“The gods too are fond of a joke.” –Aristotle

“At the height of laughter the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities.” –Jean Houston

Laughter is the music of happiness played on a scale from tickled to amused to delighted to elated to ecstatic to… Well, that’s plenty for most of us. Those who laugh at the same joke the gods are fond of, make light of the cause of unhappiness.

“We are never happy until we learn to laugh at ourselves.” –Dorothy Dix

We do that by demanding to know the truth of ourselves, and refusing to accept any answer that isn’t seriously funny.

“Tell me I’m clever, Tell me I’m kind, Tell me I’m talented, Tell me I’m cute, Tell me I’m sensitive, graceful and wise, Tell me I’m perfect – But tell me the truth.” –Shel Silverstein

True, we are all of that and more, if humble, too.

“I think any spiritual experience that’s worthwhile is not about ego and it will humble you in some way. And also, a Zen monk once said to me, ‘If you’re not laughing, then you’re not getting it!’” –David O. Russell

To get the joke, we strip off our stuffed shirt—a metaphor of laughing at our vanities.

“The only cure for vanity is laughter, and the only fault that is laughable is vanity.” –Henri Bergson

And we make our ablutions in a metaphorical fountain of wisdom and truth.

“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.” –Jewish Proverb 

If we still don’t hear the music of the laughter of the gods, which plays on a silent scale from no worries about having enough love, time or money to laugh with the gods now, no worries. We just tune-in to  a proverb that sets up a priceless joke… 

“The gods only laugh when people ask them for money.” –Japanese Proverb

and write our own punch line.

John D. Rockefeller slips the bank teller a piece of paper on which is written, TRANSFER ALL THE MONEY FROM GOD’S ACCOUNT INTO MINE. The teller says,”Of course, sir, but my records show that you already have more money than God.”

“God gave me my money.” –John D. Rockefeller

You can write your own seriously funny philosophical punch lines in Comments. The kind of jokes the gods are fond of, turn our vanities to light.

“Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.” –Mark Twain