Laugh, Or Cry?
Focusing on the Daily Stoic Meditation for August 27 — Laugh, Or Cry? as outlined by Ryan Holiday in the bestseller 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance and the Art Of Living.
“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
Is it better to laugh or to cry?
Different people handle each situation differently.
Some people, when faced with an embarrassing situation — perhaps they trip up in public and drop their drinks or papers — would cry about it. They’d feel awfully embarrassed, shed tears and even continue to be upset for the whole day.
Other people, on the other hand, when faced with the exact same situation, would embrace the embarrassment and laugh it off. They’d objectively understand that this situation doesn’t actually matter in the bigger picture, and that it’s always good to laugh at yourself every once in a while.
When you’re wondering, is it better to laugh or to cry, remember that laughter is medicine for…
