Wouldn't it be a much better question to ask whats the purpose of jokes or comedy in the first place? Restricting Comedy by makeing it more inclusive, while ironically makeing it exclusive toward people that do non incluseve comedy kinda misses the point. 
Comedy gives us the ability to make us aware of the absurdety and paradoxes in life, if you corrupt it with alterior motives it stops beeing comedy.
The most holistic thing one could do is to take oneself less serious and learn to laugh about his own shortcomesings and flaws.

Some spiritual practitioners often look at celebrities and famous people on social media. See them socializing. Traveling to different places. Doing variety of activities. Laughing and enjoying life.
And then they look at their own lives. Trying to meditate every day. Not feeling joy and happiness. Struggling. Feeling boredom and sadness. Not concentrating. Not feeling enough equanimity. And they hear monks and awakened people say: 'Meditation can induce unconditional happiness'
And you think
'Well, I can't even cultivate happiness and joy. This whole process is really dry, involves a lot of suffering and simply not that fun. Maybe unconditional happiness is possible for spiritual experts. But from where I'm standing, meditation results in states of no-mind and neutrality. I do experience some tranquil states but there is no happiness and joy. This is one of the reasons I've started this path and I can't even make myself happy. I feel sleepy, dull and neutral most of the day. In fact, I get more depressed after I've started meditation than before. I'm going to quit. What is wrong with me?'
If this is what you are thinking, I'm here to help you and show you one of the ways that helped me manage these sorts of negative ruminations and overall negative mind states.
Ever since I've understood how joyful states work and how to cultivate in the nervous system, I've found the answer to managing sadness, depression and neutrality one encounters on the spiritual path. If you've started to path to reduce suffering, then this is going to be a significant and powerful development towards that goal. Not only we will be reducing suffering but also increasing satisfaction one experiences from pleasurable sensations.
If you have extreme problems like 'The Dark Night', then cultivating joyful states may not help without prior training. I've never experienced such intensities so I don't have much advice about that. But if you have the common spiritual depression I've mentioned above, then the jhana practice has the potential to transform your emotional states and be that 'solution' you are looking for.
You don't need awakening per se to feel happier in your life. You don't even need awakening to feel RADICALLY happier in your life. Happiness is just an emotion. It can be cultivated skillfully with the right concentration, mindfulness and jhanic practices. You can take this conditioned positive state to an anti-depressant level (and also beyond) and let it pervade your not entire life (not just when you meditate).
Here is my latest post explaining how to do this: 
 
Also here is Culadasa's lectures on jhanas. Jhanas are actually culminations of the samatha practice. 
 
Just know that this depression is a negative mental state you've cultivated for decades. Or maybe it is neutrality for you (not equanimity). But joy is a distinct and highly positive emotional state. Its cultivation will result in an overall increase in one's happiness.
How can one glean more satisfaction from pleasures? Well, this is one way. 
Hope this inspires some of you who are feeling depressed and feel like spirituality is not helping you.
 

@7thLetter As you've pointed out, devilry is everywhere. Duality makes it so.
Personally, the only thing that has reliably helped with the existence of devilry has been my spiritual practice. As my attachment to my identity dissolves, so does fear. Through the space this creates, I find it easier to gently guide myself towards unconditional love. Every time I've tried to force acceptance or Love it has backfired. The barriers between us and these fulfilling states must be dissolved to allow them to arise naturally.
Fundamentally, the manipulation you've been experiencing is threatening your identity. Loosen your attachment to your identity and you loosen the grip of fear. Loosen the grip of fear and the devil looses its power over you.
 “When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they can't tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own - not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.” - Marcus Aurelius

The end of Leos' video about fear made me think of this quote that I wanted to share with you: 
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
- Marianne Williamson

Hot Date And Thoughts
So I met up with this scientist girl, who I matched with on the apps. I actually felt way too tired/work-obsessed to be social, but luckily she also was in a work mindset still, so we could relate and relax together. Played some pool, did some dancing, kissed a little. I got really excited. She feels very soft and feminine, she has that quality of energy that I like and turns me on. It creates this nice polarity with mine. I found myself fantasizing about her being my girlfriend while I was brushing my teeth.
And after getting home, I still worked on my project a tiny bit. I'm really proud of that. The Flowboy that is looking to get distracted with women for as long as possible, is dead. I have a mission.
 
