NCHThis I Believe...
I Believe in Humor
Naveed Zafar
Why did the chicken cross the road? I believe that laughter is the best medicine. There is too much sorrow in the world and without laughter our lives would be shortened by a great amount. To be filled with the joy of laughter however persuades me to believe in humor also. I believe that humor can bring out the best of a person, group of people, or even a community. From dates with beautiful girls to promoting peace and harmony, humor has been the cause of many of the outcomes throughout history.
Humor lets us detach ourselves from the real world and just sit back and laugh at the absurdity of it all. It allows us to pull away from all the stress involved with life and just be happy, even if only for a moment. There are many types of humor such as political humor, thought-provoking humor, and just simple everyday humor. No matter the category, the effect is the same. A heart full of happiness and a mind clear of stress. Humor can however, also give people the power to do many things.
Mahatma Gandhi was once giving a lecture to a group of rich upper class people. Gandhi was trying to exhort the men to lead a life of simplicity and poverty, and to give up useless things such as money. The men hearing Gandhi’s words dispersed and disappeared one by one. After a little while, it was just Gandhi and the chairman. Then the chairman left. Instead of becoming depressed and discouraged, Gandhi shook it off by stating, “the chairman must have been very uncomfortable in that strange company”. This is a very important sign when choosing a leader, one who can have a sense of humor and can turn bad into good.
Humor in politics is probably more popular than most. It is one form of free speech that people partake in very zealously. From big-eared politicians to nonsense laws, all are made obvious through political humor. I believe it says a great deal about the United States. A country, in which the government can laugh at itself, shows an immense amount of trust between the government and the people.
Humor that is satirical yet thought-provoking is my favorite type of humor and I believe it is one of the best ways to teach a person. Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War would refer to the Southerners as “erring human beings”. One day when a woman asked President Lincoln, why he spoke so kindly about the enemies when he ought to be thinking of destroying them, Lincoln answered, “Why, Madam, do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” This quote through satirical humor teaches us that the act of getting rid of an enemy can acquired through friendship. Humor is a great method of teaching.
Simple everyday humor is obviously the most common. Little things like someone’s zipper being unzipped, someone managing to hurt them selves in the most awkward way, a jumble of words, or even just an appearance. These little things may not be world-class jokes, but they are sometimes the only sunshine in people’s rainy days. This type of humor should never be overlooked and everyone should take their time out of the busy schedule to laugh at them.
Laughter truly is the best medicine, with humor being the only way to get a prescription. It is an absolute necessity in our lives, and to either laugh or make someone laugh is usually the greatest feeling. Too many people have given up on laughter, thinking a serious lifestyle is more productive. However, in a world full of war, death, and hatred, I believe it can help just to know why the hell the chicken crossed the road.