Answer: The genuinely spiritual have learned
to laugh at themselves, and this ability is one of the deepest roots in
the psychology of humour. One of the first Bahá’í books I read in my
teen-aged years was God Loves Laughter, the spiritual autobiography of
an eminent and beloved teacher and author, Mr. William Sears. All
through his journey of discovery, Mr. Sears emphasized the joy of
spiritual life, of which humour formed one of the dominant keynotes.
Mr. Sears’ light-hearted approach was wise in the sense that it brought
a much needed sense of balance to the subject of religion, a domain
which is all-too-often made forbidding and unattractive to seekers and
observers by the heavy piety or life-denying negativity of overly
serious religious practitioners.
Laughter, the ready smile and the humourous anecdote figured large in
the pattern of Bahá’í life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (1844-1921), the son of the
Prophet-Founder, Bahá’u’lláh, his successor and model exemplar for the
Bahá’í community. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s long but busy days of imprisonment,
house-arrest and exile were always lightened by humour. American
educator, prolific author and prominent Bahá’í of the 20th century,
Stanwood Cobb (1881-1982), met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on five different
occasions. During a talk which I attended, Dr. Cobb gave his
impressions of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. I recall particularly this comment: “One
of the features distinguishing ‘Abdu’l-Bahá from the other spiritual
teachers and gurus I met in America was his keen sense of humour.”
Herbert Putnam, a Librarian of Congress, who met ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in
America in 1912 wrote the following: “The dominant impression that
survives in my memory of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is that of an extraordinary
nobility: physically, in the head so massive yet so finely poised, and
the modeling of the features; but spiritually, in the serenity of
expression, and the suggestion of grave and responsible meditation in
the deeper lines of the face. But there was also, in his complexion,
carriage, and expression, an assurance of the complete health which is
a requisite of a sane judgment. And when, as in a lighter mood, his
features relaxed into the playful, the assurance was added of a sense
of humor without which there is no true sense of proportion.” Well
said. -
Jack
McLean
