Quote from Deleted user on August 2022, 6:23 pm

Hello,

I have been exposed to the "fool" as spiritual metaphor.  I felt uncomfortable with laughing at the absurd then, and I still do. 

I think it is because I see much sorrow in the world and have trouble being silly about it.  Satire requires emotional distance, to stand back as "the other" and laugh at the idiocy of Canada's production of war machines, for example.  I can't stand back and laugh at the way I participate in the use of fossil fuels which have produced the current climate emergency.  Yes, humans in the northern hemisphere tend to be idiots, consuming madly so that corporations can make billions by plundering the natural resources of foreign lands that they colonize economically, if not with foreign nationals, violating the human rights and dignity of the indigenous peoples living there.

Fortunately, I am good at laughing at myself.  It helps people to not take me too seriously, since I tend to have strong opinions about serious issues.  I also find that modelling humour at my imperfection tends to free those near me to laugh at their mistakes, and to love themselves without fear when mistakes happen.  This is especially true with my grandchildren, and has been helpful with employees who I supervise in an authority structure. 

Where the wild fool can work with my own ego most is on my judgmental values.  I have little tolerance for those whose words and deeds show lack of care for others' interests in their health and safety, especially.  I accept others who choose not to become aware of their own unhelpful words/actions, but I have little respect for the blissful naive lives they live.  One cannot escape from what one knows.  In my experience, the less I knew, the happier I was!

Happiness is a marketer's myth, selling things and experiences, through association with happiness as a value.  I am fortunate to be able to experience profound joy frequently in surprising moments.  But I judge adults who seek happiness with their toys rather harshly.  This is a form of my discrimination based, in part, on my relatively low (in Canada) economic status.  I don't feel comfortable in my skin when I gaze at this part of myself.

I think it would be interesting if wild spirituality could address individuals' words, actions, and inaction that invite harm to others' health and safety, especially vulnerable others.  A dualistic spiritual judgment is that such behaviour is "evil", and perhaps expressed by an "evil" person.  That judgment doesn't work for me.  Another judgment that I use is that the actor is naive, unaware, and dangerous but not intentionally so.  That judgment has worked for me so that I relate with acceptance of these behaviours, but I tend to avoid the company of these people in my life.  The irony of this weakness is that I, too, am unaware of the unintentional harm I invite others to experience.  I can see irony here.  I wonder how wild spirituality would address this with humour....I feel blocked on this, as I write...it would take some grunt work for me to act in a wildly spiritual way when I witness these behaviours in others, other than acting the fool, and putting my own safety at risk.

Of course, I harshly judge apathy about the best interests of others' health and safety, and about the health of Gaia.  The hardest wall I face occurs when another tells me, "Why should I care about anyone I don't know?" My belief that we are all interconnected with each other and other life forms is consistent with my values.  My liberal mind wants to honour different values, but I still feel my values of compassion and respect for others are superior to other values, such as desire for consumer products.  I recognize this is a source of my arrogance, but I choose it intentionally without shame.  I choose to be apathetic about supporting the best interests of privileged others who seek to acquire consumer products and services. This is ironic.  Now how can I make it funny and use satire....

Quote from Deleted user on August 2022, 6:26 pm

Hi Mark.

Just to clarify, my last question was a rhetorical question...not asking you to answer it!  Just me pondering....

 

Quote from Mark Matousek on August 2022, 9:23 am

Dear Gail,

Thanks for these thoughts on satire, judgement, and the spiritual role of the 'holy fool' or 'crazy wisdom' teacher who exposes the follies and exploits of society using outrage and humor. The purpose of irony and satire is not to trivialize suffering and abuse, as you know: it's to illuminate the human condition and condemn harmful actions without condemning the actors. It's impossible to "stand back as "the other" and laugh at the idiocy of Canada's production of war machines," as you point out, but it's all too easy to mock greed, selfishness, conspicuous consumption, capitalism and social myopia. It's also important to be transparent about our own failings, as you are ("Where the wild fool can work with my own ego most is on my judgmental values"). Where I disagree with you is on the subject of happiness, which is not just a 'marketer's myth' as you suggest, but is, in fact, the goal of every human life. I realize you're referring to happiness-as-derived-from-toys-and-goodies, here, but I also sense here a knee jerk rejection of happiness as a worthy possibility in human affairs, happiness that has nothing to do with materialism, social status, or the ways of the world; happiness that derives, instead, from self-knowledge and liberation from the illusions of the self, and the suffering that comes from self-ignorance.

I'm so happy you're joining us in The Seekers Forum!  Great to meet you at Hollyhock last week. : )

Mark