Saturday, July 30, 2011

Duck Soup for the Soul

I am currently reading a book that frankly I cannot remember buying entitled "Duck Soup for the Soul" by Swami Beyondananda.  It is full of different plays on words and the basic jest of the book is to find the lighter side of life and not take yourself too seriously.  As I wander through the pages I am wondering why I would have purchased this book in the first place and why am I feeling the need to read it now.  I am a happy person.  I am a person who looks for the brighter side of a dark situation....to dig out that gem that I am to learn from. Then it dawns on me....I need to rememeber that it is summer and I really do need to get back to FUNdamentals.  To erase the jestive blockages that keep one from fun, peace, and happiness. I may indeed be suffering from one or two of the common jestive disorders outlined in the book.
Read on and find out if you are in denial about your ability to find humour in everyday life.
"These are, from mildest to most serious:
1. Irregularhilarity - is the most common and - if caught early enough - the most treatable.  Irregularhilarity comes from forgetting to laugh, and consequently holding on to material which would be better released. Untreated, irregularhilarity can become chronic and lead to a full-blown case of hummorrhoids.  Irregularhilarity is most commonly triggered by overload of information and obilgation.  Fortunately, this disorder is easily treatable.  For one thing, laughsitives can be bought over-the-counter at most stores.
2. Irony Deficiency - What we call irony deficiency is not so much a deficiency in irony itself, but an inability to utilize the abundance of irony all around us.  The jestive system uses irony to help us ruminate on ideas and break them down before we swallow them.  When we have difficulty in our irony uptake, these ironies pass through us without being digested.  This can lead to clue-deficiency, assaholism and ultimately, truth decay.
3. Hummorrhoids - are a chronic condition, characterized by undue seriousness, and particularly the inability to laugh at oneself.  If untreated, this condition can lead to complete atrophy of the jocular vien.  Advanced-stage hummorrhoid suffers may be unable to pass anything except heavy judgements.
4. Truth Decay - When irony deficiency and hummoroids go untreated for any period of time and toxic ideas are allowed to worm their way in between the thoughts, the result is truth decay. After years of being unable to use irony to break down toxic beliefs, the skeptic system begins to overflow with B.S. and slowly chokes off the jocular, stopping the flow of joy to the heart.  The first symptom of truth decay might very well be smartyrdom-the willingness to sacrifice being happy for being right.  From smartyrdom, it is an all-to-easy step to full-blown assaholism.  As truth decay advances, the swelling of the onus may become so painful that the sufferer becomes addicted to complaining.  Without the nourishment that comes from laughter, joy, and play, truth decay victims are in danger of losing every truth in their head.  They commonly suffer from what is commonly called "malconclusion" - where each truth comes in malformed or crooked.  The tragic final stage of truth decay is kind of a "spiritual Alzheimer's" - where you forget there is any fun in life whatsoever. As bad as it is, truth decay is treatable at any stage."
Good thing I was only sufffering from Irregularhilarity.  Close call I would say. What about you?  Think about it....have you reached truth decay?