Explore the wisdom of Seneca as he suggests that humor can lighten our burdens. By zooming out, listeners learn to view life's challenges as absurd and fleeting. Historical examples illustrate how quickly worries fade, encouraging laughter at our current dilemmas. The notion that future generations will giggle at today's serious debates adds a refreshing perspective. Realizing that even past wars seem silly in hindsight prompts us to rethink our frustrations and embrace the comedy in daily life.
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Zoom Out and Laugh
To lessen the severity of problems, try Seneca's advice: "Draw further back and laugh."
Zooming out provides perspective and reveals the absurdity of most situations.
insights INSIGHT
Cosmic Perspective
Humans are insignificant in the vastness of existence, like monkeys on a space rock.
Future generations might view our current beliefs and arguments as absurd, just as we view past ones.
question_answer ANECDOTE
The Absurdity of War
World War I, sparked by an assassination, demonstrates the absurdity of conflict.
Despite the devastating consequences, the lessons learned were quickly forgotten, leading to another war.
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The way to make all your problems, even the really vexing and painful ones, seem less severe? It comes from Seneca. All you have to do, he says, is:
“Draw further back and laugh.”
When you zoom out far enough, almost everything becomes absurd. Think about it: We are monkeys living on a space rock. We are a split second of the infinity of existence. If humanity survives long enough, people will laugh at us the way we laugh at Neanderthals. People used to have serious arguments about how many angels could fit on the head of a pin or whether the world was flat. They not only thought kings were a good idea, they thought they had divine right! What do you think they’re going to think about the arguments we have today? Or even our cutting edge science?
Even WWI is funny with enough distance. One archduke was assassinated and the entire world went to war over it. For basically no reason. And then, even after millions of people died, everyone was so stupid that they immediately forgot the lessons of the war and had to fight it again a generation later!
The troubles you’re having at work will be ridiculous to you three jobs from now. Think about all the things you cared about when you were a teenager and how silly they seem to you today—now consider that this exact evolution will happen to you at middle age, and again in old age if you are lucky enough to live that long. Think about something that’s really frustrating you about your neighbor or your parents. Now imagine telling a person in Syria or North Korea about it. Your neighbor doesn’t mow his front lawn or trim his bushes? Your dad forgot about your daughter’s dance recital? They would think you were joking! You’re seriously telling me that’s what’s on your mind? That’s what bothers you? You’re hilarious!
The Daily Stoic