Levity was a term that used to belong to the realm of physics.
Levity was originally thought to be an opposing force to gravity. On Earth, gravity gives weight to physical objects, and levity was thought to be a counter-force that gives lightness to them.
Scientific understanding has evolved since then, and today the term levity refers only to lightness in manner or speech.
While we might have outgrown our thinking about levity in terms of a physical force opposing gravity, it’s important that we don’t forget how helpful it can be in bringing out our humanity when we’re faced with the gravity of a situation.
Just because something is serious, doesn’t mean we have to take ourselves too seriously.
Some of the times where I have laughed the hardest were in the hardest times of my life. Those moments of levity were what reminded me of my own humanity and my connection to others. They sparked the connection, trust, perspective, and resilience needed to overcome those hard times.
When faced with the gravity of a situation, levity can be just what’s needed to remind us of our shared humanity and to corral the strength and trust in our social ties so we can persevere.
