I think it's a brilliant tool to have, not only to have a sense

“I think it’s a brilliant tool to have, not only to have a sense of humor, but to be able to use humor to navigate life, and I tend not to be that type of person. I wish I were.” — thus spoke Delroy Lindo, a man of gravity and truth, whose words carry the wisdom of one who has walked through the trials of both art and existence. In this reflection, there lies not only admiration for the power of humor, but a humble confession — the recognition that laughter, though light in sound, is profound in spirit. For in a world often shadowed by sorrow and struggle, humor is not a frivolous gift, but a weapon of resilience, a brilliant tool for survival.

To possess a sense of humor is to possess perspective. It is the ability to stand at the edge of pain and see, if only faintly, the absurdity that lives beside it. Lindo’s words speak of envy — not the envy of the shallow, but of the wise man who sees in laughter a kind of freedom he himself finds elusive. He calls humor a tool, not a toy, for it is an instrument forged in the fires of awareness. It allows one to face life’s storms without being consumed, to bend like the reed rather than break like the oak. To use humor to navigate life is to steer through darkness with the lantern of lightness.

The ancients knew this power well. Socrates, whose mind shaped the foundations of thought, was known to jest with his students even as he faced death. When the cup of hemlock was handed to him, he smiled and said, “I owe a rooster to Asclepius; will you remember to pay the debt?” Even as death approached, his wit did not abandon him, nor did his humor betray fear — it revealed his mastery of it. Such is the essence of humor as wisdom: it is not escape from truth, but acceptance of it with grace.

In contrast, Delroy Lindo, a man of depth and gravity, confesses that he is not “that type of person.” His words are not lamentation but reflection — an acknowledgment that some hearts bear the world too seriously, carrying its burdens as sacred obligations. Yet even in this confession lies strength. For he recognizes what many forget: that the spirit of humor is not triviality, but transcendence. To laugh amidst hardship is not to deny it, but to declare oneself undefeated by it.

There is a story of Abraham Lincoln, who, in the darkest days of the American Civil War, when death haunted every field and doubt clouded every heart, would tell stories — some foolish, some funny, all human. His advisers once chastised him for jesting during war, to which he replied, “I laugh because I must not weep.” In those moments, his humor was not weakness, but a shield — a tool to keep despair from taking root in the soul. Like Lincoln, those who wield laughter wisely know that it is a medicine for both heart and mind.

The origin of Lindo’s insight comes from a life lived in the craft of storytelling, where the actor must often bear the emotions of many lives within one soul. In such depth, it is easy to lose lightness. He speaks, therefore, with the humility of one who has known intensity, who understands that humor is not the opposite of seriousness, but its companion. For laughter and sorrow are two notes of the same song — and only by learning to play both can one truly master the melody of being human.

The lesson, then, is clear: cultivate humor not as an escape, but as an art. Let it become the breath that steadies you when the weight of the world bears down. Do not fear to laugh at yourself, for self-laughter is the beginning of wisdom. Use humor to soften pride, to heal wounds, to bridge divides. It is not the weapon of the foolish, but the armor of the strong. In every moment where life threatens to crush you, let a spark of wit remind you that you are still alive, still capable of joy, still sovereign over your own heart.

So, O traveler of life, remember Delroy Lindo’s wish — and let it become your practice. Seek to carry both truth and laughter within you. For laughter, when rooted in truth, becomes sacred; and truth, when tempered by laughter, becomes bearable. To live with humor is not to live lightly — it is to live wisely. For though time may take much from us, as long as we can still laugh, we remain undefeated.