Chapter 7: The value of humility (paragraph 17)
The tenth step of humility teaches that we should not be given to empty laughter on every least occasion because: a fool's voice is for ever raised in laughter. (Para. 17 of Saint Benedict's Rule, trans. by Patrick Barry, OSB, 1997.)
I've known a laughter of joy that isn't empty, but is full of awe and delight, and sometimes its expression is as small as a glance or a smile. This kind of laughter alights gently and spreads even in the flashing moment of a relationship.
“What a wet blanket Benedict’s being here. What’s wrong with laughter?,”--My ego is screaming again. A lot is wrong with laughter, when it is that sort of sarcastic laughter that comes at the expense of another. I can too easily try to demonstrate my wittiness by putting someone else down or “in their place”, draw chuckles at the expense of another. Meditation—and the simple acts of kindness that prepare me for it--teach me the true inner joy and gentle laughter of the child who knows he is loved and wants to love and be kind in turn.
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