Published 27 Jun, 2010 12:00am
Many theories exist about what humour is and the social purpose it serves. Yet, people of all ages and cultures respond to humour and share a common sense.
Henry Ward has very rightly said that a person without sense of humour is like a wagon without springs — jolted by every pebble on the road. In present times, our path is full of pebbles and life is tough for everyone. There is pressure at work, office politics, family commitments, strain of competition and recession. Then there is global warming, awful traffic, no parking and endless load shedding. People particularly at their work places are stressed and annoyed at each other.
But look around and among these annoyed people you will see a jovial, pleasant person. A person who sees humour in the toughest of situations, who can make a stressful meeting relaxed with witty remarks, who can put a smile on a tense face by narrating an amusing anecdote. This is the person with a sense of humour. Such people connect with others effortlessly, they seem to know the right things to say and they make working in general an easy and joyful process. We all find people with good humour easy to be around. A person with a sense of humour sees the lighter side of everything. It takes a lot to put that person down. He is optimistic, usually possesses a sharp mind and bright, shiny eyes, has a knack of telling funny anecdotes and is usually surrounded by fun loving people, has witty answers to every question and sometimes lands in trouble due to casual or politically incorrect remarks.
Most people are drawn to a person who can make them laugh. Who does not need to have a good laugh in these depressing times? But not everyone laughs. Many mistake a witty remark as sarcastic. You have to make sure that you are in the company of broad minded friends who would take a joke as a joke and not turn it into a political debate. Believe me, I have friends who just don't get it. Jokes and remarks which have others dying with laughter cannot bring a smile on their faces. They take life too seriously. They always have something to say about my weird sense of humour. I have received quite a few lectures on appropriate behaviour and how ladies should behave etc. The most common advice is to think before you speak. Well if I do that, I won't be me. I do agree that sometimes humour gets out of hand as there is a thin line between funny and sarcastic. A witty person often steps on other people's toes and is blamed of being insensitive.
I have seen that having a good sense of humour often helps in breaking the ice. Also people do remember you because of your wit and humour. There are various forms of humour and everyone has their individual style. Overall, I find being fluent in a language is very important for being witty or funny. Being comfortable with vocabulary and knowing the culture of that language enables us to play around with words adding the factor of 'wit' to an otherwise normal sentence.
Not every one can be good at telling jokes or being funny. Being witty is an art and one seldom masters this skill. It is an effective tool to lower barriers and gain people's affection. I believe that a person is born with a sense of humour. Laughing frequently and appreciating other people's jokes and wit is very important.
Laughter is really the best medicine. Research finds that humour can help you cope better with pain, enhance your immune system, reduce stress, even help you live longer. According to doctors and psychologists laughter is an essential component of a healthy and happy life. Smiles indicate that stress and the weight of the world havent overcome you. If your day isnt marked by at least a few dozen, then you need to explore whether you are depressed or overly stressed. For minor occasional troubles, or if nothing you do can change the person or situation, taking the humorous response is the best strategy. Joy in ones heart and a smile on ones lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life. Don't be a wagon without springs otherwise those small pebbles will hurt you more.
Take the advice of Jennifer Jones who said 'If you could choose one characteristic that would get you through life, choose sense of humour.'
Little can compare to the feeling of a deep, complete, heartfelt laughing spell. Life is good when laughter is frequent. Laugh your heart out and have a great life.
