Comments on: Applying The Law Of Silliness http://www.ridingondragons.com/2009/08/21/applying-the-law-of-silliness/ to fly among the realms of experience Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:46:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Dick R http://www.ridingondragons.com/2009/08/21/applying-the-law-of-silliness/comment-page-1/#comment-458 Dick R Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:44:48 +0000 http://www.ridingondragons.com/?p=2850#comment-458 It seems to me that what you call the "wise fool" does stay within the limits of my law: willing and able to make an ass out of himself, yet doing what God intended for him--acting "on purpose." Your comment sent me scurrying to refresh my memory about The Fool, the first symbol in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. That brought on a new insight; that there is a silliness born of innocence (The Fool) as well as a silliness born of wisdom (the jester, the wise fool). The former brand of silliness is the beginning of "The Fool's Journey" from innocence to wholeness which is described by the sequence of images in the Major Arcana. So, yes, it seems that my venture into the anatomy of silliness (there's a book title) has "riding on dragons" written all over it! Thanks for launching the ride. It seems to me that what you call the “wise fool” does stay within the limits of my law: willing and able to make an ass out of himself, yet doing what God intended for him–acting “on purpose.”

Your comment sent me scurrying to refresh my memory about The Fool, the first symbol in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. That brought on a new insight; that there is a silliness born of innocence (The Fool) as well as a silliness born of wisdom (the jester, the wise fool).

The former brand of silliness is the beginning of “The Fool’s Journey” from innocence to wholeness which is described by the sequence of images in the Major Arcana.

So, yes, it seems that my venture into the anatomy of silliness (there’s a book title) has “riding on dragons” written all over it! Thanks for launching the ride.

]]> By: Dan http://www.ridingondragons.com/2009/08/21/applying-the-law-of-silliness/comment-page-1/#comment-457 Dan Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:27:29 +0000 http://www.ridingondragons.com/?p=2850#comment-457 There's a special kind of "silliness" that I would add, Dick; the kind familiar to the <em>court jester</em>. This isn't so different from your <a href="http://www.ridingondragons.com/?p=1223" rel="nofollow">post</a> last March. The jester's silliness contains a truth that may be hard for the sovereign or the sovereign's court (us) to hear. The silliness is a subversion and mask that makes a truth more palatable -- and sometimes actually more penetrating. As a jester I may make an ass of myself in order to tell you something about yourself you need to hear. The joke has a point. The shadow version is a zinger across the dinner table that everybody but the recipient laughs at. The recipient broods and plots revenge. The more beneficent version helps us laugh at ourselves and continue to consider the message from the clever clown. Silliness is similarly used in the story of the emperor who has no clothes. He makes an ass of himself so that we may all learn to be free of vanity and self-deception combined with power. I imagine one part of "what God intends" for silliness is exactly the wisdom coiled and waiting within the jest. The "wise fool" is one more of those <em>archetypes</em> that influence our collective lives. Perhaps Richards' First Law of Silliness reflects that deeper source. Well, but I'm just kidding, of course and I hope you didn't take this seriously. There’s a special kind of “silliness” that I would add, Dick; the kind familiar to the court jester. This isn’t so different from your post last March. The jester’s silliness contains a truth that may be hard for the sovereign or the sovereign’s court (us) to hear. The silliness is a subversion and mask that makes a truth more palatable — and sometimes actually more penetrating. As a jester I may make an ass of myself in order to tell you something about yourself you need to hear. The joke has a point. The shadow version is a zinger across the dinner table that everybody but the recipient laughs at. The recipient broods and plots revenge. The more beneficent version helps us laugh at ourselves and continue to consider the message from the clever clown.

Silliness is similarly used in the story of the emperor who has no clothes. He makes an ass of himself so that we may all learn to be free of vanity and self-deception combined with power. I imagine one part of “what God intends” for silliness is exactly the wisdom coiled and waiting within the jest. The “wise fool” is one more of those archetypes that influence our collective lives. Perhaps Richards’ First Law of Silliness reflects that deeper source.

Well, but I’m just kidding, of course and I hope you didn’t take this seriously.

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