They say that laughter is the best medicine - whoever 'they' are - and laughter is scientifically proven to be good for you. It makes a lot of sense, really. Being able to retain a sense of humour throughout adversity is a trait I envy.
One train of thought in Buddhism is that our happiness and state of mind is dictated by how we react to and interpret situations that come our way, and has little to do with the nature of the situation itself. Being able to find not only positive, but funny, really must make life easier.
Whenever I watch a comedian, life always looks a little rosier. It makes me wonder - do they go back to an empty hotel room and laugh their way to sleep with hotel soap jokes? (Are there any hotel soap jokes?)
I wrote my dissertation on political satire, and researching the nature of comedy and why it exists was fascinating. People make jokes and laugh because it's a coping mechanism. It's a way to deal with our immortal lives - knowing that we're all going to inevitably die would be a bit harder to digest if we couldn't laugh.
I wish I could say that I'm going to make a concerted effort to laugh more. But I think that having a sense of humour that is impenetrable to hard times is much more difficult than it sounds. Crying into a chocolate bar is just the easier option.
No comments:
Post a Comment