Comedian Fred Armisen has issued a challenge. Create a serious 30 second video and post it on YouTube. (You can view the results at http://www.youtube.com/beseriousfor30 )

Here are the rules:

• Rule 1: It has to be serious.
• Rule 2: It has to be 30 seconds or less
• Rule 3: No more than 2 people in it
• Rule 4: At least 1 5 second dramatic pause
• Rule 5: At least 1 cutaway to an object
• Rule 6: Do your best acting
• Rule 7: It needs to have a door slamming

Ironically, I actually think Fred Armisen fails at making a serious video. The shot of the glass of water made me laugh, as did the overly-dramatic door-slamming at the end. But it still makes you think doesn’t it. We spend so much time using social media to be smart-arses…it’s like the Internet has given everyone the excuse to release their inner class-clown. We all do it…make fun of ourselves, or families, our friends…we make jokes about celebrities and politicians. But how often do any of us use social media to say something profound or life-changing…not often.

It’s not just social media. How often do you take the opportunity to be serious with your friends and family. I don’t mean grumpy or angry. I mean serious. No subtext, no irony, no sarcasm, no hidden agendas. I know I don’t do it that often. It’s much more fun to talk about fun stuff, and crack fart jokes and tease your friends. In fact, I think it would be quite awkward for me to be deadly serious with some of my friends and relatives…it would almost feel too exposing, too intimate.

That’s the thing about humour. Not only is it a social lubricant, it’s also a shield we all hide behind. I know I do it all the time, and I have to admit that I’m a huge fan of gallows humour. I suppose in some ways to still find the humour in a deadly-serious situation is admirable, but it’s also a form of denial. When that run-away truck is racing towards you, should you say to yourself, “well, at least I’ve got clean undies on” – or should you instead be honest with yourself and say “I hope this is quick and won’t hurt“.

OK – so here’s your chance to say something serious in our comments – here are the rules:

• It has to be one sentence.
• You can only use the word “and” once.
• You can only use one comma, colon or semi-colon.
• The sentence must be serious.
• The sentence must be informative.
• The sentence must have some personal meaning to yourself.

 Here’s my serious sentence:

The fact that I am 17 years younger than my partner and we have no children makes me worried that I will die alone without anyone to look after me. 

Your turn – how serious can you be in one sentence?

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