Sanity Restored

It seems as though everyone I know was at the Rally to Restore Sanity this past Saturday...although of course I didn't see ANY of them because the crowds were so huge. My husband, daughter, and I walked through the slightly-less-packed areas and looked at the signs.

I had my favorites, of course, which included "Everyone needs to take a deep breath" and "God hates...when you go around saying God hates things." But what I really loved was the combination of equal parts earnest beliefs and wacky humor. For every sign about health care, there was someone dressed up in a goofy Halloween costume. And for me, that seems to be about the right ratio.

It's not that I don't feel passionately about injustice in the world--I do, and I feel strongly that there are some things that are so serious we must act. But I also know that if I don't hang on to a sense of humor, things will get so overwhelming that I won't be able to act. For me, humor is a key part of sanity.

Humor and connection, which is the other thing I felt on Saturday. Many of the signs were asking people to listen to each other, to stop shouting and try just talking. Humor and connection aren't unrelated, I think. Sharing a funny moment is almost as good as sharing a meal in the bonding-with-strangers category.

And of course humor and connection are both missing when the national conversation devolves into name-calling, pundits, and 10 second soundbytes. I want more people dressed up like Yoda and fewer people yelling. There. Sanity restored.