Thursday, October 10, 2013

Where Does Stupid Come From?

Furious rabbit (humor)
Furious rabbit (humor) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
         Perhaps I should clarify the title question.   When I ask "Where does stupid come from?" I'm not referring to dumb stupid.  You know, the stupid that is really idiotic and bad.  Things you shouldn't have done or said.  The things that can cause big problems or get you into a lot of trouble.

         The kind of stupid that I'm talking about is the weird, sometimes silly kind of stupid that makes you roll your eyes, scratch your head in wonderment, or burst out laughing.  This stupid does not come from any lack of intelligence, ignorance, or negative influence.   This is the stupid of corny jokes, nonsensical commentary, or flatout tomfoolery.  It's that thing you do and someone says, "Omigosh!  That was so stupid!"

       Fun stupid is okay as opposed to mean or cruel stupid.  Today's post is about hoky fun silly stupid.  The kind of wacko weirdness we often experience in our dreams.  You've had those dreams haven't you?  You wake up shaking your head wondering "What was that?"

        It happened to me this morning.  I woke up with the thought on my mind of where stupid comes from.  I can't even remember what my dream was.  The biggest impression that the dream made on me was that some of the things we dream about are so ridiculously outrageous that it we have to wonder where the idea ever came from.

         Since our subconscious is the source of our dreams then we probably can deduce that nonsense could be a product of our subconscious.  Jokes and humor are typically absurd representations of real life or exaggerations of everyday experiences.  The rational mind is unlikely to resort to humor as a means of expression, but rational people need a break from reality.  Humor provides one means of escapism from the daily pressures we face or the humdrum existence that we might perceive that life is doling out to us.  Sometimes we need to just get away and not be serious.  

           Keep in mind that this is my theory.  I did not research this idea to check the validity of it.   I'm not even sure that any examination of the topic has ever been done.   The entire idea of humor coming from the subconscious was just something that I woke up with because of some crazy dream I had.  It all made sense at the time when I woke up with the idea and it actually makes more sense now as I've thought about it more.

          Humor is ridiculous but it can be very useful and even necessary for good mental health.  Hmmm--sounds like earlier views I've expressed about dreams.

          Where do you think humor comes from?    Do you think I've put forth a reasonable theory?   Are your dreams so absurd and irrational (even the scary ones) that after you wake up you see the foolishness of them and maybe even laugh at what your mind saw?

Enhanced by Zemanta

7 comments:

  1. Hi Arlee,
    Happy to be here again after a bit gap!!
    very interesting, intelligent and thought provoking piece on the word "Stupid"
    yea, sometimes it looks so funny that where did it come from! We astonish!
    But at the same time some jokes give a kick for the day. Of course if it makes you laugh its well and good
    Thanks Arlee for this write-up
    I think I need to do a research on this subject !!!! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  2. I must admit I do get some weird dreams usually connected to what is going on in my life, some are laughable, others stay in one's mind all day, wondering if there is any truth in what you dreamt.
    A very good question Lee and one I shall ponder about today.

    Yvonne.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree that humor is a great way to take pressures and stress away to lighten our load. It helps us deal with deadlines, mean people, traffic and political candidates. Dreams are different only because now we're at rest and our subconscious mind is trying to tell us something. I wonder what your dream is telling you Arlee?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Humor: its origins? Good question. Some people seem to have absolutely no humor at all, but children are natural at it. What happens between being a child and a humorless adult?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Stupid are the only kind of dreams I remember! How stupid is that?;0)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Without laughter I think they'd all bury us alive, and we'd be so stern-faced, no one would even be the wiser, not even us. Interesting dream to be sure, Lee.

    ReplyDelete
  7. PV -- Yes, stupid can be interesting to wonder about, but stupid is also, shall we say, a stupid topic.

    Yvonne -- Here's to funnier dreams! Certainly better than bad ones I think.

    Desert -- Don't know what the funny dreams are saying most of the time, but thank goodness for laughter and fun.

    Susan -- Maybe children see things in a funnier way because they have a more surrealistic view of life?

    Sherry -- I guess pretty stupid--but I mean that in a good way.

    MJ -- I've known many people who need to lighten up and have a good laugh now and then. It's healthy.

    Lee


    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your comments or to just know that you were here. Please let me know what you think. And if you'd be so kind, please click on the Friend Connect button. It's nice to be joined on my dream journey with others who want to explore the mysterious world of the subconscious mind.
Sorry, due to too much spam I no longer allow anonymous comments on this site. If you want to comment and aren't registered yet then please sign up. It's not all that difficult and I'd really like to hear what you have to say. Comment away!

The Dreamer