Evolving Consciousness through Comedy

Laughter is the best medicine. Sustained happiness and joy arise out of one's ability to cultivate a positive psychological environment within themselves. Through experiencing many traumas and up's and downs in my life, I have found that time again, the best way to cope with my 'issues' is to make a joke about them and share a laugh with someone.

It's a fairly basic karmic principle to understand. If you have some form of painful experience or 'negative' thing that happens to you, the most healthy way of coping is to turn it into a positive.

Recently, I had an embarrassing thing happen to me. I was out drinking at the bar with some friends for the first time in a while, and as a result my tolerance to alcohol was fairly low. Towards the end of the night, I stumbled out the back entrance to get some air, as I felt like I was about to pass out. And low and behold...I did! Right on to the pavement. SMACK!

Needless to say, my face required serious medical attention. Luckily enough, a nursing student happened to be pulling in at that very moment, and she came over to see if I was ok. Despite being a stranger, she ended up dressing my wounds and driving me to the hospital (amazing coincidence, and one that was desperately needed at that point in time).

The first thing that popped into my head after I stopped bleeding and the pain died down was...damn...that's gonna be some great material! Coincidentally enough, this happened days before I was to compete in a local comedy competition, and needless to say the fact that I had broken my face had the effect of breaking the ice for the audience that night.

In this time of transition and great psychological unease, it's important to remember the absurdity of what it means to be human, especially within our own unimportant, self-manufactured dramas. Once we realize we are players within our own movie, we can actually begin to be able to do some of the script writing.

To me, comedy and truth are one in the same. When I'm on stage doing a bit, I'm attempting to provoke a response of laughter using my own view of our shared cultural 'truths' as a way to express how absurd we can all be. At some moments, I feel as though I'm basically using telepathy to tap into their unconcious beliefs in order to have some fun. However, sometimes these truths can ring a bit too true, which can elicit a response of anger instead of laughter.

Bill Hicks was a prime example of someone who tried to spread ideas and raise consciousness through the medium of jokes and spoken word, and often instead of receiving laughter got blank stares or fits of rage from people far too removed from themselves or their true nature. To do it during the Reagan era was especially daring and impressive, as many comics didn't want to upset the audience or the status quo of what could be included in a comedy show.

I find it especially interesting/ironic that the most reliable news sources found on cable television in America happen to be on Comedy Central. It seems as though our corporate gatekeepers are willing to accept certain ideologies or points of view, as long as it's framed in terms of it being a joke. But such is our cultural framework, and one must work within it.

This is where I see my involvement with the Evolver social movement coming into play. As a comic, I will have the fortune of being given a microphone and some time in front of complete strangers, whereby I get to basically say whatever I want, as long as there are laughs at the end. Like Hicks and David Cross, and other underground comics, I see my comedy having a social commentary element to it, and one that demands people to rethink their hardened points of view.

But beyond that, as someone who will constantly be traveling around, I will perhaps be given the ability to connect with local evolver groups in the area of the show. Idealistically, my vision is to do some comedy that has socially aware, perhaps even shamanistic aspects to it, and then after the show I could go out and do some form of activism with the local spore in town. It could be as laid back as a conversation, and as forceful as a protest of some kind.

Admittedly, this springs to mind the image of some newage johnny apple seed comic, spreading knowledge through a healthy dose of laughter and practical activism. But as Bill Hicks did for me, I can only hope to one day inspire someone else to go out and find the truth for themself. As a person who has the responsibility of informing others of possible alternative solutions, I feel I must not only speak with my words but with my actions as well.

By no means am I polished enough to be a professional traveling comic yet. And I admittedly still have to get around to starting my own spore in Mt. Pleasant before I look to connecting with other spores...but hey, I look forward to the day when this vision becomes a reality.

I'm all about changing the world, but as The Joy Project constantly reminds us...we must also remember that the most important things in life are FUN, and also...FUNNY. Life can be the most tragic comedy around, but if you can still find a way to laugh at all of this, then love still has a chance.