Have you ever experienced a good comedy bit? You know, the ones that stay with you for-ev-er (Squints from The Sandlot voice) and ever? They do really make an impact, at least for me. I still can visualize scenes from past movies or good comedy sketches that made me bust-up. This feeling does a great many things for my psyche and well-being.
Like seeing the car (The Mirth Mobile) scene from Wayne’s World and forever being changed by Garth’s (Dana Carvey) lip singing of Bohemian Rhapsody. Or how about the Jim Gaffigan stand up special: Beyond the Pale, where he discusses the ridiculousness of Hot Pockets (diarrhea pockettttt). All these delightful humorous bits have been beacons to my souls flourishing (a stretch maybe but bear with me).
Why is this, I wonder (Who am I am? Zoolander voice)? Sure, many factors come into play when it comes to one’s mental health. We all have our ways of finding meaning in this crazy toilet swirl we call life. Not everybody is going to be on the same page when it comes to the how, what, when, where, why with all of this, I get it. We can’t be all full of that bullshit…I mean, prosperity gospel glee–with smiles on our face–every moment of the day.
That said, I can’t help to see the correlation between a mystical and comedic experience. The insanity of life can only be prevailed by the experience of healing freedom. It’s when we are unable to logically figure it all out that the essence of being comes into play. From a spiritual setting (which is all settings, in my opinion, but I digress) this can get a little tricky.
The Mystical Meets The Comical
Let’s see an example from Christianity (because that’s where I get my mystical bits from, ok?). Like when you see a Pentecostal speaking in those tongues of fire (oh Lord it’s a fire). This makes you feel super uncomfortable because gosh darn it, you’re just not into that sort of thing! It can get you angry, like who gives the person the right to do this?! At the same time, this type of mystical experience can be liberating to that person. Insomuch that it even betters the people around her.
This uneasy feeling could be due to numerous things. Past church experiences that were unhealthy and abusive or as simple as just never seeing it as a valid experience. Whatever the case may be, the offense may always be there. The question is, how do we react to it? Cause hot damn! I love some mystical experiences, but they really aren’t the charismatic flavor, necessarily (I’m more of a contemplative lad myself).
When I am referring to mystical experiences, I guess the definition I would choose would come from the Jesus tradition (the ocean I attempt to surf in). But it’s all related even if you don’t see yourself as “religious”. That being said, participating in the mystical is a direct experience with the mystery of the Divine. This can be individually or community driven, but it seems to always start with one person.
The mystery of God can be a plethora of encounters. From seeing the birth of your child, breaking free from addiction, to a psychedelic mushroom trip (hey now). Whatever style you choose, when you experience it, it forever changes you in life-giving ways.
How similar is that to laughing with atmospheric joy at something that tickles your sense of humor? Or how about something that is irrelevantly hilarious that it gives you that uneasy feeling or maybe gets you angry? Does the offense require excommunication out of existence? Cancel Culture, anyone?
Look, context matters for every circumstance. There are some instances where it’s good to expose hate where we see it and take action. We just shouldn’t burn it and anyone who is associated with it, at the stake. Forgiveness and reconciliation are the better path. We are seeing a push in censoring the comedic scene and that is not really the best way of going about it.
Here is the gist of it (parents are pissed but the kids love it…name that Rapper). When we experience a moment of healing freedom, it’s not always pretty. It can be all sorts of messy, but that’s A Okay baby! Sometimes we need those uncomfortable spaces to encounter divine reality.
Maybe we can see the similarities between the mystic and the comic in order to better help us appreciate life as a whole? Possibly to be more connected rather than disconnected? Especially to all those Christian’s out there. Catholic theologian Karl Rahner was right to have claimed, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all.”
True that! Not taking away from the HUGE truth bomb regarding the mystic being the future, because it is! For fun, I would even rephrase that and say (because they really are one in the same):
The Christian of the future will be a comic or will not exist at all.
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