HUMOR WORDS

SUB-ZERO, OPTICS, AND SHOCK BREAKS

Sandra Shaw
February 21, 2024

💨 “I AM YOUR NEW FATHER FROST.”

Alexei Navalny never missed a chance to jab out HUMOR, despite his captivity north of the Arctic Circle.

“THE 20 DAYS OF TRANSFER WERE QUITE TIRING, BUT I’M STILL IN AN EXCELLENT MOOD AS FATHER FROST SHOULD BE.”

Navalny’s satirical take on Russia’s Polar Wolf Prison Colony still lives with audacious tenacity. Navalny died last week--just a bit more than three years after his arrest upon a return to Russia. This came as he dodged a Kremlin assassination attempt with the nerve agent Novichok.

https://www.amazon.com/Navalny-Daniel-Roher/dp/B0B64JFMCS

“DON’T GIVE UP”

WHY DID HE GO BACK?

❝

LIVING YOUR WORDS ENERGIZES THEIR LIFE IN OTHERS.”

Sandra Shaw

💬 Navalny’s singular goal was to usurp power from Vladmir Putin. He spoke of a new vision of a democratic Russia. He blatantly walked into the fire to keep the flames alive. Navalny tactically filed numerous complaints to appear in hearings with live video. He used HUMOR as a weapon.

“GETTING THE LAST LAUGH?

THE PANACHE OF HUMOR IS ITS REVOLT AGAINST EXPECTATIONS.

Humor smiles in the face of pain.
The “absurdity” of humor highlights the gap between darkness and light.
Humor is Biblical: “God will let you laugh again; you’ll raise the roof with shouts of joy.” Job 8:21

I’m convinced this is true. The people that make me laugh are my heroes! They don’t lash out at the expense of others to get the laughs. They self deprecate. It’s contagious! Humor gives a nod to the human struggle we all contend with.😆

“GAME ON!”

HUMOR HANDLES FEAR. During one of his court hearings Navalny wrote: “I am not afraid and you should not be afraid.”

FROM THE SNOW OF SIBERIA TO THE SAND OF ARRAKIS: “FEAR IS THE MIND KILLER.” Dune 2 arrives in theaters March 1st. It’s been said that fear and humor are different sides of the same coin. Yet somehow humor takes the edge off even the most dystopic moments. Humor bucks up against the physics of stopping. Are you about to give up? In over your head? Is something stealing your mind with anxiety?

Cue me walking into a recently windexed glass door in front of that hot guy at a party! 🙂 You’re not alone.

Life is absurdly funny. Fear’s got nothing on that. Navalny kept the humor alive with an intent of love—for his country, for his family. He died in a quest for something bigger than himself and he did so with words and a twinkle in the eyes. Let’s all surprise the odds together with creative joy and strategic mental shock breaks. 💫🫶

Reply

or to participate.