Those immortal words from my old pal Alfred E. Neuman have been bouncing around in my head lately. Mr. Neuman didn't have a care in the world back then, and as a 10 year old Mad Magazine reading fanatic, neither did I. I clearly remember scanning the magazine stand at our local IGA Food Town store around the first of every month hoping the new issue of Mad was out and wondering what delicious farce would grace the front page this time. Man I loved that magazine, and as I retrospectively contemplate the brilliant satire Mad offered it's quite clear this magazine had a profound impact on my developing mind and general outlook on just about everything in life - relationships, politics, religion, media, etc. And, of course, the underlying message of being worry free!
A bit later in life came National Lampoon, and the lovely satire of life continued in the written pages on this fab magazine. Again, there I was every month scouring the magazine stand at the local drug store, at least until I figured out one day that a person could actually subscribe to the mag and it would magically be delivered to your residence (yeah, I've been slow my entire life to embrace technology). So what Mad Magazine had done to nourish my awakening mind, National Lampoon continued to do with its "adult" observations of the absurdness and hilarity of life and the message that you cannot, let me repeat - you cannot take this shit seriously. Again - what me worry?
Then I got married. I was in my late twenties and National Lampoon had lost some of it's great writers (P.J. O'Rourke became a conservative for hell's sake) so I cancelled my subscription and it was time to leave the irresponsibility of youth behind and get fucking serious. No more worry free life for you amigo! Pretty soon the kids came along and several different career changes and money was tight and and later on a cancer scare and all the other ups and downs and the growing poppensity to take anything and everything too seriously and the continuous nagging at the back of your mind that something needs to be shaken up and what the hell is really going on here and............ OK, I actually never experienced the nagging and doubt thing.
But I could have. I could have questioned the unanswerable and doubted the obvious and fretted over social status and spent my precious time doing that one thing - you know, worrying about shit. Of course I was born white, middle-class and blessed with loving parents who stayed together to the end, so I began life in a much more worry-free existence than many others. But it hasn't been a bowl of cherries, and there was never a silver spoon in this mouth. But I had something much better than silver, something intangible, something that could never be taken away, something no one really ponders and best of all something that frees the mind and feeds the soul. I had this: the ability to see the utter ridiculousness in life's everything, even the less than good stuff. What, me worry?
As I have blogged about previously, people tend to seek their own. I believe this applies to those who cannot, despite themselves, take life too seriously. Those, like me, who share a bit of a cynical side and see things mostly in the gray area and view others in an empathetic light because we can't help it. My wife, children and friends are pretty much like this and what sensational people they are! Caring, giving, loving and FUNNY. Fun and funny. Life doesn't get in the way for this bunch.
That's not to say we are magically problem free. Oh no. Life and living is fraught with potholes of varying sizes. As mentioned earlier, being diagnosed with cancer presented a pretty major road hazard, but I took a detour, maintained an attitude that leaned to the positive side and 12 years later all is well. This is where leading a proactive life, which is made easier by worrying less, really comes into play. I firmly believe many among us don't want to know uncomfortable truths as they will trigger worry symptoms, or require an action that is counter to the make-believe world that has been created by them to square with their beliefs. Be it politics or religion, this approach to keeping the worry down is often detrimental to all of us. Why should I worry about climate change when it's much easier to pretend it doesn't exist and therefore no action is required? Yeah right. Besides, if it's a religious based perspective, the man is returning to earth soon enough to wipe out the sinners and save my praying ass so the forests burning and oceans rising have no long term consequences. As I said, detrimental to all of us.
A better way is simple and it's called empathy. This means taking the approach that regardless of my belief system, I must understand that not everyone shares this outlook. Using climate change as an example, isn't it better to accept what science is telling us and join in the effort to minimize the disasters that await if nothing is done? Where have you compromised your beliefs? Jesus may still be coming but you have a moral and ethical responsibility to try and leave this world a better place than you found it for our grandchildren and beyond. Why not run with that and keep that worry at bay because you're DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Isn't that simpler?
Cynicism has it's place in this discussion. While it may seem to be at odds with empathy, a questioning approach to life only feeds the proactive side of decision making. For instance, should I just assume this person is truthful and empathize with him/her, OR should I spend a minute investigating and understanding what is being said so I can decide for myself and therefore make an informed choice that will, hopefully, be one of many billions in this world that moves us collectively forward because it's based on fact, not bullshit. How could such a lying, vulgar sociopath as Donald Trump be elected the leader of the free world by voters with a touch of cynicism? This questioning has it's place, and it is not counter to blind faith in religion. Oh no. Believe as you will but don't get suckered by the next in an endless line of con men who consider your belief system to be a sign of weakness and ripe for exploiting to their advantage. I guarantee you this way of living is much less stressful and, as a result, more worry free.
So laugh at yourself, laugh at sarcasm, laugh at the ridiculous, love your empathetic and curious life and if you've never read one, pick up the latest copy of Mad Magazine at your local book store (yes, it's still published) and laugh at the wonderful sarcasm Mr. Neuman needs you to embrace. Seriously, why not take life a little less seriously?
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