Seriousness: almost all of us soak it up at regular intervals (and in large doses) … We get frustrated with the state of our own lives or disheartened by the state of the world; we clench our teeth, furrow our brows and grimly decide to take on the world’s problems — or correct others’ problems — or at the very least do battle with our own.

Maybe we choose to judge life to be a difficult struggle. Maybe we choose to believe that the harder we work, the more trouble we encounter. Or maybe we simply decide to sit back and glumly analyze it all; to criticize all that is wrong with others or cajole all that is broken with life in general.

In essence, we tumble headlong into the dark pit that is “taking life too seriously”.

And, to be fair, this state of mind is not an unreasonable one to have.

Most of us been taught from a very early age to “be responsible” and “work hard” so that we can someday, somehow “make something of ourselves”. We have learned that we have to compete for our resources and strive for our acceptance and earn our wealth. And we have been taught that it is the serious man or woman who has the better chance of succeeding in such a life.

In addition, most of the primary foundations of human society are currently either undergoing great change, or precariously teetering on the verge of doing so. Dozens of countries are undergoing internal strife of one form or another, and dozens more (including our own) are currently at war. The global economy more closely resembles a house of cards every day, and the planet in general is poised on the brink of a potentially catastrophic ecological collapse.

And, to make matters even more challenging, the “powers that be” are using this over-ripeness of calamity to tempt us to remain afraid – to tempt us to remain grim – to tempt us to remain serious. The major news outlets, whether they be heard on the radio, seen on television or viewed online, have become factories of “doom & gloom”; sucking the Amazement out of the miraculous around us, obscuring the Happiness in everything joyous near us, and strangling the compassion from the conscience within us.

We are told over & over again that we are “only human”; that we should just “grin and bear it”; that we are not powerful enough by ourselves to stop our world from “going to hell in a hand-basket” … At the same time, we are also told that we are essentially alone in this cold, bleak world, and that each of us is responsible for taking care of our own needs and satisfying our own desires.

Basically, many people have chosen to accept this version of the Truth – many have chosen to view living as a human being to be something that is very, very serious, so much so that this bleakness has begun to regularly dominate their lives, sometimes without their even being aware of it.

In essence, our seriousness has become an addiction.

RECOGNIZING YOUR OWN ADDICTION to SERIOUSNESS

While it IS important to be able to recognize the moments in life that are “Important”, and while it is equally important to approach such events with earnestness & sincerity, this does NOT require us to have an outlook on life that is glum or harsh or grim.

Indeed, when we judge a challenge or even a crisis negatively – when we approach it too seriously, we actually inhibit our ability to find an effective solution for the same.

So, if being earnest and sincere is recommended, and being “too serious” about life is detrimental, how can we tell the difference?

For starters, invest a few moments of your time in considering the following questions:

*When someone makes a joke about you, do you take it personally and get miffed or upset?

*When you feel that the task at hand is “very important”, do you feel as though you “have to get finished” before you can move on to another one?

*Do you follow a rigid routine &/or have difficulty saying “yes” to spontaneous requests?

*Do you take on projects that could easily be delegated to other, equally-qualified people?

*Do you believe that the world is a dangerous place?

*Do you get irritated or depressed when watching the nightly news?

*Do you laugh less than five times a day?

*Do you believe that life requires a “balance” between good times and bad times?

*Do you argue about political issues, politics or politicians?

*Do you get upset when your favorite sports team loses or plays poorly?

*Do you gossip about friends, acquaintances or enemies?

*Do you take offense when insulted?

*Do you defend yourself or explain your actions when criticized?

*Do you hold grudges for longer than one day?

*Do you have difficulty laughing off embarrassments?

*Do you strive to be a “success” as a person or to “succeed” at work?

*Do you feel anxious about the future (your own, or your country’s, or your species’)?

*Do you criticize others (including children and including yourself) for being “goofy” or “strange” or “silly” or “immature”?

*Do you avoid courteous banter with others, preferring instead to talk primarily about “important things”?

*Do you have highly specific life-goals or clearly defined visions for your future?

*Do you feel responsible for anyone else’s happiness?

*Do you worry about anyone or anything more than once a week?

*Do you feel paralyzed or have difficulty in making important decisions?

*Do you become easily bored by everyday tasks & routines?

*Do you go a whole day without stopping once to stand in awe-filled amazement at the sheer Beauty of nature … or the sky … or another person?

*Do you avoid opportunities to attend to the homeless or the unhappy in your neighborhood because you have “more important things to do”?

As mentioned earlier, we all have the built-in tendency to be too serious about our lives, and the questions where you answered “yes” are simply the areas in your life where you you are currently doing so. And collectively, they represent the degree to which your true Happiness & inner Peace are being hampered by an addiction to seriousness.

The CONSEQUENCES of over-SERIOUSNESS

The problem with being overly serious is that you scar yourself as a person when you do so … You start taking on the “weight of the world” and, in the process, stop being “the real You”.

Instead, you invest heavily in being the person you wish you were, or the person think you should be, or the person that you think others wish you would become; a person who makes very few mistakes, a person who is “successful”, a person who is a “good citizen” – a person who can be “looked up to” and who “makes their mark”.

Of course, what happens when you do so is that you begin to resemble a mere robotic shadow of your True Self. You become lost in an endless series of serious moments: solving your own problems, solving other people’s problems, solving the problems of the world. You become increasingly dour and depressed. A sense of resigned hopelessness begins to eat away at your senses of Joy and Wonderment. You just try to “get through the day”, you feel hopeless to effectuate any significant change for the better, you find the Beauty that constantly surrounds you to be “normal” or “boring”. You become increasingly jaded and smug and negative; more & more critical and unmotivated and glum.

Fortunately, there is an effective way out of this self-made prison.

While I will be sharing some specific tips on how we can free ourSelves from the cage of seriousness in the post that follows, it is enough now for you to simply pause whenever you are feeling grim or upset or depressed or angry or worried … to pause just long enough to remember that a Meaning-full life is not about “being successful” or accumulating “wealth” or even “being happy”.

It is enough to take one deep breath and smile.

It is enough to remember that, despite all your trials & difficulties, your life is filled with Beauty and that you are alive and surrounded by the same.

It is enough to remember that a truly Meaning-full life is simply about this one moment and what you choose to do with it; that we are not here to “fix anything” or to “save the world” – but that we are here to simply Care for others, and to do so simply in just this one instant.

It is enough to remember that everything you chose to do DOES make a difference.

And finally, it is enough to remember that we are not worry about whether or not our small act of Kindness prove to be “effective” or even whether or not they are received by others at all. We are simply here to do the small amount of selfless good that we can do in each moment, and then we are here to let that deed go and move on to the next one.

So, whenever you are feeling down or worried or agitated — whenever you are feeling sad or afraid or miffed — in essence, whenever you are feeling serious, just pause and follow the following steps to Freedom:

*Shrug your shoulders & smile at life …

*Notice something (no matter how “small”) that can be done for another (or for your neighborhood, or for the planet) …

*Do that Good Deed (without hope or expectation of any reward or recognition) …

*Give thanks for having been given the chance to Care …

*And then turn to face life anew; to seek (and then to find, and then to calmly engage) the next opportunity to serve.

It’s admittedly a very simple method to set aside seriousness and re-experience Joy … and yet it is a path that works Wonder-fully every time.

Enjoy, my Friends … in-JOY!!!

“Joy is health. Love, laughter, life are all aspects of the same energy … Seriousness, on the other hand, is a state of disease.” ~ inspired by Osho

“Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out alive.” ~ Bugs Bunny