14 December, 2020

Laughter in the Darkness

Near the end of his address to Serenus, Seneca states the importance of  laughing at the “commonly held vices,” those that infect us all. He believes that such a reaction bears more humanity, for it recognizes the truth of human life. We do not possess divine souls, or a higher purpose. We move through the world in a blink of an eye, before returning to the dirt, and the world carries on. In understanding this fact, a person is coming to terms with the reality of their existence, and is thus able to truly connect with their humanity. To not understand the true vastness of time, to believe that we hold some powerful presence in the 100 trillion year span in which life will possibly thrive in the universe, is laughable.

        Seneca believes that to find humor in human folly is far more dignified than to find tragedy. For again, ridiculousness more aptly describes the human condition. We are naturally small creatures, prone to hilariously predictable patterns of degenerate behavior. Yet, we often convince ourselves that we are somehow more divine than the other life forms which inhabit the Earth. In reality, humans are about as far from sacred creatures as can be, which in itself makes the religious and societal expectations held by many in the ancient Hellenic world to be worthy of a chuckle or two.

To weep at the state of such things is inappropriate, for such a powerful emotion deserves a powerfully important reason, which humanity is not. There is no gravitas in humanity’s failings worthy of true sorrow. Furthermore, the burden of grief can inhibit the ability to better our lives, and dispel some of the vice which we carry. To wallow in the disheartening state of man is of no use to anyone.

When directed at oneself, humor in the face of our flaws can be a wonderful thing, for it can stand as proof that we are self-aware, and that we possess the strength to better ourselves. Self-deprecation is often a sign of confidence and comfort with one's being. It represents a sort of agency, one that is required to enact change within the person.

Self-mockery can usually be perceived to be warm, because it suggests that a person is at least knowledgeable of their own flaws. Yet when directed outwards, the recipient of such humor may be in a state where they are not yet ready to face their failings with such brazen openness. Instead, such banter could break what little confidence a person already possesses, inhibiting their ability to better themselves rather than building it up. To make light of human failings, you must truly understand the object of your merriment, particularly their self confidence. That is why it is usually only appropriate to laugh at oneself; or, if about the right things, with close friends and family.

The true value of laughter in the face of our darkness is the hope which such sentiment holds. I speak of a certain type of humor, of course. Not that which is expressed through a sneer, or delivered with unsmiling eyes. No. Such mockery is born of self-loathing, one of the most crippling vices of them all. I refer to the gentler sort, born from wisdom, and the acceptance of human insignificance. In recognizing the lack of gravity in the human condition, laughter recognizes how pathetic wickedness truly is. It removes the power of greed, lust, ambition, and rage. It places such vice in the realm of conquerable, trivial things which may be overcome, not looming towers of unimaginable power.  

Conversely, tears deter from the hope of change, for they imply a sort of despair. Grief is an emotion felt when mourning the loss of something which has passed, whether it be a person, a kingdom, or an age. To apply such feeling to the human condition inherently states that hope for betterment is a lost cause, that we should mourn the fact that we have traveled down a path from which we cannot deviate.

Personally, I feel such complete hopelessness to be unwarranted. Yes, much of our history has been laced with horror. Evil and folly have always been present in all of us. But there have been moments of real beauty. Compassion and empathy have shown through the cracks, in those private moments which don’t always make their way into the stories of our kind. All those mothers, who have felt love for their children. All those friends, who have laughed together over a glass of wine. And life’s not meant to be a bed of roses anyway. If happiness and hope filled the entirety of our lives, what moments would bear any value? It is the evil, hatred, failure and despair which give the good parts meaning. In the words of the Russian, “the darker the night, the brighter the stars.”