----------------------------------------MORE THAN DONKEY EARS

Why in world would a person want to become a jester? The word “jester” conjures up image of motley clothes and a floppy hat that originally represented ears of a donkey.

The jester is much more. The jester has a rich tradition in history. That being was high-spirited character who graced king’s court long ago and had permission to speak truth -- a truth for which others might be beheaded.

The jester had a unique kind of wisdom. Sometimes it wandered alone outside king’s court, interacting with people in towns and countryside. Those interactions with jester left people somehow moved, if only to increase their smiles and laughs.

LEAPING OUT OF FISHBOWLS

Some who write about culture have likened a person’s culture to a bowl of water in which a fish swims. The fish (if it could talk) may not be able to describe water and yet water is very influential on daily life of fish. We are same when it comes to our culture, our values, our biases.

The jester can move in and out of fishbowl. This is part of what makes it so funny. The true comic holds a mirror up so we can look and laugh. The mirror shows our inconsistencies, our faults, our tragic seriousness. The jester (and comic) could not do this if it did not remove itself often from fishbowl.

By moving in and out of fishbowl, jester has an independence. It can choose when to swim in water and when to breathe in air of freedom outside.

AD-JEST YOUR ATTITUDE

Being a jester is a state of mind. it doesn’t matter how you dress or where you are or what you do. You can be a jester anywhere because being a jester is an attitude.

The jester can create new worlds at will. The jester crosses boundaries and dissolves limitations. The jester revels and dances in a state of freedom and courage. The jester holds nothing, and everything, as sacred. The jesters are still around. They are among us and their numbers are growing.

Now, we are not suggesting that you do anything drastic here! Don't write to us and tell us that we said you should quit your job or leave your mate. All we mean by a shake-up is that sometimes we all get too complacent, or set in our routines. We forget to stop and take a good hard look at ourselves and what we are doing. It is really easy to get into feedback loops, acting and reacting in same ways, whether or not they are positive or productive for us.

In an old Star Trek, The Next Generation, beloved Enterprise was stuck in a time warp loop, experiencing same two days over and over again. Their reactions to this crisis, over and over again, would lead to their destruction. It was only after they became aware and changed their reactions, that they were able to escape loop.