# George Burns on worrying

- Teacher: Ajahn Brahm
- Type: Joke
- URL: https://beingmindfulstories.com/stories/brahm-george-burns-wife-worried
- Themes: humour, worry, fear, ageing
- Life situations: chronic worry, health anxiety, ageing

## Synopsis (editorial summary)

At 96, comedian George Burns still stays out at nightclubs, drinks whisky, smokes and eats fatty food. Asked if he isn't worried about his lifestyle: “No, my wife was worried about my lifestyle, and that's why she died 20 years ago.”

## The story, as told by Ajahn Brahm (verbatim captions)

This is one of my favourite quotes. He is real scallywag but you could admire this person, he was very smart, that comedian George Burns. He is dead now but when he actually said somewhere when he was 96 or 97 birthday. And those of you who know this American Comedian; he was a scallywag all his life. Now at 96 he was still going to night clubs ok;. staying out till 2 or 3 in the morning drinking lots of Whisky, smoking as well eating KFC and all these fatty foods. And they asked him (probably healthy foods at KFC I have to be careful they would sue me or the Buddhist Society) but anyway you know what I mean. I don't need to criticize any food any way eating really sort of unhealthy food and the interviewer asked him 'aren't you afraid of your health, aren't you worried with your lifestyle , you smoke you drinks alcohol, you eat fatty food, you are out late at night ; aren't you worried about your lifestyle? And his reply was 'no I am not worried about my lifestyle my wife was worried about my lifestyle and that's why she died 20 years ago.

## Teaching point

Fear and worry are what kill you; let go of fear and you let go of attachment.

## Reflection (in the spirit of Ajahn Brahm's talk)

Asked at ninety-six whether his late nights, whisky and cigars worried him, the comedian quipped that his wife had done the worrying, and look what happened to her. The attribution is doubtful and nobody is recommending the lifestyle. The serious point is about fear: chronic worry steals life too. Let go of the fear, and the clinging loosens with it.

## Source

- [Instead of Attachment | Ajahn Brahm | 04-03-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L50xVM7wwss) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 54:31 to 55:57: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L50xVM7wwss&t=3271s

Other tellings of this story:

- [Irritation | Ajahn Brahm | 18-03-2011](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6O42-CAHgo) (Buddhist Society of Western Australia) — watch from 53:53 to 54:56: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6O42-CAHgo&t=3233s