby show that glimmer of self-awareness, we create space for others and we invite them to enter the conversation.
Laughter also works incredibly fast. It is impossible to be angry and laugh at the same time. And humor can flip your emotional currents instantly. Locating the funny side of situations is an incredible gift. My daughter, Rebecca, is one of the best at it. So are my friends Larry and Steve (and many others). Thank God I am surrounded by so many laughter-inducing friends that make me laugh so often.
I tend to take things far too seriously. I need to work on that. I love laughing. I really do. And I want to bring more humor into all aspects of my life. And it is NOT at all somehow downplaying or otherwise depressing or delaying the urgency or seriousness of important challenges ahead. On the contrary. I think levity can help gravity. Levity provides the wings gravity needs to release its weight and, in doing so, can unlock new ideas, new creativity, and new imagination. When you are surrounded by humor, you tend to look at things in brighter colors and that is the kind of attitude that we need to make progress towards the world we want to be in.
Humor is not just about jokes or funny movies, although they are important, as well. It’s about the small moments that can make you stop, shake your head, and laugh. The kind of levity I am seeking is for all of us to find humor every day. Like gratitude, humor is one of these positive emotions that significantly contribute to a better life. And like gratitude, it's a muscle of habit that needs to be exercised frequently.
If you have ideas or funny stories to share, please do so. And please know that when you call or write about something that is funny, you are contributing to our human capacity for connection, community, and creativity. So, it really matters. Humor is, therefore, serious business!
I am also linking here to a great TED talk that inspired me to elevate levity this week. It’s with Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas, two Stanford professors teaching about the importance of humor. It’s sad to see that the number of people saying they laughed or smiled a lot yesterday basically falls dramatically when we are 20 years old onwards. The good news is that it turns back up…..when we are 80. But that seems like a long time to wait. (Or, could it be that only people that laugh a lot live that long?)
I am also sharing a few other important posts that are not funny at all, but are central to the mission of this newsletter – to elevate important topics from a slightly different perspective. :
A thoughtful criticism of school closures. I particularly respect when journalists are willing to criticize their own “side”. It makes it more credible, rare, and, therefore, more valuable.
A great article about Tom Brady reflecting around the core of what has made him so unique and his accomplishments so remarkable. There are lessons in here for us all. To focus, to first find our meaning, and then lose ourselves in it. The line in the article that grabbed me was this: Both trace Brady’s longevity to the same thing: his persistent ability to shut out the noise and junk, and love his work to the point of total absorption.
I also really liked this Krista Tippett OnBeing interview with Oliver Burkeman around time and what we do with it. Few things are more important than what we do with our time, and their discussion was, in a typical Krista fashion, enlightened, inspiring, and beautifully human.
I was first thinking of ending here with a clip that always makes me laugh. But I am not doing that for two reasons. First, in my first post about humor linked at the top of this one I have several of great funny clips. And second, I am hoping that some of you share your favorites so that I can start building a new levity collection. If that works well I can then share them in future clips. So please share what makes YOU laugh!
Have a great week.
