Journal of Sacred Work

Why was Cleopatra so negative?
She was the Queen of Denial.

   Wayne Dyer tells the story of a leader who was able to calm down any of his staff with one line. "Remember Rule 6," the leader would say whenever a staff member seemed anxious or frustrated. Instantly, the staff member would calm down. Finally, an outsider asked him the contents of Rule 6. "Don’t take yourself so darn seriously," the leader answered. "What are the first five rules?" he was asked. "They’re aren’t any others," he replied. We are always at risk for taking ourselves too darn seriously. The cure for such arrogance is humor.
   It’s interesting to ask why some things are funny. But it’s more fun just to laugh. Click on the cartoon (above). If this is funny for you, it’s because the cartoonist surprises us with something we didn’t expect right away. At first glance, we’re baffled. Then we read the punch line and our discovery, hopefully, "punches" a laugh out of us…

   Explaining a joke never makes it funny. Instead, explanations draw a patronizing gaze and a line like, "I guess you had to be there!"
    For a joke or story to entertain us, we must discover the humor on our own. Click on the cartoon at left. The enjoyment of this image depends upon on our ability to see double meanings. This is a great cartoon for people like me because the process of bringing about change can become deadly serious.
   Come to think of it, the principle of self-discovery applies to idea formation as well as jokes. We’ve all heard people say cynically about someone else, "Let’s make him (or her) think it’s their idea." The truth is, we all feel this way. That is why good leadership requires giving people the chance for self discovery.
   My own Rule 6 goes a tiny bit further than the one in the Dyer story. It reads, "Take your work seriously, not yourself." The advantage of the slightly longer rule is that is leaves room for us to balance humor with work.
   It’s hard for me to think of any work that is more serious than caregiving. There’s not much that’s funny about cancer or heart disease. Rape, drug addiction, child abuse are all horrible tragedies.
   Caregivers looking after victims must often struggle for balance. Sometimes, this means temporarily drifting into the wrong territory. This is what leads some caregivers to make fun of their patients among each other. Elderly patients can become "groaners." Homeless people coming into the ER can become "Frequent Fliers."
   This kind of humor is understandable but not justifiable because of the way it demeans those who are vulnerable. If laughter is the best medicine, we all need to find better and more frequent ways to cultivate humor. 
   
Although they don’t always bring huge laughs, I’m a fan of New Yorker cartoons. Be sure and click on each cartoon to enlarge it so you can read the caption.

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  Are you feeling persecuted for all the hard work you’ve done? Are you thinking of all the great ideas you’ve come up with and how they’re never appreciated? Take a glance at this image.

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   There are lots of tired phrases that are tossed around in think-tank groups and in brainstorming sessions. But is there any phrase more over-used in this context than the one played upon by the cartoonist in this drawing?

   Today, and everyday, is a time for us to remember Rule 6.

-Erie Chapman