Brian’s Reflection: Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Another fine mess you're gotten me into.

- Stan Laurel, comedian, of “Laurel & Hardy”,
born on this date, 1890


Back to my teenage years! I absolutely hated Jerry Lewis, and the Keystone Cops, and lots of other early TV. But for some reason I absolutely loved Laurel & Hardy. I’ve been thinking about it all day – and I have really no idea why. Well, maybe I do. (Sorry that anyone not of my generation probably has no idea what I’m talking about!)

I loved “I Love Lucy” too ………. but for different reasons. What I liked about Laurel & Hardy, even as a young person, was Oliver Hardy’s pompousness which would suddenly morph into understanding and kindness, and Stan Laurel’s vulnerability, which brought out the best in his friend. And now I realize that I saw aspects of my own complex personality in each of them. It is not surprising that even today I can be pompous and insensitive, and vulnerable and hurt at the same time. Such is the human personality. I’ll bet that every one of you can “relate”.

But you know, as I think about it, this quote is attributed to Stan Laurel, but I think it was Oliver Hardy that said those words? Wikipedia seems to agree with me. Do any of you remember? Hardy was the one who always thought that it was Laurel’s action that got him into a “pickle”. Later, he would have to “eat crow”.

Well: we are often blaming others for getting us into “fine messes”. Which causes untold friction between friends, family, etc. My experience is that 99% of the messes we get into are nobody’s fault but our own. Why do we always want to blame someone else? I think it’s because we have been wrongly taught. We have been taught that we can be “free of blame” is we can shift the responsibility to someone else. The truth is, Freedom comes from being willing to acknowledge our own failures at living up to be being a spark of the Divine. The exhilarating Freedom comes from admitting it ….. even appreciating it!. Reveling in Humility, i.e., the Truth.

Let make today a festival: a Festival of Liberating Self-Knowledge. Just THINK about the weight that will be lifted from our shoulders by being able to laugh at our human silliness! A World full of instant Truth, Laughter and Forgiveness sounds wonderful!

Brian+