Things have to be funny first, and if they want to have a point

In the words of John Mulaney, “Things have to be funny first, and if they want to have a point, that’s awesome.” — there lies the philosophy of the artist who honors both laughter and truth. His words remind us that humor is not a servant to message, but a force of its own — ancient, powerful, and pure. Before it instructs, it must delight; before it teaches, it must move the heart to laughter. For in laughter lives the oldest wisdom of humankind: that joy opens the soul to understanding far better than fear or solemnity ever could.

In ages long before our time, the Greek playwrights knew this truth well. Aristophanes, the great master of comedy, filled the stage with absurdity — gods bickering like children, philosophers wandering lost in their own minds, citizens scheming in foolish pride. The people laughed until their sides ached. Yet beneath the laughter lay truth — about politics, vanity, and the follies of men. But Aristophanes knew, as Mulaney knows, that the laughter must come first. Without laughter, the mind resists; with laughter, it listens. Humor is the gatekeeper of wisdom.

To say that “things have to be funny first” is to affirm that art must live before it preaches. The funny is the heartbeat — the life-force that gives breath to all else. When one tries to build meaning without joy, the result is dry, lifeless, and hollow. But when one builds laughter first, meaning follows naturally, like sunlight after dawn. Even the ancient storytellers, those who sat by the fires of the first civilizations, wove humor into their myths. The gods of Olympus quarreled and stumbled. The trickster Hermes, the cunning Loki, the mischievous Anansi — all were sacred jesters who reminded humankind not to take itself too seriously, for the divine often hides in the ridiculous.

The origin of Mulaney’s thought comes from the lineage of comedians and poets who see humor as the language of the human condition. Laughter is not an escape from life — it is an encounter with it, a way to touch its contradictions without despair. To make something funny is to distill truth until it shines bright enough to make even suffering bearable. The joke becomes a vessel for grace. And if, after laughter, a deeper point reveals itself — then the art has transcended entertainment and entered the realm of revelation.

Consider the story of Charlie Chaplin, the silent clown who made the world laugh in an age of sorrow. His tramp character stumbled, fell, and failed endlessly — yet always with dignity. People laughed because it was funny first. Only later did they realize the depth of what they had seen: the persistence of the human spirit in a cruel world. Chaplin’s genius, like Mulaney’s, was in knowing that laughter must open the door before wisdom can walk in.

The lesson here is one of balance. In all acts of creation, in all conversations of the heart, let joy lead. Do not force meaning; let it arise like fragrance from the bloom of laughter. Whether you are a comedian, a teacher, a parent, or a friend, remember that humor softens the walls that pride builds. The truth spoken without joy often wounds; the truth wrapped in laughter heals. So, when you seek to teach or to move others, make it funny first — and if meaning comes, as it often will, it will come naturally, gracefully, without demand.

Therefore, my friends, be like the wise jesters of old — those who knew that laughter was not the enemy of truth, but its companion. The world is heavy with seriousness, yet it is through humor that we learn to breathe again. Laugh deeply, speak lightly, and let your words carry both mirth and mercy. For as Mulaney reminds us, if your laughter happens to carry meaning — that is awesome. But even if it does not, even if it is simply joy for its own sake — it is still sacred.

For laughter itself is a kind of prayer — a sound that lifts us, humbles us, and unites us across every divide. To be funny first is to serve the spirit of life itself. And in the end, that may be the highest point of all.