Milan Kundera* wrote in his novel
LAUGHTER AND FORGETTING,
that “the struggle of man [people] against power
is the struggle of memory against forgetting”.
Elsewhere he wrote about the duality of laughter:
“how it can act as a form of freedom or awkwardness”.
What do I make of this?
That to survive, to be whole, to exist we must learn to laugh and then laugh.
Andrea Bocelli*** said,
" There are two redemptive experiences in life:
loving and laughing.
If we have one, we're doing well,
but with both, we're invincible".
He also said ”happiness is a duty,
a responsibility,
and an act of love and goodwill.”
Certainly laughing at one’s enemies is a powerful tool
and difficult to defend against.
Think of how during the recent presidential election debate
between Orange and Vice-President Harris,
when she laughed at his pet eating stories
he was stunned, flummoxed, confused.
Some medical/psychological tests have concluded
that laughter heals.
But despite hundreds of studies on the healing power of laughter
researchers still haven't answered a vital question.
Does laughing stop disease,
or do people who are naturally happier
enjoy better immunity?
Southwestern Indian Ayurveda medicine
suggests that when the concept of medicinal laughter,
taken to a deeper level,
becomes a spontaneous expression of bliss.
It suggests bliss is a condition of unshakable inner happiness,
that is supports the immune and endocrine systems
and balances the heart and mind.
We need this to confront immutable bureaucrats, evasive politicians,
misleading journalists and a corrupting popular culture.
We need it to stay sane, to take onboard the tragic comedy of life
and to cope with sorrow and confusion.
As with my dear friends below, we need to grasp pure joy
and its accompanying laughter.
I wish all a laughing new year with your loved ones and friends.
*Milan Kundera was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His novels and essays are a beautiful and humane commentary on European culture and society. His most famous, which was made into a fine film, was THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING
**TCFT stands for THE COMPLETE FREEDOM OF TRUTH,
a pan European (and beyond)
arts based project to bring young people together
through the arts to discover their own and other’s leadership qualities
as well as hidden talents and previously unimagined ways of viewing the world.
*** Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo studio albums of both pop and classical music, three greatest hits albums, and nine complete operas, selling over 80 million records worldwide.