Go On, Have a GOOD Laugh at Yourself

SITTING AT AN ORAL SURGEON’S OFFICE WAITING ROOM and I get the vaguest impression I’ve been here before... not geographically, but metaphorically, spiritually even.

Something has just occurred—a secret between me and a close one, yet something they don’t perceive, and need not know—which I could easily become offended and thus confounded by.

Suddenly, I remember. It’s a trap. There are many of them in life... traps... traps of pride we shall call them. Any number of them take us down emotional and spiritual roadways and paths that are altogether avoidable and should then be skipped over.

It would be better in these moments where we could take offence to simply look away and laugh at the wall—though it sounds like something an insane person might do, it is a much better process to engage in than “follow” the path to micro-destruction.

And we’re then sidestepping the path to the micro-destructions that happen hundreds of times in the typical family’s week. And, sure, some of them will trip us up in any event, but why would we not avoid the ones we can?

Pride is such a bugbear for all of us and there are so many twisted versions of it from the rampantly sinful, selfish pride to the legalistic spiritual pride that comes from the superiority some people think they have over us.

And yet, pride is pride—it’s a horrible and cursed state. It’s the baseness of contempt for self and all others connected with the self.

Having the spiritual poise of humility, however, to simply laugh at the presence of something disconnected from the shallow piece of pride we’re bound to otherwise fall for, is the way out.

And another thing; when we’re in a bad mood with our family, loved ones, friends, colleagues... anyone, we ought to remember that it’s not their fault we’re reacting this way. It’s our pride that’s getting the unfettered showing—to the collective shame of all present, and certainly ours!

In this is good, to simply see the lighter, realer side of things.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.