Yes, I know I have departed from the conventional, with this title, but it seemed apt for the theme I’m going to expand upon. And forgive me, if I tend to sound a wee bit superior while holding forth about this; for, as anyone who’s well acquainted with me will vouchsafe, there’s rarely any situation which does not find me in stitches over something (or at times, over nothing at all), thus making me count myself as quite an expert on the subject.
[If you haven’t found anything ridiculous in the above declaration, your sense of humour needs medication. -_-]
Anyway. What is laughter supposed to guard one against, you ask? Well, chiefly, against all those minor irritants and annoyances one inevitably faces in life, not so serious by themselves – but invariably adding up to what everyone in this century suffers from – that never-decreasing plague called stress.
What is one supposed to laugh at, you ask? I think this is best summed up by Lizzy Bennet in Pride and Prejudice, when she says, “I hope I never ridicule what is wise and good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.” Remember this, my friends, remember this.
It does rankle, when laughter is used as a tool for belittling others, and rightly so. There are plenty of occasions wherein one can enjoy a good joke without making fun of someone else. For instance, while travelling today, I found my fellow commuter to be so sorely afflicted with sleepiness, that her head seemed to be in some danger of falling forward (or, to my greatest consternation, on to myself.) I spent the greater part of my journey watching its progress – I’m sure that every one of us has seen such a sight some time, to know what I’m talking about– and I admit, I couldn’t help but be affected by a strong desire to chuckle – whenever I expected her to fall, but she didn’t, righting herself at the last moment (Eliciting a sigh of relief from my side, each time.) But my laughter wasn’t ridiculing. I daresay I’d have laughed, if I’d seen myself in such a condition too.
What is the point of this monologue, you ask? (I realize I’ve taken a great liberty in answering questions which you may never have wanted answered. Bear with me.) It’s to impart the following message:
Laugh.Laugh.Laugh now.
Better that than to set aside time, stand in a circle and laugh over nothing in the years to come. -_-
Ah,what a tangled web we weave! 