One of the signs of a decadent society, a sign which is very
evident in the world today, is an almost frenetic devotion to pleasure and
diversion, an insatiable thirst for amusement, a fanatical devotion to games
and sport, a reluctance to treat any matter seriously, and a scornful, derisory
attitude towards virtue and solid worth. Abandonment of "a frivolous
conduct" does not imply that a Bahá'í must be sour-faced or perpetually
solemn. Humour, happiness, joy are characteristics of a true Bahá'í life.
Frivolity palls and eventually leads to boredom and emptiness, but true
happiness and joy and humour that are parts of a balanced life that includes
serious thought, compassion and humble servitude to God are characteristics
that enrich life and add to its radiance.
- The Universal House of Justice (From a letter dated 8 May 1979
written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer,
cited in the compilation ‘A Chase and Holy Life’; compilation ‘Humor and
Laughter’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of
Justice)
