Book Description

On laughter and sobs, smiles and tears. Laughter is the physical manifestation of a sudden and excessive recognition of one’s own superiority. What the orgasm of Laughter is to pleasure, that of Sobs is to pain. As Laughter is the abrupt expansion of body and mind, so Sobbing is the sudden and spasmodic contraction of the same. The ego-feeling takes shape as self-Complacence in Laughter, and as self-Pity in Sobbing. Laughter is egoistic, always, but the young have a right, almost a duty, to be egoistic, otherwise they would not grow, and growing is always at the expense of someone else. Human beings smile for joy and smile sadly; they weep in gladness and they weep in pain. Loud laughter and talk should be shunned. There are more grounds for sorrow than for laughter in our present world. The great teachers laugh seldom but smile often, in tenderness and sadness; sad to see another’s pain, tender to relieve it. The violent physical laugh is the laugh of the coarse sense of moreness of the egocentric man, while the quiet, tender smile is the smile of the subtle sense of moreness of the unselfish man. Mockery is the fume of little hearts, noble manners are the blossoms of the noble heart. Golden silence is the only antidote to self-assertion. Bhagavan Das’ annotations on Henri Bergson’s analysis of Laughter. There is nothing benevolent in laughter, its purpose is to return evil for evil and to intimidate by humiliating. Because laughter is self-assertive, conceited, presumptuous, and impertinent, even when it is merely playful, its fruit turns to ashes in the mouth of the philosopher who, being aware of the underlying egotism, is appalled by its pettiness and paltriness. It doesn’t take long for the puffed up self-esteem to break out in laughter. Let us pray to be spared from low buffoonery and mocking laughs. Vex not thou the poet’s mind with thy shallow wit.