End Suffering on Sarcasm

by Jeff Fisher

     Sarcasm is one of the most cherished forms of suffering on the planet. Almost all television shows, movies & commercials are laced with it. Try to find a TV show or movie that does not glorify sarcastic behavior in one form or another. Our society tries to convince us that it is funny and witty to be sarcastic, and that it is a normal way to behave in human relations. Nothing could be further from the truth.
     All sarcasm is poison, and anytime we enjoy being scornful by using its barbs, we are poisoning our system. If you see a sarcastic human being, know that he is trying to alleviate his self-torment by striking out at others. There is no such thing as being positively sarcastic as all sarcasm is steeped in hostility, and any hostile person is in hell. In fact, the dictionary definition of sarcasm includes the point that it is intentionally meant to wound and hurt its target. While nearly everyone is sarcastic on occasion, there are also those who take great pleasure in wielding it like a weapon with the desire of belittling and ridiculing.
     A couple of months ago, I was under the influence of this negative trait. I was being sarcastic about everything, and the behavior had gathered such momentum in me, I didn’t want to put an end to it. I was definitely on a roller coaster of negative emotion which caused strain and tension. One thing I remember about allowing it to take over my system was being drained of energy. It robs us of our life force, taking us further off the path to true life and keeping us in darkness and fear.
     One of the ways to end sarcasm in ourselves is to become much more aware of the harm it does to both us and to others. We must see that it is not a harmless habit, but a very self-destructive one. In a Strawberry class we were told that whenever we’re in a sarcastic state ask, “Am I in a harmful state right now?”  I have been working with this exercise for some time and realize that I am often in some type of a sour state. Whenever I see this, I always look around and become aware of what I am doing right then so that the state is broken. Vernon gave us a way to help snap the spell when he said to “break the mental movie.” When we find ourselves in a negative mindset, we’ll discover that the cause is in the faulty use of the imagination or in the ‘mental movie’ that keeps returning to mind again and again. Once the mental movie stops so does the pain because the mental movie IS the pain.
     When in a sarcastic mood, we can always ask for help from above. One of the things we must understand is that we do not exist as a separate ‘sarcastic self.’  Something took control and made that derisive comment in our name. It wasn’t us at all. Vernon gave us another beautiful exercise, “You do not exist”, which is a profound reminder that we are not our negative thoughts or feelings.  Never identify with sarcastic thoughts and moods, but see them as coming from the false self, which really does not exist. Vernon said we must dare to see we do not have a separate mental self. If this is truly seen, then we will be free of all darkness and negativities.