The joker and the scold

I was thinking about Buddha and Jesus the other day (just something my mind does to keep itself busy instead of crossword puzzles) and I realized I had never seen a representation of Jesus with a smile on his face whereas all the images of Buddha show him smiling, if not laughing out loud. This Jesus guy really must have been kind of a gloomy fellow, took things a bit too seriously, perhaps weighted down by his responsibility for being The Saviour. I mean really, if you're drowning in the river you'll grab at anything that floats as a life preserver, and if Jesus hauls you into the boat you're going to be grateful, but after putting up with this morose bearded guy rowing you to shore while telling you in a solemn voice how Father is really not too pleased with you for jumping in the river, you might be better off to dive in again. Did Jesus ever tell a joke? "Hey Peter, how's it hangin'? How's that rock doin'?" "Maggy! Girl you look HOT!!" "Did I ever tell you the one about the loaves and the fishes?" No, let's face it, Jesus was a didactic nerd, given to rolling his eyes heavenward and proclaiming things, asking forgiveness for people who either didn't deserve it or didn't want it. Buddha on the other hand couldn't help smiling because he saw the whole world as a cosmic joke and thought that the more people that got the joke the better. I guess it would be easier to laugh if you lived a long happy life rather than getting nailed to a post and taunted until you die, but you have to wonder about the personalities involved--someone who is nice to everyone and just tries to help them see the light instead of ranting and raving and tipping over money changer tables is going to get along a lot better with the powers that be and probably live long enough to really develop into a whole person. If Jesus hadn't been such an unbendable preachy kind of guy, think of all the wisdom he might have passed on. Thirty-three is just the beginning of the age of wisdom--I personally don't think anyone younger than 50 even knows which side is up. Gotama lived to 80+ and died happily eating a meal with his supporters. Interesting to imagine what would have taken place if Jesus and Buddha met up, maybe if they had to share a straw pallet in a crowded inn somewhere in the Syrian desert. They probably would have had a lot in common, but The Buddha might have regarded The Christ as more than a little immature with a dangerous level of attachment to the world. On the other hand J-boy probably would have considered B-boy overly apathetic and dangerously complacent regarding all the bad things the government was doing. Jesus was an activist, a revolutionary, Buddha a quiet professorial type. I guess, upon reflection, the world will always have both types, and perhaps that is the way it should be. We need people to shout out at injustice, meditating it away does not always work. And we need people that can rise above it all and not always be pushing situations to the limit.

Next time: more thumbnail sketches of major religious figures--"Mohammed: The Man Behind the Portrait!" and "Joseph Smith--Inventor of Science Fiction!"