"Humanity has unquestionably one really effective weapon—laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution—these can lift at a colossal humbug—push it a little—weaken it a little, century by century, but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.
Mark Twain
"A day without laughter is a day wasted."
Charlie Chaplin
I could go on and on with the quotes related to laughter. Of course, everyone knows the saying "Laughter is the best medicine" of which the source is quite murky. From my search I found this:
"The same idea is found in Proverbs 17:22, ‘A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."
The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
© 2006
Enough of the quotes.
I think we can all agree that laughter truly lifts the spirit. Even when we are experiencing hard times, a joke or funny anecdote can be a healing salve for the heart and soul. I've always been fascinated by people who are able to get on stage and lay it out there for a laugh. I don't know that I could do it but luckily in my line of work it's a bit similar. I'm often cutting up with my guests and trying to make their time with me more enjoyable and relaxing. It has the added benefit of making my job seem less like actual work.
I recently watched a Netflix comedy special that was quite cathartic. Hannah Gadsby's "Nanette" is definitely one to watch. It's a very thought provoking stand up routine but the reason I mention it specifically is because of one bit she touched on that struck me deeply. To paraphrase what she said, she didn't want to continue doing standup because of the self-deprecating humor which is akin to self abuse. I was awestruck since so often what we find humor in is at the expense of someone else and most often ourselves. While it's truly important to laugh we must remember to be kind and you should stand up and say it's not okay when it's not kind.
What do you think?
Comments are greatly appreciated and I look forward to the dialogue and try to respond to all. As always, thanks for reading.
Peace and laughter to all!