Mirth is not just fun and games. Just ask Greta Thunberg. In the short span of her planet saving career, the Swedish teenager has unleashed her dour rage at global leaders and become the leading voice for serious action on our climate crisis. In all her speeches and public events, never once has she cracked a joke or seemingly even a smile. Her work is too important to lighten with levity.
I have no idea whether Greta is a fun time in person and it is none of my business. But even if her private persona is entirely consumed with the looming planetary apocalypse, she may be one of the most mirthful beings alive.
Looking back on our mathematical morality, worth equals mirth minus mayhem. There is no more dire, multigenerational, pan species mayhem than our self-inflicted atmospheric emergency. Six billion people could perish in our climate altered hellscape. We are already in the midst of a mass extinction of non-human species. The recent wildfires in Australia killed over one billion animals. If creation enjoys mirthful sentient observation, this is not an ideal outcome.
Obviously we are failing to meet this challenge. Miserably. Dozens of international climate gatherings, photo ops and optimistic communiques have seeming accomplished nothing but burning jet fuel. As the world sleep walks towards the precipice, Greta is there to wake us up. Not fun. Not pleasant. But ultimately in service of mirth.
A well-lived life is always guided by maximizing mirth. Most of the disciplined acts that comprise such a life are not themselves mirthful. Repairing your roof or digging out a foundation are not most peoples idea of fun, but having a dry safe house to enjoy with your friends and family requires such important labors. Enjoying ice cream every day might be delightful but having a coronary or causing needless grief to your surviving loved ones is not. Whether we realize it or not, we are constantly calculating net mirth in our careers, habitats and daily lives.
Muhammad Ali once observed “I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'” We all know in our hearts that it somehow feels right when we invest our finite time towards principled work on behalf of others, or self improvement on behalf of ourselves. This work is not easy and often is not fun but if we are to live a big mirthful life, it is a price we need to pay.
The universe has invested an enormous amount of time and emergent complexity into your fleeting and agent existence. Don't let her down. There is important work to be done that is not necessarily fun.
