The Fun of Misfortune

In D&D, dice and dumb decisions often lead events to turn out badly. When they do, we can often laugh about it. I can laugh about how my Dragonborn Paladin, Valonor Kharagon, became a were-rabbit through a series of questionable choices and unlucky rolls. Now, of course I didn't want my noble, heroic character to transform into a giant bunny rabbit after nearly being killed by a swarm of magically-animated carrots, but that's what happened, and the whole situation was hilarious. And while I don't like laughing at the misfortune of others, it's okay in this case because Valonor Kharagon isn't a real person. Laughing at him and his comically unfortunate situation is similar to laughing at the characters and situations in a sitcom. Of course it's not okay to laugh at others' misfortune unless they're laughing, too. That's why the one person whose misfortune it's a;most always okay to laugh at is yourself.

Case in point, I went on a set of errands this afternoon. My plan was to deliver the ring I found the other day to Regional Transit's Lost and Found, go to the school to print up some papers, then meet up with friends to play D&D. None of those things actually happened. I started off on the wrong foot immediately by walking a few blocks toward the bus stop for the bus I usually catch instead of toward the bus stop for the bus I was supposed to catch. Miraculously, or maybe because the bus was late, I caught the bus anyway, or maybe I caught the next one; I'm not sure. But when I ultimately got to the Regional Transit office, I learned that they're closed on Saturdays and that I had just missed the train headed toward my next destination, so I held on to the ring and waited for the next train. I got to the school around 4 in the afternoon, only to learn that, on Saturdays, the library with the printing stations closes at 3. Fortunately, I had access to all the information I really needed through my phone, so I would still be able to play D&D with my friends. Or rather, I would have, had any other players shown up. So, instead of returning the ring, printing some papers, and playing D&D, I rode buses and trains on a wild goose chase, accomplished nothing, chatted with one (and only one) of my friends for a few minutes instead of a few hours, and caught the next bus home. This all could have been horribly disappointing, but I'm choosing to find it funny instead.

Sometimes, things go wrong so thoroughly or so badly that you just have to laugh. This was one of those times. It's funny that I walked the wrong way at first. It's funny that most of the places I went to today were closed when I got there. It's funny that I didn't accomplish even a single thing I set out to do this afternoon. Well, actually, I did accomplish one thing I had set out to do: I had fun. That's the fun of misfortune. When things go badly, it can be funny, and when we choose to see our misfortunes that way, our bad luck can be fun.

Granted, there's a good deal of misfortune and tragedy in the world that goes beyond our ability to laugh it off. I'm not talking about great tragedies like those right now. I'm talking about minor goofs and fickle winds of fate, not evil or real, painful suffering. Some misfortune can't be fun. But when your paladin turns into a giant rabbit or you realize that absolutely nothing went as planned, it's sometimes okay, and even appropriate, to laugh.