Comedian on Technology and Happiness

Emotional Health & Happiness · By Angela S. McLean, LMFT

Yesterday evening I found wisdom in an unexpected place. I was watching Conan O'Brien, mostly because the Big Bang Theory rerun had just ended and I had not wanted to move yet. Then Louis C.K., a comedian I had never heard of, came on and began to tell Conan why he won't let his kids have cell phones. I was impressed. As a wordy, long-winded, and serious psychotherapist by nature, I appreciate this comedian's short and funny explanation better than my own. Check out his view on why overuse of technology can rob us of learning empathy, the ability to just sit there, and emotional experience.

Here are some great quotes from this clip:

"Just be sad… stand in the way of it and let it hit you like a truck."

"Sadness is poetic. You're lucky to live sad moments."

"I was grateful to feel sad and then I met it with true, profound happiness."

"You never feel completely sad or completely happy. You just feel kinda satisfied with your product and then you die."

I wonder if he is aware that he is talking about principles of mindfulness. Clearly he understands better than most that pain is a normal part of life, and when you avoid it you create suffering and miss joy.

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