Laugh, Damn It
This morning I awoke in my recliner. The TV was on the BBC channel. An older man probably in his eighties and a young woman probably in her late twenties suddenly laughed. The TV was muted. The two looked most odd without the sound accompanying their changes of expression. The differences between the two seemed to disappear. Maybe it’s true what Victor Borge said, “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.”
Of course laughter is a response---well, unless it is an example of the pseudobulbar effect which is characterized by sudden uncontrollable and inappropriate laughing…or crying.
No one needs to tell us that laughter is a good thing…mostly. Those with a good sense of humor, according to studies, seem to live longer. Oh, Gawd, I hope this is true.
Laughter boosts immunity, lowers stress hormones, decreases pain, decreases the chances of heart disease, improves mood, strengthens resilience, and strengthens relationships. Maybe what Mary Pettibone Poole said is valid, “He who laughs, lasts!”
Even the Bible supports the positive elements of laughter. Proverbs 17:22 “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Laughter is a gift from God. Laughter is a great way to stay encouraged.”
I've hinted that there may be some downsides to laughter…well, kinda. Cruel laughter has been around forever. It's not a good thing, but it happens. I recall witnessing a fellow college student slipping and landing in a mud puddle pretty hard. I laughed loudly---not a positive moment for me.
In addition to cruel laughter, there are other classifications of laughter which for the most part we all recognize: etiquette laughter, contagious laughter, nervous laughter, belly laughter, silent laughter, stress-relieving laughter, pigeon laughter (the results of trying not to laugh out loud which is also called bee laughter).
It seems to me that what we need at this point are a few pithy statements about laughter:
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“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” - Charlie Chaplin
“Laughter is the greatest weapon we have and we, as humans, use it the least.” - Mark Twain
“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.” - Victor Hugo
“If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you're old.” - Edgar Watson Howe
“A person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.” - Shirley MacClain
“The greatest prayer you could ever pray is to laugh every day.”---Ramtha
“Laughter is the corrective force which prevents us from becoming cranks.” - Henri Bergson
“With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.” - Abraham Lincoln
“A good laugh is a mighty good thing, a rather too scarce a good thing.” - Herman Melville
“A well-balanced person is one who finds both sides of an issue laughable.” - Herbert Procknow
“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.” - Mark Twain
“As soon as you have made a thought, laugh at it.” - Lao Tsu
“Even the gods love jokes.” - Plato
“From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere.” - Dr. Seuss
“God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.” - Henry Louis Mencken
“I have not seen anyone dying of laughter, but I know millions who are dying because they are not laughing.” - Dr. Madan Kataria
“If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you're old.” - Edgar Watson Howe
“If you would not be laughed at, be the first to laugh at yourself.” - Benjamin Franklin
“Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.” - George Bernard Shaw
“On average, an infant laughs nearly two hundred times a day; an adult, only twelve. Maybe they are laughing so much because they are looking at us.” - I Ching
“The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” - Voltaire
“The wellspring of laughter is not happiness, but pain, stress, and suffering.” - James Thurber
“To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it.” - Charlie Chaplin
“When you laugh, you get a glimpse of God.” - Merrily Belgum
“You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing.” - Michael Pritchard
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It seems to me that “God” and “laughter” appear quite often in the same quotes. That fits my perception of the world perfectly.
My favorite quote is the following: “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere,” by Dr. Seuss.
enough