This morning at the gym, again I saw this girl who looks so perfect that it just freaks out my whole system. And same thing happens: I know I don't have the balls to talk to her at this time, so I just try not to stare and focus on myself. And I'm there just for myself anyway, to focus on my own workout, blah blah.
Then I see this smooth dude strike up a conversation with her. She laughs and plays with her hair.
There is jealousy. It stings. It hurts in just the right way. I up the weight and do another set.
Then it hits me how weird it is: when I'm on a date with a girl, I don't freak out, I feel pretty secure, I can just be myself, and if there is some connection it usually goes well.
This is not about the girl at all. Or about the sexual aspect. There's nothing particularly wrong with how I relate to girls.
I'm just not in the habit of talking to strangers.
And when I see a random dude, I don't care about that. But when I see a hot girl, it stings, because I see all the possibilities.
But it's not the talking to the hot girl. It's just the striking up conversations for no reason. That's the part that's missing. The sexual aspect is fine, I can take that out of the equation.
So my hypothesis is: if I could just learn to connect to people for no particular reason, as a habit, then it will all work itself out, and I don't have to suffer every time I see an attractive person anymore.
Probably the non-goal oriented part is what I should work on. I have no problem going up to strangers for a reason. But with strangers there is usually no reason. And then I try to talk to girls I see on the street, and it's weird, because it's for no reason except that I'd like to connect, and that's not normal for me so it feels weird and probably comes off inauthentic, plus it's kind of a lie because I'm only doing it because I'm horny and I'm forcing myself. Not very fertile ground for spontaneous connection.
I know what I have to do.
I will discuss this with the Men's group tonight.

I feel there is a lot of truth in this perspective and a lot of people on this forum could benefit from this. 


 
What are your thoughts?

I feel there is a lot of truth in this perspective and a lot of people on this forum could benefit from this. 


 
What are your thoughts?

You can exercise to achieve longevity and overall health balance. To stay agile, flexible and dynamic. Exercise promotes oxygenation of your brain cells and production of some important neurotransmitters. It promotes tissue regeneration and organ health and makes sure that every single cell in your body is well nourished. It also moves your lympathic system which is a waste dumb of your body..once that becomes stagnant, your health will go down the hole. 
At the same time whether you do it for ego or not, there are many benefits to lifting weights for prevention of osteoporosis and retaining a muscle mass....both being important for your vigour and mobility in your later life.
So don't do it for the pride, to look good and show off but do it so that even in your 70s-80s your body will still serve you because once your health starts to go, your consciousness work will be the first to suffer. 
In terms of practical tips: 
stretching exercises every single day for 10-15 minutes lifting weights 1-2 a week. No need to do isolated, just few of the big lifts to keep your bones strong. Focus on squads, bar rows, lifting above head, front squads, lunges and deadlifts. No need to go too heavy either.  Bodyweight exercises every day - pushups, squads and pullups can do miracles when done every day even with own weight. Add to this handstands and headstands, movements on all 4, frog jumps, duck walks and all sorts of primal movement (look it up on youtube, its actually a lot of fun) Walking daily to keep the lymphatic system running and to avoid constant sitting.  jogging occasionally preferably on grass and preferably no onger than 30-40 minutes as that taxes your antioxidant defences too much.  Avoid excessively rigorous exercises such as crossfit or don't do them too often, they are very destructive to your body and create a lot of free radicals.  Taking a short walk around for every 60 minute sitting.