Reference Passage:
Proverbs 25:20 (NIV)
Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day... is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
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As we return to Solomon's treasury, our concern this time is the growing attempt worldwide, to deny the realities of sorrow with the belief that a positive attitude is all that really matters in life. The wise man tells us that trying to laugh away the burdens of our heart is like taking off our clothes on a wintry day. Let me explain.
In the marketplace of ideas, the concept of Commercial laughter has become a major player. The gift of mirth is now peddled in a variety of shapes and sizes, tailored to fit all kinds of taste. In Eastern mysticism lingo, there exists a form of exercise called Hasyayoga – laughter yoga, in English. The argument goes that since the body is unable to distinguish between real and fake laughter, the positive effects thereof may be harnessed to trigger good health and mental tranquility. With the world increasingly looking East for spiritual therapy in recent times, the joke has spread far and wide, like many other good jokes. Its no longer strange to find groups of usually sane adults, laughing their way to wellness, seated in parks in the early hours of the morning.
Comedy is similarly being pressed into service all over the world. A daring race of stand-up comedians are grabbing attention, poking fun at just about anything from politics to religion to popular culture. It now appears that keeping the paying audience in splits of laughter, presumes prime importance, irrespective of the content of the punch line. Hence, time and again, there is a subtle foray into hitherto restricted territory, armed with nothing more than a simplistic view of life's deeper questions. And why not, given the fact that it helps to ease tension, and help us feel better?
Laugh we may, but human kind does not appear to be a very happy lot. Aren't we assuring ourselves that we're the descendants of evolved monkeys and happiness is the result of chemical processes and neural responses, within the brain? No wonder, our attempts at happiness remain peripheral, because we continue to deny the realities of our inner selves.
Let me take you to the airline check-in counter at the airport, for a quick illustration. With all the talk of “global quality standards” and “customer satisfaction”, you find the counter occupied by a smiling attendant, ever willing to meet any need. The greeting, the polite questions and quick windup of routines, leave you charmed. However, these are also the days of tight budgets and last-minute flight cancellations. Lo and behold! The counter is soon mobbed by an impatient crowd and questions are volleyed across by the dozen. Soon the smile dissolves away with the makeup, as the rising heat induces a bout of perspiration. The helpless passenger is left wondering if the smile earlier, had depth to match the length. Besides, why did it disappear when it was most needed?
I wonder if in similar fashion, our joy and peace of mind lasts only as long as we are immersed in the comforts of the expected. Remember life has an uncanny tendency to present the unexpected, catching us unawares.
Oppressive cold weather always means refuge in warmer clothes, at least for us human beings. Exposing oneself to the elements, without the strength to match, is definitely not an act of courage. Acting as if the chill doesn't exist, does not lighten the onslaught or the suffering. Yet, why is it that we attempt to live in a state of denial and complacency as the world around us continues to hurt?
Believe it or not, the sadness and frustration has penetrated our inner selves too. Merely consider the human hunger for entertainment, for evidence of our desperation. The audience demand for lust, mirth and other forms of self-indulgence have only grown over the years as the performers remain sensitive to the lure of money. I was taught in my school days that humans needed recreation or entertainment, to overcome the mental tension of everyday life. In that case, does not the craving for more entertainment reveal the reality that more distress infiltrates our hearts everyday?
To me, it appears as if our efforts have only served to further aggravate the internal crisis, which is alarming – the pill that draws appetite to itself, is never really medicine, it is only an addictive drug. Mankind does not ask what we are truly doing to ourselves, and we'll pay the price someday.
Worse yet, those of us who have absolutely no idea how biting the cold can be, attempt to convince others that it takes only a smile for the darkness to dissipate. You wish!
The Bible tells us this of God's Presence:
“In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)
The need of the hour is a solution that brings man into day-by-day personal experience of God's Presence, even as he confronts the challenges of pain and sorrow. Almost 2 millennia ago, was born the One called “Immanuel” - literally translated “God with us.” His biographies do not tell us anything about His laughter or whether He made people laugh. His messages eventually stung His enemies to retaliate with the death penalty because He made it plain that man could not taste happiness on his own terms. Unlike so many other heroes of history, He chose to suffer on a Roman Cross, silently, and for no fault of His.
Having risen again on the third day, His Name is still called upon for salvation, all over the globe, irrespective of caste, colour or religion. Those who have tasted the sweetness of His friendship, declare the peace and joy that refuses to evaporate in times of trouble. They do not drown their sorrows with empty songs or nervous giggles, they'd rather share their sorrows with Him, Who has tasted suffering for them first-hand. He continues to be their Rock, where they stay anchored even when the world threatens to tear up their faith.
An old hymn cries out these words of challenge:“Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?”
Remarkably, Jesus Christ, our Immanuel, never was, is or ever will be, the result of man digging out the secret recipe of true happiness, but God offering it at His own expense, to anyone ready to take Him at His Word.
