The Art of Taking Life Less Seriously
Brett McKay dug up an excerpt from 1925 that holds up better than most modern self-help. H.A. Overstreet on why we distrust people who take themselves too seriously.
His thesis: humor isn't about telling jokes. It's about freedom. When we're playful, we temporarily escape the binding necessities that compel us in business, morals, and daily life. We make the rules. If we lose, no harm done.
Overstreet notes that the humorous person is "blessed among us" because they're not a perfectionist. There are few more deadly persons than perfectionists. They take the joy out of life because what they require of us is so dolefully beyond our powers.
The humorous person knows our weaknesses but suspects they have similar ones. When we're with them, we're comfortable. They won't pry too severely into our shortcomings or threaten us with eventual damnation.
The real test isn't laughing at others. It's laughing at ourselves. Have we been disproportionately wrathful at something that amounted to little? Has someone caustically remarked we've lost our sense of humor?
Overstreet's advice: build a laughing-at-yourself habit. Watch yourself under stress and note the precise moment your sense of proportion vanishes.
"The most liberating ability possessed by man is the ability to laugh at himself."
A bit long, but worth the read. Especially if you're the type who gets wrathful about small things. Not that anyone here would know about that.😉
Why We Value a Sense of Humor (And Distrust People Who Take Themselves Too Seriously) — by H.A. Overstreet (via Brett McKay)