Wise people take their calling seriously, themselves not so much.
Elias Beadle observed “Half the work that is done in this world is to make things appear what they are not.” This is partly because we’re just foolish and silly at heart. We know it, and so we try hard to look better than we really are. (It’s partly because we desperately want to be known and we’re terrified to be known, too — a topic for another time.)
I’m convinced C.S. Lewis didn’t work hard to invent his Dufflepuds characters in “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” — he was just a good observer of people. The Dufflepuds consistently misinterpreted Coriakin (the magician leader of the island) as a tyrant when he was simply trying to educate and protect them from their foolishness. Their self-identity as “uglified” shapes their behavior. They all instantly agree with their Chief without considering what he says. They have infallible logic such as “Water is powerful wet stuff.” They have goofy ideas about saving time such as cooking potatoes before they plant them. The Dufflepuds are us.
How many times have we gone through something unpleasant, or that didn’t turn out well, and confidently said “Next time / Next year it will be better” and do nothing. Then, when the outcome is the same we confidently say “Next time / Next year it will be better.” It’s useful, I supposed, but still silly.
We love magic tricks and illusions. We like to be fooled if it’s entertaining and no one suffers any real loss. Brunello Cucinelli observed that there are three things you cannot buy: Fitness, Diet, and Looking after your soul. These you must do yourself. Yet we will impulse buy “instant” solutions for fitness, weight loss, better skin, getting paid without work, and BOGO (‘buy one, get one’) deals for things we never knew we needed. Being a silly species has made some people rich.
Entire college educations in grand subjects are available online for free, but consumption is minimal. Have you noticed that bathroom humor, videos of people getting smacked in their groin or head, and dogs and cats being, well, dogs and cats, never run out of audiences? We all chuckle at these. How many collective lifespans have been spent watching LOL cat videos, and how many months of power plant activity were required?
Every parent has watched a toddler trying to sneak around, thinking no one would notice their exaggerated walk or crawl. Perhaps you used the strategy of “If I can’t see you, you can’t see me.” We are amused at babies looking in mirrors, not recognizing themselves. I can only imagine the magnitude of God’s love for us when adults behave the same way.
Take a moment (or a few microseconds) to recall a time when you confidently, proudly, boldly believed and acted on a “truth” that you now realize was completely wrong. Even a few of these instances should forever puncture our pride. But it doesn’t. We’re a silly species.
A cursory review of the history of medicine, machines, exploration, and means of government should likewise be sobering. We look back, scoff, and say “What foolishness!” I agree with George Orwell’s observation that some ideas are so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them. We’re currently practicing all the foolish ideas that people 50 or 100 years from now will disdain. We’re a silly species.
Laughter – especially laughter at ourselves – is a gift we should enjoy. Laughing at our silliness is the healthy transition point to deciding to be less silly going forward. Because we do have a serious calling, with genuine joy.
