Wake Up Laughing

by Swami Beyondananda

What kind of fool am I? What kind of fool do you think I am? Why do fools fall in love? Am I fool number one or am I fool number two? Yes, it seems we human beings have been asking foolish questions about the nature of existence since long before the Top 40. So let me clear it up for you here and now: Life is a cosmic comedy and we’re on a fool’s journey.

Am I serious? No. But I used to be. I was a serious fool until I realized how foolish seriousness can be. If you don’t believe me, you can look it up. What is human history if not a chain, chain, chain, chain of fools? No kidding. A guy preaches love thy neighbor, and they nail him to a cross. Now that’s foolish. Not to mention all of those heretics. You think there’s sage burning today -- back in the Middle Ages, they burned sages all the time. What foolishness!

Don’t get me wrong. Being fooled can be fun. Ask any toddler enjoying a game of peekaboo, or a child watching a magic trick, or an adult reading a good mystery. But when we get tricked into believing unbelievable nonsense that keeps us small and unhappy, well that is the time to wake up laughing -- to create that good hearty laughter to help us turn the funk into function -- and leave the junk at the junction.

Now I’m not one of those fools who believes that laughter solves every problem. Only a 100% absurdified USDA (U.S. Dept. of Ascendancy) master would find everything funny. But laughter sure does help. So next time you get the feeling that the Creator is toying with you, remember that you have choice in the matter -- you can become a creative plaything. And the next time you find yourself caught up in a drama and have totally lost track of the laugh track, remind yourself that life is a comedy of situations -- and you’re just having an episode.

Now it is true, that the world is in a grave state. That’s the bad news. The good news is, the best way to overcome gravity is with levity. So I recommend that you make it a habit to wake up laughing.

It has been said that the Fooly-Realized Ones are able to laugh at the very first instant they wake up in the morning -- or at least the first moment they catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror. There’s no reason why you can’t do the same.

If the thought of looking at yourself in the morning seems horrifying, try this: Pretend you are looking at someone else. The worse you look, the harder you will laugh. As you laugh, you will begin to look better and better until you no longer look funny enough to laugh at. When you stop laughing on your own accord, you have dispersed the laugh force throughout your body and you are able to start the day on a full head of esteem!

Remember too that laughter is the currency of joy ... so pay it forward. Take those jokes from the internet and share them on the outernet. There’s nothing like watching a joke detonate right in front of your eyes. And you don’t need to memorize long, complicated jokes, either. Short jokes are fine. Humorologists tell us that it isn’t the length of the joke that matters, it’s how much pleasure it gives. A good joke proliferates and nourishes like manna. Think about it. One person arrives with a good joke, and dozens leave with it!

And when nothing at all seems funny? Well, then that is the time to laugh at nothing at all! Because no matter how bleak things seem, I can reassure you the Farce is always with us.

Scientific studies show that life is more fun when we laugh -- so may we wake up laughing, and may we laugh, laugh, laugh until the sacred cows come home.

Copyright ©2001 by Steve Bhaerman. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Hear the Swami’s wisdom with your own ears -- just click onto www.beyondananda.com. To find out more about Swami’s products and appearances on the "outernet", call 1-800-SWAMI-BE.

Swami’s Love and Laughter Special.

Says the Swami: "Many people have found themselves challenged by the recent economic downturn, and some have even had 'near-debt experiences.’" Well, to paraphrase those 60s icons, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, "Laughter will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no laughter." To help you wake up laughing ... and leave laughter in your wake, the Swami has put together a special package including his hilarious book on healing laughter, Duck Soup for the Soul, his latest audio cassette, Beyondananda and Beyond: Two Takes on Healing Laughter, and his latest music and comedy CD, Drive Your Karma, Curb Your Dogma, a $38 value for just $29.77 + 4.23 shipping. Not only that, but act right now and receive online Swami's Joke-A-Week (Zen Cohens from Harry Cohen Baba) for ten weeks. To order, call Swami's hot line 1-800-SWAMI-BE or visit www.wakeuplaughing.com

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The Way Of Living Louder And Laughing Longer.
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