The World We Create

Have you noticed that the world is largley less fun than it used to be? Not just because money is tight, either. People have lost their sense of humor. You can't laugh with anyone anymore, let alone laugh at yourself without being labelled as some hate-monger. What kind of world do you want to live in? It's largely up to you!

When I was a kid, my mother specifically told me to laugh when I fell down, even if I had to do it through the pain. It took some practice, but eventually I grew to see humor in just about anything regarding a mess up.

Example: Once I was riding with my horse 4-H instructor. As we cantered around a section of the field, my saddle slipped sideways and I landed on my butt on the ground. Now I had friends who were seriously injured in scenarios like that. But me? I sat on the hay field and howled with laughter in spite of the bruises I knew would show later. My instructor, as horrified as she was, started laughing too. She helped me back up on "Old Red" and we galloped back to the barn. The laughter kept both of us from freaking out.

Example: Once during some renovations in our office, one of the painters decided to climb on a rickety ladder to paint the ceiling. Probably not a good choice on his part, as the minute he got to the top rung of the ladder, he slipped and fell to the concrete floor. And the paint sprayed everywhere. I thought it was a nice abstract art touch to the room, and laughed myself silly while checking to see if he was ok. He stared incredulously at me for a moment, but cracked a smile...then a full belly laugh came out. Suddenly everyone in the whole room was laughing. He was bruised and probably re-adjusted his spine some, but came out ok. Laughter does that, you know, it's like a medicine.

Our nation today is so tense that people are afraid to laugh. We can't laugh at Muslims because they'll throw a fit and try to kill us. We can't laugh at Christians because if we do we're just like the Muslims. If we laugh at our leaders, we are home-grown militia or something worse. We can't take a joke on ourselves, we're simply too tense. So we've allowed serial killers, terrorists, gang-bangers, and other assorted losers the way to our hearts-- through fear.

Worry will kill us in America. Fear will destroy us far quicker than nuclear holocaust or economic collapse. Everyone's so worried about the polar bears and whales, we've forgotten that we're the most endangered species of all. Our very personalities are being altered by those who speak fearful things to us and try to drown our joy in horrors. We have created a world of worry and anxiety.

So listen up, America! Stop being intimidated by people with no sense of humor! Find your joy and hang on to it with all your might. Grab some faith, people and stop falling into the hopeless darkness around you. Personally, I'm glad that the One True Living God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) will take care of the polar bears and the rest of us with faith. The rest of you, I'm thinking it's time to dump the negative routine and find the joy of the Lord.