Entertainment

There is a very cliche moment in some Indian movies that I used to watch as a child. Bad guys would surround an innocent person, bully him or her, and then laugh on that person's misery. Was that a reason to laugh?

Mansour Hallaj was a sufi saint that lived during the times of Junaid Baghdadi. He uttered the words that took him to the altar. He created the biggest controversy of his time. He claimed to be God. Ana'l Haq: I am the truth. When people told him not to say that, he replied that he couldn't help it. The clergy decided to give him the death penalty. He was to be beheaded in front of the people of Baghdad. Before he was killed, his hands and feet were cut off. As his limbs were being severed, he smiled and started laughing. Was that a reason to laugh?

The things that make us happy or sad are indicative of who we are. Happiness is not an end in itself. One could be living in a fool's paradise, and still be smiling.