God Gives Himself a Laugh

Photograph by John Diamond, M.D.

Consider the last lines of Bacchae by Euripides:

Many are the shapes the gods will take,
many the surprises they perform.
What was thought likely did not transpire,
and what was unlikely the god made easy.
That is how this matter ended.

(trans. Cecelia Eaton Luschnig)

I am reminded of the saying, “If you want to make God laugh, just tell Him what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

But there is no not-God: every thought, every action is God’s will (or the Tao, or the Karmic Plan — whatever metaphor your prefer).

So it is God who tells us what to tell — and so it is God, through us, giving himself a laugh.