Feeling a mix of excitement, exhaustion, and a little disgust on this Election Day, as many people seem to be, I thought a little relief might be in order. How about snakes on a plane, only this time for real?
Aeromexico Flight 231, which makes the two-hour trip once a day from Torreon, Coahuila, to Mexico City, included an extra passenger this week, and you can see him (her?) making a brief appearance in this video.
I love it when life imitates art, and when it imitates really bad art, it’s even more fun in some odd way. And at the risk of offending any of you S.O.A.P. fans, that movie is a textbook case of bad art, Samuel L. Jackson or no! Feel free to debate me on the quality of the film, but either way, hear me out on a slightly more serious reason for sharing this on Election Day, and especially following one of the most bitter elections our country has known, in this century, if not ever.
No, it is not because each of the candidates has accused the other of being snakes, slimy, or of slithering away from the truth and or the law – though each has made such charges repeatedly. And no, it is not because like passengers on a plane, Americans feel increasingly powerless and increasingly unrepresented by federal government, with only one in five citizens saying that they actually trust our own government.
I am sharing this because I think we need to laugh. Of course we need to take this election really seriously, and we all need to get out and vote, but I also think we need to keep our sense of humor. If for no other reason, we need to maintain the ability to laugh because it’s really hard to make good decisions, and respond well, when all we see is gloom and doom.
It’s not that I don’t have strong feelings about the outcome of this election, I do. It’s just that one way or another, we will all be here tomorrow, and I want to approach that with more than triumphalism should things go the way I hope, or rage if they don’t. I want to know that I can laugh at life, and want others to do the same. For me, that includes snakes on a plane. If that doesn’t do it for you, find something that does and enjoy it. Then you can go back to fretting and worrying about the election, if you want to, but I bet you will do so just a bit healthier and happier. Not the worst thing, as my great-grandmother would have said.
And because the whole snakes on a plane “thing” doesn’t do it for everybody, here are 3 more stories to make you smile on a day when everything else conspires to kill off our sense of humor:
- Queen of the Meow-tain. Yes, it’s a story about a mountain climbing kitty, and especially as the internet and cats have a special relationship, this might appeal even if, like me, you are not a “cat person”.
- Okay, this one is election-related, but so non-substantive that you should be able to laugh at these 25 tweets regardless of who you support or whatever outcomes may be coming down.
- And for those who want some election-angst relief but want something a bit more cerebral – but still funny-related, here is a pretty easy read which includes some make-you-smile videos, that explain the science behind why we find some things funny and other things not.
If none of this works for you, find something that does. This is one of those days when we all really need to step back and smile, at least for a few moments, no?
Brad Hirschfield is the co-founder and co-executive editor of The Wisdom Daily. A rabbi, Brad has been featured on ABC’s Nightline UpClose, PBS’s Frontline, Fox News and National Public Radio. He wrote a long-standing column, “For God’s Sake,” for the Washington Post, and has also written for The Huffington Post and Beliefnet.com. He authored the book, You Don?t Have To Be Wrong For Me To Be Right: Finding Faith Without Fanaticism. Brad also serves as President of Clal, The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a leadership training institute, think tank and resource center in New York City.