Lately, I’ve been trying to understand the reason I have attempted to use humor and comedy in my public speeches.
As I have aged, my philosophy about humor has changed. At heart, I believe that we humans are engaged in the constant routine of daily activities. This has resulted in the numbing of our senses of being able to comprehend why we do what we do.
I use humor as a moment of incongruity that jolts people from their slumber, so that they can wake up from the deadly repetitive cycle of life.
Why? Because mostly, I believe life is boring and mundane. We live in a state of zombiness. For example, when we converse with one another, that is if we converse at all, we merely repeat what we hear on cable news. We pretend it is our own thinking on the matter, while in reality its words have been spoken by a talking head.
My life has been dedicated to breaking up the predictable outcomes of life and stepping out into unpredictable and, yes, risky new paths, at least intellectually.
I believe life is worth living when we feel the exhilaration of an awakening from slumber.
Saying unpredictable, maybe even shocking, things to any audience I’m in front of is my way of waking up the human mind, and giving people the chance to experience life anew, as something fresh and liberating.
Sometimes I pay the price for my humor in public speeches. My feeling is that unless I’m sued or thrown in jail, I’ll risk criticism for my acts of humor. After all, what I’m doing is an act of love. I want people, myself included, to break the chains of routine and LIVE ! ! !