The Value of Humor

0:00 - Introduction
2:24 - Qualifier 1: The issue isn't a matter of absolutes
3:21 - Qualifier 2: My own, personal biases
4:25 - Value 1: Humor is a way of experiencing the joy of life itself
6:19 - Value 2: How humor expands our awareness
7:32 - Value 3: How humor fosters wisdom by deflating our self-seriousness
9:04 - Value 4: How humor fosters the humility to perceive reality as it is
11:47 - Value 5: How humor loosens social repression and fosters honesty
13:33 - Value 6: How humor safeguards a space for chaos, magic and the Dionysian
15:07 - Summary
16:34 - Humor's power to unsettle and challenge us
18:24 - Our eagerness to take offense... and our dictatorial impulses
19:59 - How free are we really? The Emperor's shlong is flopping in the wind!

[Albertmars]

Glad u are making more videos. I love ur content sir.

[eltercerhombre]

Wonderful video. As I read one time about a student asking his buddhist master what he should do with his thoughts. He replied “whenever you have a thought, laugh at it!”

[KTC]

Humor is one of life’s greatest gifts, and it’s so easy to take it for granted. When looking back on life, I often focus on the big, serious moments and forget about the little, brief moments I spent laughing and chuckling. But humor has helped me through so many situations where I’d otherwise feel a sense of nervousness and existential dread.

Thank you for reminding me of humor’s importance. I’ll make sure to show gratitude for every time I joke and laugh.

[vulnerablegrowth]

Some of my favourite intellectual writers include jokes and try to be humorous in their writing. I think this is crucial! It makes hard cold facts and intellectual challenging concepts much more enjoyable to go through rather than one long slog.

[siyaindagulag.]

....and now I can hear the Imperial marbles, clacking in their bag, as well. Thanks man.

[quintessenceSL]

Hinted at, but I would go one step further and say humor is a means of communion with the divine.

For all of religion's aims, they are fulfilled through laughter.

[somethingyousaid]

It's in a world like this one that humor is a luxury.

[Madasin_Paine]

Excellent content and timing.
More than amused.

[trevorcrawford]

Something that I don’t see often in current comedic trends is the unbridled absurdity as exhibited by Steven Wright, MP’s Flying Circus, or Andy Kaufman. This is by far my favorite style of comedy. I see residual pockets of this kind of absurdity on the Internet and on adult swim shows, but not so much in the mainstream. Can you talk about how we as a society use and interpret absurd comedy? Many thanks!

[tannerhagen]

Many go the utilitarian route in defense of free speech, your existential approach carries more weight for me. Great perspective! Take care your soul and shlong

[theblackhole]

I missed u sir, was worried abt ur health

[ivankaramazov]

I feel large part of your humour is dictated by poetic sensibility. I think it would be great if you could do a video on " the value of poetic sensibility ", you are great at conveying wast meaning in few words and make us experience atheistic parts of life.

[SteveJones]

Chris Rock! "That's right, I said it!"

[docjohnson]

This is the reason we love I hasten to remind you that Rodney Dangerfield made a quite successful career out of making "farting noises" among good.

[dlloydy]

The offended breed a society of inability to cope with life’s challenges....it contributes to a real lack of resilience. Leads to victim hood I think. What happens when the number of victims outnumber those who don’t see themselves that way? How or who will get things done? Will there be a subset of victims outdoing each other in a race to the bottom of being more of a victim!?

[haikubandit]

What ever happened
To Sticks and Stones break bones but
Words cannot hurt you?

The last time I checked
Freedom of Speech included
Choice to not listen

Offended snowflakes
Would get offended for not
Getting offended