55. The Bright Side of Life

Some time ago Molly, Garret and I were walking together back to our cars, after having spent some time with our friends on the pier. As always, we had plenty to talk about and on this occasion the talk was about the fact that both TV channels and social media always seem to prioritise, and focus on, telling us the “bad news”. Most of the news recently tends to focus on domestic violence, youth crime, the housing crisis, mortgage stress and the cost of living.

To add to this situation, politicians appear to be exploiting this news coverage to their own advantage, by highlighting it day after day, and at every opportunity. While this may suit their own political agenda, it really does nothing to cheer us up. Instead, it tends to make us feel miserable and depressed.

While talking about this unfortunate exploitation of the situation with my fellow walkers we came to the view that there was a real and urgent need for people to look more often onto “the bright side of life”. I think it was Molly who said it first. We should “Always look at the bright side of life”, which is a phrase from a song which was made popular by the Monty Python comedy team, who were hugely popular on television more than 50 years ago. They made several films, including the film “Life of Brian” in 1979, which included this line in a song written by Eric Idle.  

We all knew the phrase and the tune and, as soon as Molly mentioned it, he began to sing it while we were still walking along, and then Garrett and I joined in and hummed it with him. I thought it was wonderful, and a special moment. It certainly raised our spirits! Molly often manages to do this. Sometimes it’s by impersonating a politician, or some other person known to us, and at other times, it’s simply a witty impromptu one-liner.  The thing is, that Molly really understands the importance of humour. At our monthly Probus meetings the President of our club often asks him, just before we break up for morning tea, to entertain us by telling us a quick joke. Molly, of course, does do more than telling jokes.  He is a very caring person! (See post 44, “Molly, the Immortal”).

Fortunately, we, the early morning risers, do often look at the bright side of life when we get together on the Pier. And yes, we are lucky to do so. Post 23, “Scottish Apple Pie”, recounts one such occasion, when Logan told us about his experience with apple pies. One small excerpt reads:   

“And have you heard about Larry?”, continued Logan. “Jules once bought him a custard slice to take home.  He put it on the top of his car while he was packing up, and then drove to the top of a hill, where it fell off, without him realising it. When he got home he rang Jules, she went looking for it and there it was….. sitting in pristine condition on the road.”

“A good landing!”, contributed Ben, and we all chuckled.

Humour can be found anywhere. The Brits were masters at it. They used, and still do use, comedy to comment on the political and social issues of the day, although there have been some changes since the Monty Python days. Michael Palin, one of the “Pythons”, wrote:

“All of us, either at Oxford or Cambridge had found that we could entertain people. And it was a time when everything was up for grabs – you could make jokes about anyone or anything.”

“It’s almost impossible to imagine the Pythons being able to perform this comedy today. People are too easily offended when no offence is intended. The rush to judgment and cancel culture fuelled by social media are in overdrive.”

Eric Idle, another “Python”, in an interview published in the Weekend Australian (8 July, 2024), told us:

“I think that my job is sort of cheering people up, and I enjoy that as a role.”

When it was suggested to him that this was better than the alternative of making people angry or sad, he responded:

“Well, that’s what politicians are there for – or perhaps religion”. (laughs)

Eric Idle also agrees that

“Humour is a way of reacting and responding against hard times and owning up to it…It’s a helpful survival tool.”

I concur with this and I remember listening to a program on the radio during the terrible war years, when I was 8 years old, which was called “Snip and Snap”. It was performed by Willy Walden and Piet Muijselaar, who were two very popular comedians before the war and who were allowed, by the Germans, to continue their act during the war. I can still hear their voices. They cheered us up.

As it happens, there will soon be an opportunity for us to hear some more British humour. Eric Idle, the author of “Always look at the bright side of life”, will be in Brisbane for a show on 6 November (for one night only). I think it will be well worth going to, as he is very funny and, from what I have read, a happy and wise man as well as a Monty Python legend.

At 81years he is still performing around the world. When asked what he thought he would be remembered for after his death, he said: “I don’t think we’re remembered for very long. I would like to think I’d be remembered as a good friend. That’s one of the things I appreciate most of all now – friendship – and family, obviously. But having good friends is really the best…… and making everybody smile and happy is not a bad way of going you know?”

So, I’m happy to follow his advice and to try to look at life with more optimism. Also, to hope to make more good friends, and, as the lyrics written by him say:

“When you’re chewing on life’s gristle
Don’t grumble, give a whistle”

O.P.

My next post, on Sunday, 29 September will be about remembering the annual 3 October festivities in Leiden, in The Netherlands.