Words of wisdom from Scottish comedian Billy Connolly

I couldn't find the exact source of this quote, so this may be more paraphrase than quote. There's also this article from 2019:

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17949861.billy-connolly-scottish-story/

Quote

The Scots and the Irish – Connolly is of Irish stock as his surname tells you – have a deep cultural quirk of respecting death, but never taking it too seriously. Connolly will be keeping up that tradition. He’s told his wife Pamela Stephenson that when he dies he wants an epitaph in tiny writing so visitors will have to step close to his gravestone to read it. When they can finally see it, they’ll discover it says: “You’re standing on my b***s”.

Quote from Cassius

that's what forums are for

Quote from Cassius

"don't take death seriously," or something more like "take death very seriously and realize when you're gone you're done, but at the same time don't let it get you down."

I'll point out that Connolly says, "I think people take death too seriously." "Too seriously" to me rings of being obsessive about death or, conversely, obsessively doing everything to not think about it or talk about or acknowledge one's own mortality, to live in denial. We have to take death "seriously," but that seriousness need not be obsessive or morbid and shouldn't be fearful. Look death in the eye, say " Not today," and commit to finding the pleasure available in your life.

Quote from Cassius

I do think that Epicurus would agree that laughing is one way to make peace with the inevitable. Would he say that it's "the best" way?

There is no best way for everyone, but laughing is definitely one available component for everyone. That's why there's such a thing as dark comedy.