The Laughing Heart

The Laughing Heart with Errol Strider

Inside, More, Grace, and the Strange Invitation to Come In

A Poetic Journey Into the Inner World

In this episode of The Laughing Heart, host Errol Strider invites listeners into a reflective program centered on poetry, inwardness, grace, love, and the strange comedy of human consciousness. He says he has several pieces to share from his own journey, each approaching the inner life from a different direction. The episode includes his works “An Inside Job,” “More, or Is This It?” “Within,” and “Grace,” along with spoken reflections on Teilhard de Chardin, spiritual perception, meditation, suffering, universal light, love, and the desire to be truly seen.

“An Inside Job” Loitering in the Vacant Lot of the Mind

Errol opens with “An Inside Job,” a gritty and surreal poem about turning inward and discovering not a polished sanctuary, but a weathered inner city of impressions, old habits, loneliness, and defensive postures. The speaker imagines himself loitering inside his own mind like a transient, watching “high-heeled people” pass by with briefcases and purses, as if they know who they are. The poem plays with the tension between inside and outside, self-protection and exposure, and the strange way people try to convince one another that their versions of reality are real. It ends with a longing to be let in, away from the outsider’s life of the mind.

“More, or Is This It?” Teilhard, Lord and Lady Ubridge, and the Question of Becoming

Errol then shifts into a humorous philosophical piece inspired by Teilhard de Chardin, whom he describes as a mystic, scientist, and philosopher capable of holding both material and spiritual perception at once. “More, or Is This It?” is performed as an ironic dialogue between Lord and Lady Ubridge, who debate whether reality has arrived at its final state or whether there is always “more” still unfolding. Their comic exchange circles around growth, change, wholeness, parts and wholes, whether more means better, and whether the journey is still underway. Through humor, the piece explores spiritual evolution, uncertainty, and the human suspicion that life cannot be finished yet.

“Within” Turning Away From the Outer Dazzle

After reflecting on the vastness of the universe and the mysterious idea that divine allness can somehow be condensed into individual consciousness, Errol introduces “Within.” This poem is a direct invitation to turn away from the glittering world of sights, sounds, time, space, stimulation, and momentary delight, and to enter the inner world where miracles occur. Its repeated call — “Come in” — becomes almost meditative, urging the listener toward a place where heaven and earth meet, deserts become gardens, stars and thoughts collide, and the ordinary laws of perception are transformed. The poem reflects Errol’s belief that stillness and inward attention open a deeper reality.

“Grace” The Gift That Keeps Arriving

Errol’s next major piece, “Grace,” offers an expansive meditation on grace as presence, rescue, softness, surprise, replenishment, and divine goodness. The poem presents grace as something that touches the speaker at the point of disappearance, witnesses to presence when he is tempted to shout “nothing,” lifts him when he falters, holds him when he threatens to fly apart, and offers endless chances to choose again. Grace is described as rain, oasis, beacon, exit door, familiar voice, and the goodness of God showing up inside a person. The piece treats grace not as a doctrine but as a living force asking only to be received and lived.

Love, Seeing Others, and Letting the Gift Flow Through

Near the end, Errol reflects on love as the force beneath grace and awakening. He says love cannot really be defined, comparing it to a fish trying to define water or a light beam trying to define light. What matters, he suggests, is allowing love, light, power, and life to flow through him so that others may receive and recognize it. He shares that even when he is personally in darkness, being with other people often brings love forward, especially through simple acts like asking someone’s name. Drawing on Martin Buber’s idea that “all real living is meeting,” Errol suggests that everyone wants to be seen.

Gathering Again in the Divine and the Absurd

Errol closes by acknowledging that the episode has moved across many themes, but says it is the best he could offer in the moment. He thanks listeners for joining him and directs them to TheLaughingHeart.org, his YouTube channel with his spouse Rachel at Strider Entertainment, and his Substack writings. The episode ends with an invitation to gather again and “plummet into both the divine and the absurdities of our existence,” capturing the show’s signature blend of poetry, spirituality, humor, vulnerability, and wonder.