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June 12, 2019

18 Mind-Altering Jokes. ~ Gregg Eisenberg {Book Excerpt}

“An entire treatise of philosophy could be written that consists entirely of humor.” ~ Ludwig Wittgenstein

 

Humor is an excellent vehicle for exposing the cracks and crags of human knowledge.

Humor exposes the parts of us that suffer from incongruity or internal contradiction by holding them up to the light for everyone to see…and laugh.

As we celebrate the 100th anniversaries of relativity and quantum physics, the role of the modern philosopher now runs parallel with the roles of comedians and scientists—they all help us wrap our minds around truths that come in strange packages. Truths that are neither linear nor predictable.

Scientific truths don’t fit into tidy packages anymore, and neither does our “human story.” We are now forced to embrace paradox, ambiguity, and complexity in our everyday vernacular and spoken language.

And now, we can embrace ambiguity and complexity with a laugh.

18 Ways to Take My Advice and Think for Yourself:

    1. “Not only is the universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think!”  ~ Werner Heisenberg
    2. “Mathematics is the subject in which we never know if what we are saying is true.” ~ Bertrand Russell
    3. “I can verify with 100% certainty that I don’t have a clue what I’m talking about.” ~ Gregg Eisenberg
    4. “The best way to focus on the present moment is to sit back, think about where you want to end up, and work backwards from there.
    5. We were practicing Zen when the identity theft happened, which is why they didn’t really get much.
    6. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do,” a thought I often ponder on my way to the bathroom.”
    7. I always follow my instincts, except when I get a funny feeling that maybe I shouldn’t.
    8. I do believe in a completely parallel universe, I just don’t think we’re going to run into it any time soon.
    9. I like to learn from all people, but especially from those who agree with me.
    10. The rest of us think you are being totally paranoid for feeling singled out by the group.
    11. Unlike you, I am not drawing distinctions between us.
    12. The people who say “You create your own reality” sure are hard to get way from at parties.
    13. I am totally irreverent, but only out of a deep respect for everything that is sacred.
    14. I love that you are such a free spirit, and I want you to be mine forever.
    15. Now that I have it all, I miss the feeling that there must be something more…
    16. Focusing on quality over quantity does eventually work, if you do it enough times.
    17. I’m making a detailed list of all the things in life I’d rather not remember.
    18. I need to take a little break from creating a lifestyle I don’t need a vacation from.

~

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Gregg Eisenberg  |  Contribution: 145

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