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August 27th

LAUGH, OR CRY?

“Heraclitus would shed tears whenever he went out in public—

Democritus laughed. One saw the whole as a parade of miseries,

the other of follies. And so, we should take a lighter view of things

and bear them with an easy spirit, for it is more human to laugh at

life than to lament it.”

—SENECA, ON TRANQUILITY OF MIND, 15.2

s this observation the origin of that famous expression about frustrating
news: “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry?” The Stoics saw little
purpose in getting angry or sad about things that are indifferent to our
feelings. Especially when those feelings end up making us feel worse.
It’s also another bit of evidence that the Stoics were hardly some
depressing, bitter group of old men. Even when things were really bad,
when the world made them want to weep in despair or rage, they chose to
laugh about it.
Like Democritus, we can make that same choice. There is more humor
than hate to be found in just about every situation. And at least humor is
productive—making things less heavy, not more so.