India, Aug. 24 -- The constant hilarity of life's goings-on is totally lost on us. So embroiled are we in the struggles, machinations, pulls, pressures, expectations and above all, in the never-ending-ness of the attempted fulfilment of our unclear roles, that we are seldom able to see the funny side of it. A cartoonist, a satirist, a witty smart-alec, a comic, a humour author: these are the ones who necessarily or otherwise must look upon life as an entertaining show. The rest of us have to grin and bear it or we can simply keep grimacing our way through the futility of it all. Take the present scenario, for instance. If it weren't for wars, conflicts, oafs in the saddle, epidemics, climate change, pathetic political discourses, strained personal relationships, frenzied lifestyles and unhealthy habits, we would have noticed the funniness of our situation. Admittedly, that's a long list and a terrible one at that, but if we were to raise our necks above this pollution, like giant ostriches might have done, we would probably guffaw at the comedy show of the world. A view from the ceiling of the world might then have shown us teeming humans, scurrying about, feeling self important and often bumping against each other, figuratively if not actually. Spiritual thought has it that the lord created this world for His entertainment, and he is clearly enjoying this tragi-comic drama, but the rest of us are verily in the thick of things, trying to remain sane. Take the scenario at any home, with most of us fretting over trifles and generally in a state of hurried uneasiness. Or take the case of an office, with people unnecessarily feeling a sense of self importance, without really contributing much to the universe. Or even more crazily, the global geo-political shenanigans that perennially go on. And world 'leaders' who appear to be squabbling over trifles. They really do take themselves very seriously, all these so-called leaders at the global, national, regional and local levels. Little do they realise just how mirthfully an unaffected watcher may watch them. Most tensions, at all levels, are unnecessary and uncalled for, after all. A monk explained this in a Talk which is available on YouTube by stating that he had once faced a seemingly harrowing problem. Yet, once it was over, after a few weeks he couldn't even remember what it was! The irony of it all is that we tend to take ourselves very seriously. We think that the weight of the world or at least of our immediate circle, depends entirely on us. A sense of surrender eludes us, even when we realise that the results of most of life's real exams are hardly in our hands. Someone up there calls the shots, and as mentioned above, He is surely having a good time laughing at our expense! Indeed, the gruesome, worrisome, painful aspects of life on this planet are always staring at us in the face as well. They cannot be ignored and we simply cannot afford to look the other way at certain stark realities. Yet, to live life as if it is a burden to be borne, which it sadly actually is at times, but not all the time, is a grave error. The poorest children on the streets seem to have the most gala time when it rains heavily and they run about drenching themselves and playfully splashing more water at each other. We, on the other hand, with sundry shelters and devices at our disposal, make a hue and cry at each adverse turn of the wind wane. It is all in the outlook, the attitude, the perspective that we choose to hold on to, isn't it? If a quaint scene in a market place or a station doesn't amuse us, if children playing outdoors do not interest us, if the antiques of playful animals do not charm us, then why blame the almighty one up there? He never forced us to treat life like a tragedy, did He? Even in the face of sheer gloom, we must find reason for cheer. Or else, what's the point of it all?...