In our current times, it can be challenging to maintain a serious demeanour. By which I mean: never be cynical. It seems to me that it is exactly the mistrust of that quality that appears to set the present period apart. There is a fear of taking things too seriously; the common refrain of “lighten up” and “get a life” probably comes from the notion that taking things too seriously may make one less “cool” or humourless.
Being serious doesn’t preclude being funny. I understand, however, that the lack of irony and the refusal to take a distance don’t give much scope for humour or lightness. But being funny without being serious is surely a greater failure of responsibility than the other way around.
Susan Sontag once wrote that it is important to “pay attention to the world.” What she meant was to be more observant of the world around us. It involves being mindful of the beauty and wonder of the world around us and not taking life for granted. Taking things seriously means approaching life with a sense of responsibility and purpose. It is about being focused on the future, which means thinking about the world that we want to create for our children and taking action to make it a reality.