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.
(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)
