Explore
Gaia Soulmates
 Advertising keeps Gaia free! Interested in sponsoring us?

sarcasm enters stage left and right

Posted on Sep 17th, 2008 by michaelsits : in spite of myself michaelsits
Img_1692
Like the South Beach Diet for those who think “thin is in”, the low-casm diet, sarcasm that is, has stripped off pounds of negativity so quickly I forgot what I looked like with the extra weight.  But like all fad diets, the low-casm diet imploded when faced with a free crème Berlet or Coffee Heath Bar Crunch ice cream from Michael’s Frozen Custard in Wisconsin.  In this case, the desert of choice was keeping company with those who value sarcasm above all other forms of communication- English-speaking white people.

This weekend I was visiting a friend in Busan, South Korea during the national holiday Chusak.  It is the Korean version of Thanksgiving that includes visiting and honoring ancestors passed.  This weekend, I certainly honored ghosts of sarcasm passed when giving the opportunity.  I was amazed at just how effortlessly it flowed out of mouth like waffles and vanilla ice cream dripping out the corners on an eighty-degree night in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.  Yes, sarcasm is back.

I had no idea how foolish I was in believing the progress in letting go of the darkest form of humor had nothing to do with me or any miraculous leap in spiritual development.  It was simply a case of not having accessible anyone who speaks enough English to understand sarcasm if I chose to express it.  No growth, no step up in commitment, no crossing of the Threshold- just no vehicle to harness the hidden and suppressed hate, anger and resentment in disguise known as sarcasm.  If you are trying to shed sarcasm from your daily diet; I can offer the quickest low-casm diet on the market- move to a country where no one speaks your language and it will fall away like The Atkins Diet with the same results until the source of the problem returns; then every inch of unnecessary cellulite regrows itself and looks less appealing than it did when it was part of your natural disposition.  I now know what I look like without sarcasm; warm, soft, gentle, open; and putting on the same old tattered coat will never feel as comfortable or acceptable again.

It is time to let go of these extra pounds of weight that I no longer need to survive or navigate my way through the world.  Goodbye sarcasm, I bid you farewell.  I am sure when I am not paying attention, I will embrace you like an old friend who still owes me the six hundred dollars he borrowed from in 1989 when his father died and I helped pay his family’s mortgage so they would not have to find a new home. 

Hello warmth and vulnerability.  I want to introduce myself; my name is Michael and I have looked forward to meeting you for many years.  I hope we become close friends.

Access_public Access: Public 12 Comments Print views (215)  
Jacques : dream magic
about 4 hours later
Jacques said

I just want to say CONGRATULATION.. from the bottom of my heart.

michaelsits : in spite of myself
about 8 hours later
michaelsits said

thanks jacques, but it maybe premature.  i still having the doing part of getting it done and the letting go part of letting go.  I appreciate the support and i will keep you posted.Peacemichael

Nicole : wakingdreamer
about 23 hours later
Nicole said

it's an important part of the process. well done.

Sylvia : loving Spirit
1 day later
Sylvia said

Hi, Michael - Your comment “I now know what I look like without sarcasm; warm, soft, gentle, open; and putting on the same old tattered coat will never feel as comfortable or acceptable again” really caught my attention.  I sense that's a really important part of the process of shifting away from sarcasm - and I add my congratulations to those of Jacques and Nicole :-).

Peace and blessings -


Sylvia

Diane : listener
1 day later
Diane said

Oh Michael -Yes, yes, I love the Great analogy… with the diet!!   I could relate so well..being one who has lived from one diet to another most of my life, never feeling like I was in control…always slipping back into the old habits of instant gratification… only to bring lasting misery…
Here's wishing we can all shed a few pounds of sarcasm, hatred, negativity and toss the old coat ..wrapping ourselves in a warm blanket of appreciation, gratitude, compassion and love for all beings…including ourselves !!!

michaelsits : in spite of myself
1 day later
michaelsits said

Thanks nicole, sylvia and diane.  i appreciate the support as i begin a more serious commitment towards wrapping myself in a warm blanket of all the stuff that makes the world a better place for others.peace,michael 

Sylvia : loving Spirit
2 days later
Sylvia said

Hi, Michael - sarcasm used to be very much part of me, too - and I find myself slipping back into it when I'm tired, stressed, anxious - and particularly angry.  Finding other ways to communicate - particularly loving teasing without the sarcastic, cutting edge - is still an important part of my internal and external journey as a peace maker.  There's a series of books about ”tongue-fu” that share some great practical tips in that area - the one I've read about _Tongue-Fu at School_ helped me see words in a different way.  Non-violent or compassionate communication, originating with Marshall Rosenberg also has some great tools for communicating more lovingly.


peace and blessings -


Sylvia

michaelsits : in spite of myself
2 days later
michaelsits said

Thanks SylviaI have a friend who is an NVC trainer and was spending time with him when he was first studying NVC.  I visited the tongue-fu site, interesting.Truthfully, i do not learn how to do life through books.  My learning style if i have one is observation, meditation and bouncing off bricks walls, meaning- experience.  I know many folks who are successful with learning how to do life stuff through reading, i am not one of them.  Actually, typically read about one book per year.  that may change in the near future fro a few reasons, one physical but i prefer a page or two on a subject and then go try it on for size accepting that i will not be good at it for a while.  I am glad to know you have been successful with using books and with letting go of sarcasm!Peacemichael

Sylvia : loving Spirit
3 days later
Sylvia said

Hi, Michael - actually, I recommended Tongue Fu because the _Tongue Fu In School_ is one of the few books that I intinuitively connected with recently - I rarely read to learn these days also.

I agree strongly that sarcasm and negativity is a weight - I'm doing much better with sarcasm - negativity still often creeps in.  I also have a sense of both of them as toxins that corrode my relationship with Spirit, others and self - and that using other communication pathways helps me be healthier in genral.

Peace and blessings -


Sylvia

Nicole : wakingdreamer
3 days later
Nicole said

that's so interesting, Michael and Sylvia… my reading has changed a lot since my twenties and thirties when I read desperately both fiction and non-fiction looking for happiness peace and solutions to my life. Now I enjoy community and read quite a lot on many topics but mostly online.

michaelsits : in spite of myself
3 days later
michaelsits said

Reading has been an interesting journey for me.  when i was little, i was an avid reader.  then came drugs and alcohol and there went reading.  Later in life, reading became a labor for me due to my eyes.  So i stopped reading anything longer than a page unless i was pushed forcefully be the Higher Self, which somehow trumps eye strain headaches.  About a year and a half ago, through a series of strange events i ended up with a free pair of prescription reading glasses.  It took a while but i actually can read now without it being a struggle physically.  we'll see what the future brings.
either way, experience and meditation are my Teachers, reading glass or not.
Peace,michael

Nicole : wakingdreamer
4 days later
Nicole said

life takes many unexpected turns. thank you for sharing that!

You have to be a Gaia member to post comments.
Login or Join now!