The evolution of man is the evolution of his consciousness, and 'consciousness' cannot evolve unconsciously. The evolution of man is the evolution of his will, and 'will' cannot evolve involuntarily.
G. I. GurdjieffRead
Laughter relieves us of superfluous energy, which, if it remained unused, might become negative, that is, poison. Laughter is the antidote.
Interpretation
Laughter helps us release excess energy and prevents negative emotions from building up.
This quote by G. I. Gurdjieff emphasizes the importance of laughter in our lives as a mechanism to release pent-up energy that, if not expressed, can lead to negativity or emotional toxicity. By laughing, we not only lighten our emotional load but also transform potentially harmful energy into something positive, acting as an antidote to stress and negativity.
In practice
In a speech about stress management during a workshop, one might say this quote to highlight the benefits of laughter.
The evolution of man is the evolution of his consciousness, and 'consciousness' cannot evolve unconsciously. The evolution of man is the evolution of his will, and 'will' cannot evolve involuntarily.
Conscious faith is freedom. Emotional faith is slavery. Mechanical faith is foolishness.
Remember you come here having already understood the necessity of struggling with yourself β only with yourself. Therefore thank everyone who gives you the opportunity.
It is the greatest mistake to think that man is always one and the same. A man is never the same for long. He is continually changing. He seldom remains the same even for half an hour.
If a man could understand all the horror of the lives of ordinary people who are turning around in a circle of insignificant interests and insignificant aims, if he could understand what they are losing, he would understand that there can only be one thing that is serious for him - to escape from the general law, to be free. What can be serious for a man in prison who is condemned to death? Only one thing: How to save himself, how to escape: nothing else is serious.
In order to understand the interrelation of truth and falsehood in life, a man must understand falsehood in himself, the constant incessant lies he tells himself.
Ben Franklin was a little stout later in life and it was said that in Paris a young woman, tapping him on his protruding abdomen, said,"Dr. Franklin, if this were on a woman, we'd know what to think." And Franklin replied,"Half an hour ago, Mademoiselle, it was on a woman, and now what do you think?"
I've been accused of vulgarity. I say that's bullshit.
If Hamilton were on Twitter, he would have been a worse oversharer than me.
Edgy is fine - I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination - but what's wrong with a good ol' belly laugh? I miss that.
There is nothing like instances to grow hair on a bald-headed argument.
I bought a cactus. A week later it died. And I got depressed, because I thought, Damn. I am less nurturing than a desert.
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