Ken Kesey

"Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing."

— Ken Kesey

American Novelist

1935 - 2001

One of my favorite novels from my college days is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.  I have read the book a couple of times and seen both the play and the movie.  In a nutshell, it is the story of one man's fight against the establishment.  If you haven't read it, you should.

In this crazy world that we live in, where up is down and right is wrong, we need to learn to laugh.  Humor sometimes is the only way to survive and thrive in a world gone bananas.  I am not saying that you have to be a comedian or tell a lot of jokes.  What I am saying is that you have to have an appreciation for the absurd.  For much of what we encounter in the world of man is absurd.  As creative leaders, we need to reveal the truth buried beneath layers of insanity.  And that brings us back to the Cuckoo's Nest which is set in a psych ward.

Having working in a psych ward for ten months, I can attest that sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between the staff and the patients.  Both exhibit behavior problems.  The only difference is that one group has the keys and the other doesn't.

So if you haven't laughed today, find something absurd and wallow in it.  Laugh to your heart's content.  And have a great day.

Here is a video background on what inspired Kesey to write the novel.

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