Silliness
A silly Frenchman Lewis Carroll knew it and so did Spike Milligan. And a proportion of stand-up comedians know it too. Silliness is a good thing - especially in these beleaguered times when old certainties are being washed away. It's tempting to go around with a furrowed brow, speaking seriously and fretting about current affairs and wailing, "Oh woe is me!" But a dose of silliness is good for you, like a healing balm. Letting yourself go and being daft like a kitten chasing its tail or a puppy cavorting on a beach. We need to nurture the silly genes inside us and give them airtime. Jack Haggerty When I walk Phoebe back to our house after school, we always pass a gateway where we share a daft idea. I once told her that a big, bad dog lives there so we tiptoe past keeping as quiet as mice. She knows it's just a silly game but she will still ask questions about that dog. "What's its name?" "Satan!" "Do they keep it on a lead?" "N...